“A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” Proverbs 27:9
Alex and Ashley are my long time friends. I’ve known Ashley since we were in 5th grade! Then she started dating Alex in high school, so naturally, I’ve known him since then too.
We have lots of stories to tell from all these years, but my favorite one I love to tell is how she led me back to Christ.
Ashley was never that type of person who was pushy about going to church; she simply lived a fun, fulfilled life, and I took notice.
Once day, I asked her if I could go to church with her, and I have been at MTF Ministries since then. That was over 12 years ago, so to say Ashley’s life has had a huge impact on mine is an understatement. Our friendship is truly God-sent.
From friendship to family
Now, not only have we continued to stay friends, she has two boys and so do I, so we’ve truly become like family.
Her oldest, Micah, asks for my oldest, Ethan, and visa versa. It’s so adorable.
They say they miss each other. They call each other best friends. Micah even prays for Ethan and now Andrew.
Silas, too. He asks for Andrew, even though Andrew often plays on his own since he’s a little too small to play with the bigger kids. But I can just see them in a few years when Andrew can talk, or even in 10 years. Cue the tears!
I love these boys so much, and so this session was so special to me.
From camera shy to why not
Funny thing, this was actually the first time I have photographed Ashley’s family. I say this, not to embarrass her, but because it is something we all struggle with, especially as moms — but she didn’t want to take photos until she lost some weight (which she did and she looks amazing!) BUT even if she hadn’t, she looked amazing then too!
The thing is, we shouldn’t wait too long to capture these moments, because as you know, time flies!
Usually, moms book sessions and the photos are for us, but I can tell you that even more than that, they will be for our kids. When they grow up, they’ll have these beautiful photos of the family to cherish.
And while I totally understand wanting to be slimmer, I will always advocate for taking the photos nonetheless.
In every season of life, I feel like it’s so important and valuable to document it.
Why I value photos so much
My mom did it for my brother and I. We have albums upon albums at my parent’s house. My dad even has VHS tapes upon tapes. And even though they take up a lot of space, every so often, we pull them out and watch the home videos or flip through the albums. It NEVER gets old.
That’s what I hope to do for your family. I want to capture seasons and memories and moments.
Our kiddos are only this little for a short, short time. You know, I don’t have to tell you. Andrew is past 1.5 and has a whole person and a half of personality already!
I have to remind myself too to get in the frame and take out my camera to document these precious moments.
Book your fall family session. Capture this season.
