my mother's day gift

I told my family not to get me anything for Mother's Day. I didn't want breakfast in bed or a big bouquet of flowers......I told them I didn't even need a card. (Although my sweet girl made me one that said "You are prettier than Taylor Swift." So that was awesome!) Nope all I wanted was a simple 30 minute family photo session.

I didn't want this to be a typical family photo shoot with us in dressed-up-totally-coordinating-outfits. What I really wanted was a chance to capture my family just as we are in this stage of life; no special outfit coordinating required. Grass stains and unbrushed hair welcome! My one and only requirement was - be yourselves and have fun. You know - pretend like you enjoy being a member of this family. ;)

It's been a while since you've seen Elsa (our mini schnauzer and resident snow queen) and Gandalf (our standard schnauzer who needs no staff to work his magic). #LOTRnerdalert

Look how much they've grown!

Nothing makes me happier than this kid's big toothy grin. And this is a typical Gandalf photo. He moves at the speed of light.

This next one is one of my favs from this session. It really captures where he is right now.....always moving.......always ready to try something new.

I just love my girls.

This girl is sweet as a pie and tough as nails.

She is the definition of a daddy's girl.

These two are like peas in a pod. Literally, they were cut from the same crazy cloth.

I can't think of a better Mother's Day gift than time to capture this precious moment in our lives. It took me almost two years, probably one million tears and countless prayers to get pregnant. I wouldn't change the journey for one second. I'm grateful for His faithfulness and His amazing plan!

My only mommy regret thus far is that I didn't learn how to use a big girl camera (dslr) until my kiddos were long past the baby and toddler stage. But it's never too late to learn something new. If you're looking for some helpful tips on shooting in manual mode - check out this photography post here. If you want a cheat sheet to remember how to manipulate your settings - check out this printable here. And last but not least, these photos were possible thanks to a tripod (which is how I shot our Christmas card pics last year), and I highly recommend picking one up if you don't already own one. You won't regret it and you can typically find them for under $30!