The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I grew up with an artificial tree.  I don't think I ever remember chopping one down?  I could be mistaken, but I only remember putting 3 pieces together of the tree and then my mom trying to string lights and my brother & I fighting over the "throwing of the tinsel"

When Anthony & I got married, and I moved myself down south, when our first Christmas rolled around, he woke me early on the first weekend of December so that we could traipse around his cousin's tree farm to find the "perfect tree" that we would then "saw down".  

This quickly became our continued tradition, to which we share to this day, with our girls as well. 

I've never considered doing family pictures on a tree farm, because, I suppose it felt like "sacred" ground and a place that was just held for the "chopping down of the tree"

However, this year, I decided to try something different...my style isn't particularly into props and such, but capturing togetherness & personality...to show FAMILY in their essence, no matter the location!  

I was excited to bring this family to my "special place"...a few weeks before we were to head there ourselves to locate another Canaan Fir tree for our living room.  

We met this family at fish fry, believe it or not, over the Easter holidays last year.  We've kept in touch over social media and WALA, here we are meeting up for family pictures!  

This sweet Momma to all boys has parented & trained them well.  They are kind & considerate, well-mannered & obedient...and yet, they nearly scared the pants off me with their antics & dad's flying them so high into the sky!!!

These are the moments that memories are made of...the togetherness times that you can look back on and smell the trees, feel the late fall chill in the air and hear the laughter in their voices.  

There is so, so much going on in our world...so many things of which we have absolutely NO control.  And so often, I will admit, I feel helpless...

We are coming up on the "most wonderful time of the year" and there has been so much fear, heartache, frustration, confusion in our world...

Someone told me recently, "If you can't control it, do be controlled BY it"...rather, in response, you pour into the things that you can impact, model, invest in...

This is what these pictures represent to me...

an investment...a lifelong investment of time, energy, guidance, modeling, heart to hearts, acceptance, safety, playfulness, finding joy, showing love...

Make your moments count this Christmas season...