Ever since having kids of my own, as every holiday season approached, I would think to myself, “I should really schedule our family to get some professional photos taken.” Then, as the holiday season was over, I would think to myself, “Well, life got too busy and I never did actually make plans to get those photos taken…. I’ll try again next year!”

Well, last Christmas I finally did the dang thing. I booked some studio time, went shopping for some new clothes, and told my family to mentally prepare for their photos to be taken!

The amount of times I have looked at these photos over this past year makes me really wish I had actually followed through on my intentions every year before. It wasn’t even just about capturing some nice photos for a Christmas card, or to update the photos on my walls–both of those things are incredibly great reasons to get professional photos taken–it was about capturing photos that will be heirlooms for my family to pass on for generations. It was about memorializing this specific season of our lives–a season we will never get to live again.

And though we’ll never live this specific season again… I feel like I am re-living it every time I look over these photos. I am reminded of the year my youngest began to walk + the excitement as she began to explore her world in a whole new way. I am reminded of how my middle was finally learning how smile + how adorable her tooth gap is. I am reminded of how my oldest was beginning to learn how to read + how he truly adored being an older brother.

I will never regret the investment of capturing these photos. Every year my kids grow + change so much… I blink and everything feels different + I’m reminded how fleeting life is.

So, let this be your sign–if you’ve been putting off capturing photos of your kids…. you + your spouse…. your family…. just do the dang thing + book a session! Your future self will thank you.