The Motherhood Collective | Merry Christmas

As is always the case this time of year, our family has been hustling and bustling, and barely managing to breathe the last couple months…and as much as we complain of exhaustion and “no time”, we both know we wouldn’t have it any other way.  I’ve been blessed with a (truthfully) over-booked client calendar and the most beautiful faces old and new to capture that have kept me burning the candle at both ends, as well as a full personal calendar that has taken us to Orlando and me to Charleston to visit friends and their brand new babies (with, of course, camera in tow.)  We’ve hosted company gatherings and annual holiday parties; we’ve completed a never-ending list of home projects; we’ve been parented a three-nager during this busy season and lived to tell about it.  (More surprisingly, she lived to tell about it…)

And through it all, it’s still my favorite part.  Because no matter how stressed we are or how bah-humbug we’ve been at times, our little human finds a way to make us laugh, feel joy, and simply love.  She lives life HARD and reminds us that this stage isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.  So we embrace the in-between moments of pure bliss and celebrate the season in the only way we know how…together.  It’s been a messy ride, 2015, but an integral part of building our family and the lives we have always wanted.

On our jaunt to Orlando, we were fortunate enough to be fit into the wonderful Bethney Backhaus‘s schedule for our annual family photos.  In true photographer style, we showed up completely unprepared.  Clay walked into a Great Clips a few hours before our scheduled session, I frantically ripped apart the racks at Target to find something to fit my out-of-nowhere baby bump, and we pulled up just in time for Cami to fall asleep in the back seat and wake up (mostly) uninterested in following any sort of directions whatsoever.  And I LOVE THEM.  They are so us and so now.  Bethney was so incredibly patient and made sure to get those ever-important mama-daughter shots that just make my heart sing.  I decided to include shots from our session that include Clay, too, because he has truly been my rock as I navigate motherhood this year.  I know I don’t tell him enough, but I honestly don’t think I could do it without him.  He picks up where I leave off and takes over when I’ve had my fill.  I am so incredibly thankful he is the father of my babies.  Speaking of babies…little man makes an appearance in a few of these and I still can’t believe my eyes!  We are so in love with him already and can’t wait to add him to the next edition of our family photos <3 .

Thank you for keeping up with my (spotty) participation in this Motherhood Collective series.  I may be posting late and I may have skipped a whole quarter of the year (okay, maybe like half) but I know I won’t regret making these moments happen in front of a camera.  Lord knows my boggled mind might not remember them, otherwise!

Merry Christmas to your family from mine.  Thank you for being a part of our lives <3 .

motherhood, neutral portraits, organic portraits, bethney backhaus, family photos, Orlando

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