I’m so excited to share our mommy and me pictures, that were taken as part of my Mother’s Day present! Amber and I have known each other since elementary school and she is incredibly talented. I feel so blessed to have her follow the boys and capture them growing up. We had the best time taking these pictures and I hope they become a yearly tradition! Dress: Target Same Shoes: Target Same Boys Clothes: Crazy 8 I am by no means a photographer, but I know how stressful it can be to take pictures with little kids. You are spending a good amount of money and want your pictures to turn out. I get it! Here are some of my tips for having a successful photo shoot with little kids. If you have other tips or tricks I would love to hear them! Give your kids a late nap: Since we started pictures at 7:00, which is Kai’s bed time, I knew he would need a later nap. He usually naps around 12:00, but I had him nap at 1:30. I was a little nervous this might back fire in my face, but it worked really well. Feed your kids right before you leave the house: I gave the boys a snack right before getting them dressed so they were full and happy! Have an idea of what you want: Amber and I sent ideas back and forth, so we were on the same page. That way we didn’t have to spend precious moments, talking about what types of pictures I was hoping to get. Bring along props or activities: I brought along bubbles, Kai’s blanket and books. We also took pictures by the river which meant throwing rocks in the water and finding sticks. 🙂 Go with the flow: The cutest pictures happen when you follow your child’s lead. They will be more playful, cooperative and everyone will have a better time. Check your expectations: Make sure you have realistic expectations of what pictures you will get. Kids are so unpredictable, and the more realistic expectations you have, the better your shoot will go. Hype it up: I kept telling Kona how much fun we were going to have and how handsome he was going to be. This helped him get really excited and he looked forward to it all day. Start taking pictures immediately: Right when we got out of the car, Amber grabbed the boys and started taking pictures. With small attention spans it’s important to start snapping pictures right away. Give them a treat: Taking a 5 minute break, to have a little treat, is sometimes all kids need to finish up the shoot. Also, ice cream after pictures works well. 😉 No matter how prepared I was, Kai still wouldn’t give me kisses and Kona still wanted to run away! 😉 The realness of these pictures makes me love them so much more and I know we will cherish them forever! XOXO I would love for you to follow along on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest! < >

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