One night, when my kids wouldn't stop telling eachother to shut up a story about my grandparents came to mind. Whenever my grandparents were watching TV my gran would give a running commentary on what was happening. This annoyed my grandpa to no end and he'd end up saying, "Lou! Shut up!" to which my gran would reply, "Gog, you shut down!" This had my kids in absolute hysterics and they now had something new to shout at one another.
My oldest kiddo then said that he wished he had met my gran and proceeded to ask what her favourite thing to do was. I thought for a minute and replied with "baking and knitting and reading" knowing that these probably weren't her favourite things to do, they were just things that I know she did. I told my son that I didn't know for sure what her favourite thing to do was and that I wish I had asked her while she was still with us. He asked me why I never did and the honest truth is that the thought never really crossed my mind. I wish I could ask her but she's been in heaven with my grandpa now for 13 years. It is such a simple question and yet the answer tells you so much about a person.
And it doesn't just apply to individual people ~ families have favourite things that they love doing together too. A day out at the beach, a family walk in the forest, a joint effort with the family barbeque, gardening, baking, jumping on the trampoline together ~ whatever it is that you love doing together, that's what I would love to document for you.
What are your favourite things?
Why is this question important you might ask? It is something that I ask you to think about before we have our session because that's what I'll be taking pictures of during our time together. It's wonderful for two reasons - 1) You'll be getting pictures of your family doing things together that you absolutely love doing so they're guaranteed to be filled with special moments, authenticity and heaps of character and 2) no one ever looked more relaxed and less awkward than when they were having a good old time doing something that they love with people that they love. You just have to be yourselves having a good old time. It's the perfect recipe for magical memories and beautiful pictures :) There will be no time for anyone to feel the slightest bit awkward ~ PROMISE!
What if we don't have a favourite thing?
You could have a favourite thing without even realising it's your favourite thing. Also, sometimes, us as parents get so caught up in the daily grind that we might overlook little things that we do everyday that could be really special to our kids. So if you feel like you can't think of anything then just ask your kids what their favourite thing to do is. For example, story time before bed could be one of your children's favourite things or playing a board game or a trip to the shop. Sometimes, the small things mean the most but like I say, we overlook them because we see them as boring, mundane day to day things but in reality, all of these little moments stitched together form the beautiful tapestry that is your life. For now, I know that my kids favourite things to do involve their parents, bikes and food. Simple. Sorted! Our time together doesn't have to be spent doing something grand and elaborate and flashy just for the pictures ~ unless, of course, grand, elaborate and flashy is your favourite thing?!
So, I guess the only question that's left to ask is ~ are you ready for me to document your family doing your favourite things? If so, get in touch today :)
