Our holiday cards usually contain a photo of our family. Sometimes, it contains several. I love receiving cards from friends and seeing their kids, their pets, their new haircuts, etc. I’m especially fond of the photos taken outdoors. Because the colors of fall make it my favorite season, my family opts to have our favorite photographer capture our memories weeks before Thanksgiving.

This year was no different. We snapped up the opportunity to schedule a mini-session the first week of October. Last year, we did our shoot closer to Veterans’ Day and nearly froze! This year, it was crisp, but beautiful. I love that our photographer will pick a photo from our set, edit it and then post it to her Facebook page, tagging us so we can see. It does a lot to build the anticipation we already have at seeing all the images.

This year, our family finally logged enough photo practice to be able to move through each pose quickly and without incident. No tears, no toddlers to cajole, no dogs to corral, etc. and we were able to do some shots that M1 suggested (me with each of the girls separately, my husband with each of the girls alone and then just my husband and me) that should make this set of photos even more precious.

I love snagging up the wrapped canvas deals from Groupon, Living Social, etc. throughout the year and then using the credits to update our walls each year. We have some gorgeous photos from last year  and I am certain this year will be no different. Can’t wait!