Do you remember what your mother, father, brother, sister, dog, etc looked like when you were 4 years old? I sure don't. I wish I did, but I barely remember what I had for breakfast today...(did I remember to eat today?! These kiddos of mine keep me pretty busy...) Lifestyle sessions are a way to remember these moments. If you are like me, you bust out your cell phone every 2 seconds to take pictures of something cute that your child(ren) is/are doing, it goes into the archives, and it is completely forgotten. Timehop will show it to me in a year and every year thereafter...so there is that...

The other thing is Pinterest...omg...do you guys see these crafts and stuff on there? Uhh...do you see the stuff to bake? My boards are out of control with this stuff...

I promise that I have a point. There is a great way to marry these two things. Lifestyle sessions are awesome because it is more than just your family posing for beautiful pictures that will be displayed on your wall (HOPEFULLY! PRINT YOUR PICTURES, PEOPLE!). Lifestyle sessions show what you all really look like...and, what is awesome, is that it gets mom and dad in the photos, too. Do you have some really cute craft to do from your Pinterest board with the little hand and foot prints, for instance? OMG. Do you know what would be even more cute?! Getting documentation of you actually doing that craft with your little ones! See the cute little faces they make with the gooey paint...see the worry on mom's face trying not to make a mess everywhere...see the proud looks on the toddlers' faces when mommy and daddy see the final product...these are the moments that you will want to look back on. 

This is just one example...lifestyle sessions can be done with baking cookies, playing out in the yard, painting pictures, playing with (Play-Doh - card games - board games - Barbies - really anything), folding laundry (really...it can become something super cute...I hate laundry, but the thought of a picture of my kids "helping" me with this just makes my heart hurt because it is something that they love to do...), drawing pictures on your driveway with chalk...the possibilities are endless! 

Here is what else is great about lifestyle sessions - no one needs to dress up. No one needs to match. No one needs to pose. You don't have to worry about the kids giving a fake smile, not smiling, or being skunks, because hey, if they throw a tantrum, it goes into the session because that is what was actually happening! It is fun to look back on, it takes the normal pressure of of a photo session, and even the most non-photogenic person can be involved because it is just documenting an activity. It is your family. The love always shows in the photos.