One of the things that's so great about doing Moments of Motherhood and Day in the Life Sessions, is that I get to see how much people love their kids. Of course we all assume and hope that parents love their children, but to see it in person, to FEEL it, is such a privilege and I am so thankful that this is such a part of my work. I get to see and capture people loving their kids, and their kids loving them. I get to forever preserve that love in these moments of time, when children are small, when families spend a lot of time together, these times that change so quickly, and then I get to give these moments to these families for them to have forever. I can't express to you how much I love that. 

Watching Andria and Troy with Declan was extra fun for me, because they reminded me so much of me and Tim with Milo when Milo was that age. You can see that they are obsessed with Declan, in the best way and he's this little guy who is just so sweet and full of love. Normally their days consist of Andria and Declan being home while Troy goes to work, so we started with a Moments of Motherhood session, so that I could capture some of their time together, as it is everyday. Then Troy came home from work a little bit early so that we could get him in some of the pictures too. This is a great idea if you are a mom who wants a Moments of Motherhood session, but also don't want to leave your husband or partner out of the session completely. (I know that they are important too ;))

Thank you Andria and Troy I loved seeing and capturing your families love. And thank you Declan for being the cutest little snuggler and for even allowing me to hold and snuggle you a little bit too. That is always a bonus! 

Are you ready to have me come and capture your moments?

I'm so fortunate to have spent time with another amazing mama. Holliday is so full of love, patience, and kindness, with a little bit of humor thrown in that makes you want to hug her. It's hard to for me to explain it exactly, because it's not like Holliday was cracking jokes or laughing out loud constantly while I was there, but there is a sense of grinning with appreciation she has while being with Wilma. It's such a good feeling to be around and it makes me grin while thinking about it now.

I am especially in love with their nursing photos. Maybe it's because it's been over a year since that part of mine and Milo's relationship has ended and it was a time with Milo that I cherished so much. For us it was such a special time of bonding and connection, now that I know better, I wish so hard that I had more than just my own selfies of me nursing him. It makes me so happy when I am able to capture this for other mamas.  

Holliday & Wilma, thank you for having me,  xoxoxo

At the bottom is a slideshow from their session, it's my favorite way to view the pictures I've made after being with a family. (If you'd like to view it larger, click the square in the bottom right corner.) 

"Collaboration has always been a value I bring to my client work, honoring my client’s vision and passion for their business, and using my expertise to bring that vision out in their branding. As my business grows and changes, I’ve realized how important collaboration is within my business itself. Fellow entrepreneurs will understand how many hats you wear as a business owner, but there is so much value in partnering with other experts in the areas you are weak in, whether that’s design, copywriting, or in this case photography." -Nikkita Cohoon

This beautiful human is Nikkita of nikkita.co. Nikkita is an extremely talented graphic designer who specializes in branding and book design. Her talent, however, doesn't stop at her design skills. If you're like me, you want help figuring out what it is that you want in your branding and Nikkita has a system set in place to help you figure out how your branding can really represent you and your product or service. If you are fortunate to work with her you will see for yourself that her presence is both inspiring and calming. Add to that the fact that both how she carries herself and interacts with others is filled with such grace and you can't go wrong whether it's working with her or being her friend. Nikkita and I are in a small mastermind group of strong, powerful, passionate, and compassionate women, her contribution to our group is huge. Imagine my excitement when this talented lady hired me to document A Day in her Work Life. I mean, gorgeous woman, gorgeous house, and amazing to be around? Yes please! 

Collaboration is something that Nikkita is passionate about and I feel honored to have been chosen to be someone with whom she collaborates and someone who I can also call a friend. Thank you Nikki!!  

As a working mom who mostly works from home, Nikkita's schedule it not traditional and often one of her two littles are running around or "assisting" while she works. Balancing being a mom and working is not easy for anyone. And working for yourself and working from home, while being a mom, brings about an entirely different set of challenges. Capturing the beauty and harmony of this process is something that I am passionate about. If you are a small business owner or if you are a small business owner and a mom and you'd like to have me document a Day in your Work Life, use the contact button above or email me at shelley@shelleytorgerson.com

December 26, 2017. The day after Christmas and I'm not gonna lie, my kid had been in these pajamas for two days. Just take a look at the knees and you will see the evidence of many hours of him pushing around his new Ghostbuster car in that chimpanzee like "walk" that kids often do. How do they even do that for so long?! With one knee bent and up and one knee down on the ground their body leaning to that side with one hand on the ground, pulling themselves around. Anyway! Milo's little buddy and his mama, our friends, came down this day with a gift for Milo. A set of two of these masks that came with all the supplies to decorate them with stars and lightning bolts and glittery stickers. Needless to say, he loved them. He couldn't even wait to decorate them to try one on.

The second Milo put this mask on his whole demeanor transformed. He starting walking around slowly and thoughtfully. He didn't speak at all, and I'll be honest, my kids a talker. He slowly slithered up to Lucy and sat with her, and then quietly with Murphy. I would see him start thinking and then make a face and then another. He leapt from the couch to the ottoman and back again, stopping to carefully study himself in the mirror. I would have loved to be inside his head, to hear what scheme he was planning or what powers he was now imagining he had. I grabbed my camera and he was so in his own head, he didn't even pay attention to me. These photos are from that day. 

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Have you chosen a Christmas gift for your partner yet?

Are you struggling to figure out what you can possibly give to them that shows how much they mean to you?

I have the answer for you.

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Show them the beauty of your everyday life with a Moments of Motherhood or Day in the Life session.

Do you often find yourself running out on Christmas Eve, braving the cold and the crowds to try and figure out something your partner will love, only to end up buying something just for the sake of having something to give them? From the comfort of your couch, you can get them the gift that they will cherish forever. The gift that will show them that you really are paying attention, that you see and value all that they are to your family. 

This is a session that is easy, fun, enjoyable. Your session involves no posing, no planning, and the results are heirloom photographs that your family will love and look back on for generations. 

Not only will your partner love this, but this is the gift that keeps on giving because when your kids are grown they will have these pictures to look back on and reminisce about what their childhood felt like, the love, the laughs, the cool couch that is now considered vintage. They are going to love looking back and remembering with these photographs.

Get your partner in the picture. So often mom is the one taking the pictures and there are almost no family pictures that include her. Book her a Moments of Motherhood or a Day in the Life Session today and let her see how much she is valued, how much she is adored, how much all the little moments add up to the beauty that is her everyday.

Give her the gift of seeing herself and your love for her in your family pictures. 

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To make it even easier for you, on top of you not having to leave the couch, I have put together an all inclusive, limited time holiday package that includes:

-two hours documentation in your home or on location

-AND the high resolution digital files

SOLD OUT!

 

Quantities are limited. Sessions must be booked for January or February of 2018. Valid for weekday sessions only.

Available for purchase through December 31, 2017 or until the limited number of sessions are sold out. 

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Tim and I tried to get pregnant for three years. One day Tim was about to take the dogs for a walk. I was sitting on the porch. When he called Lucy down to the walk so they could leave, she glued herself to my legs and refused to leave me. When Tim came up on the porch and tried again to get her to go with him, she basically tried to crawl behind me. Tim immediately said to me "Maybe you're pregnant?!" After three years of negative tests, I said no way. But he was right, Lucy knew it before any of us, and about a week later I finally got my positive test. And for the next nine months Lucy did not leave my side. These are my two babies. I'm so happy to have captured their love, a love that started when Milo was basically a glimmer in our eye, just the size of a little lentil, a lentil that Tim and I didn't even know existed yet.