Mother’s Day had me looking through way too many photos of my 2 most favorite humans, this year. Happy tears landed on this one... Nearly 2 years ago, we’d planned a photo session with @shelbsmlynn to update the kids’ headshots for work they were booking. Shelby convinced me to come prepared to take a few together....& I agreed. Lots had shifted in the past year. Life looked quite different on a foundational level for us, as a family, &, to be honest, much was still in survival mode. We’d rescheduled this session countless times in efforts to keep up with all that was changing & shifting. Shelby had photographed them before, but she’d become extra special to our hearts in a season of such immense transition. She was the recipient of many a late night audio-message from me (only the special ones are — iykyk 😉) & was witness to ups & downs during a time few others weren’t. She told me she was seeing a picture we couldn’t, & she wanted to capture it while it was still in progress. She knew we were up against a lot, doing one day at a time, tackling, head-on, such tremendous heart work & healing. Despite the fact that we were in the thick of it, though, she said she saw something beautiful: ✨We were making it work. ✨We were sticking it out, together. ✨We were rolling with whatever punches came through each day, & we refused to quit on each other. She saw joy emerging where tears had been & strength growing as we found our footing. She saw an unbreakable bond & a resiliency that was allowing room for hope. She was watching this moment of transition in our lives, where we were still uncertain of so much & yet beyond certain of what held us together, & she wanted to capture it so we’d have it to remember, forever. She asked me to trust her, so I did. We were there, waiting for the natural light to come through in just the right way, at just the right moment. I sat down on the floor while we waited...the kids followed. As Shelby & I talked, I looked down & saw Judah asleep with his head on my lap. I smiled & drew her attention to it only to see her smile & motion back towards Simone. She was out, too. My big kids had both fallen asleep...(continued in comments)