I will admit that I always feel a small sense of relief when a mama tells me that she has an active little one, full of energy, who loves to explore, run, and just about anything else but sit still… and embraces that reality!  Parents often feel a bit concerned about the possibility of their child’s energetic demeanor sabotaging a family photo session, and mind you, I completely understand.  

When our youngest was two we had our own family photo session, and she was not in a mood to do anything but run freely.  I found myself reverting easily to Mama brain (not photographer brain) and started to grow anxious that this session was going to leave us with few photographs that actually included the whole family sitting snuggled up on a blanket.  Until I switched my photographer brain on, grabbed a few of my own session tricks out of my pocket, and just enjoyed being together, trusting our photographer to do the rest.  It worked.  And that coveted photograph of everyone looking at the camera and smiling?  Well, so long as I cropped the bottom half of the image where it was apparent that Sadie’s legs were on the go, the moment was captured.  Though more importantly, that time with our photographer was truly a reflection of us, and when I see those images now a year and a half later, I would want nothing else but a window into our little world as a young family of four.  

To bring it back to this marvelous family, they embraced the beauty of the now that they are in with appreciation rather than anxiety.  Their little one was encouraged to simply be her just-shy-of-two self, and I saw so beautifully in our time together the contentment they share for their daughter as she is and not unrealistic desire for how they expect her to be.

Although I will admit that I am thrilled Winnie the Pooh enthralled her long enough for a magical moment in the 100-acre wood.