Yesterday we had our holiday family photos taken with Jennifer Foster of Z's The Day Photography and Design. Well, family photos really as we have never had professional photos done specifically for the holidays before. Over the last three years we have had the honor of working with some incredibly talented and amazingly kind and generous women — many of whom I now call friends. I LOVE having professional pictures taken. They are truly my most cherished possession; I literally have all of Gwendolyn's photo CDs in my grab-this-if-there-is-a-fire bag…and there isn't much else in there. They started right after Gwendolyn's SMA diagnosis and since then we have tried to have Gwendolyn's photos taken about every six months. I remember each photo shoot, where we were at that specific moment in our journey with Gwendolyn, how she was feeling that day, how Bill and I were, and so not only do I cherish the images of my little girl, but the memory captured and frozen in time for me to hold onto.
I'm not writing all this to say look how gorgeous we are — although, seriously, wait until you see how GORGEOUS Gwendolyn is — but to remind or encourage other families going through a difficult time to think about professionally documenting the journey. There are several organizations that help cover the cost of this for families facing infant loss, terminal illness or special needs (Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, Inspiration Through Art(formerly the Littlest Heroes Project), and The American Child Photographers Charity Guild are three), and there are also many photographers who are willing to help families with the expense by either donating their time or giving a discount. Cost should not be the reason you do not have professional photos of your special family. Ask. Tell them what you are going through. Or if you are a loved one or friend, consider giving a photo shoot as a gift. I promise, you will cherish your images, too!!!
So click on the link for a sneak peak of our latest photo shoot with the incredibly talented Jennifer Foster of Z's the Day Photography. We LOVE them and can't wait to see the rest from this fun day. Gwendolyn was a tad shy at first, which was funny, but Jennifer's easy-going personality (and the felt parrot on her camera) soon helped Gwendolyn warm up to her normal model self 
leave a comment on her blog post. (Isn't that cool!)
And just for fun — click below to see the photo shoots we have done over the years. I get a little weepy looking back at them, but my heart also feels so full. We love our little butterfly!!! And we LOVE the amazing photographers who have documented our life with her!!!
In order from most recent to oldest:
Kacie Jean Photography – view blog post June 2010 or view slideshow
Katee Grace of Belle Innocence Photography
Meg Fish Photography – read blog post October 2009
Kacie Jean Photography – read blog post May 2009
Katee Grace of Belle Innocence Photography – read blog post February 2009
Emily Hart Roberts Photography – read blog post October 2008