It All Started With Psketti

You were sitting on the couch with a warm cup of coffee — just you, the quiet, and a few minutes to yourself before the day got started. And then you heard the little feet coming down the hall.

Your oldest appeared with a wild bed head, bumping into the walls because she was not even awake yet, and the first thing out of her mouth was — "can we please make psketti for dinner?" You quickly smoothed her hair out of her eyes and said yes, absolutely we can have spaghetti for dinner. And just like that the day began.

Then the Toddler Woke Up

The house was still quiet and calm. Your oldest settled in at the table with her coloring and your newborn was babbling away on the floor. And then you heard it — "mama mama" — coming from down the hall. You walked into her room and there she was, standing up in her crib with wild bed head and her bunny tucked under her arm. You scooped her up, put her down, and she took off running.

Within thirty seconds your oldest was already saying don't touch that, this is my coloring book. Then she ran over to the newborn and tried to be gentle — she just does not quite understand how to be gentle yet. You took a deep breath and reminded yourself — you can do this.

Now that you have a toddler you feel like you never get to sit down. That conversation about spaghetti felt like it happened five days ago because when you are living with a toddler your day is constantly on the go. You went in and outside about twelve times. You prepared what felt like twenty snacks that were half eaten or dropped on the ground. You removed her from the counter thirty times, each time calmly saying this is not safe for you, let's keep our feet on the ground.

And now you look at the clock. 5pm. How in the heavens is it only 5 o'clock. You feel like you have done a million things today and somehow also like you have not accomplished anything at all. You are standing over the hot boiling water, the pot roaring and bubbling, with your toddler wanting to be picked up, put down, picked up, put down. And you are just counting down the minutes until your husband gets home.

And somewhere between the half eaten banana on the counter and the psketti request and the bunny and the wobbly little run out of that crib — you know that someday you are going to miss every single bit of this.

And that is exactly why I photograph it. And I promise — there is no judgment here.

There Is No Judgment Here | How to Get Nice Family Photos with a Wild Toddler

I hear it all the time — "I am so sorry they won't sit still" or "I am sorry they don't usually act like this." And I am here to tell you there is absolutely no judgment from me. I know that how to get nice family photos with a wild toddler looks a little different than a perfectly posed session — and honestly that is exactly what makes it so fun.

They are starting to talk and saying the silliest things. They are unapologetically themselves and they do not care one bit what the world thinks of them. And for our session we are going to channel our inner toddler — we are going to let go of expectations and not worry about looking silly. Because I am going to be honest with you — you are probably going to look a little silly. But you are going to be having so much fun.

We get to run and dance and jump and climb whatever it takes for your toddler to just be themselves. And those are the photos you are going to want to show everyone. Those are the photos you are going to scroll past on your phone at the end of a crazy day and just smile. Because you embraced it. You did not run from it.

Let's embrace the toddler stage — not run from it. And I promise you are going to want these photos forever.



These Are the Photos You Are Going to Want

Because one day your toddler is not going to be a toddler anymore. The wobbly run is going to turn into a full sprint. The bunny is going to get left behind somewhere. The psketti requests are going to turn into something else entirely. And you are going to look back at these photos and remember exactly how it felt to be in the middle of this season — the exhausting, the hilarious, the heart so full it could burst.

If you have been wondering how to get nice family photos with a wild toddler — the advice I give all my families is let go of expectations and just let the session go the way it goes. No need to apologize. Just love on that busy little toddler and let me do the rest.

If you are ready to embrace the chaos and capture your toddler exactly as they are — I would love to be your photographer. Reach out and let's go find some golden hour together. I will bring patience and you bring the snacks. (Book here)

And if you are not already following me over on Instagram, — my fourth is about to enter toddler hood so I have a feeling my stories are about to get very entertaining. Come hang out with me over there!