"Family is not an important thing, it's everything."

"I'm not touching you....." Do you have siblings? Do you remember those taunting words, said in a sing-songy voice by your brother who's annoyingly 5 years younger than you and WAY too close to you in the carseat next to you? Or maybe you were the one doing the taunting, like me.

Either way, it's a core childhood memory of many of us. If your family is anything like mine, at least now you can laugh at the silly bickering that used to drive your mom absolutely crazy.

Now, can you imagine sitting in a car with your FOUR other siblings, all five of you smooshed together with Mom and Dad in the front trying not to pull their hair out? :) Here's the thing, when Steve and Becky arrived at their fall family photo session at Frontier Park in St. Charles, MO, I jokingly asked how they could still fit in one car as a family of seven, because let's be honest, car trips with my family of six were chaos as a child. Luckily for this family, it's all love, all smiles, and just a really good time.

"Personality begins where comparison ends."

One of my favorite things about family photo sessions is seeing your family's true colors shine, and Steve and Becky's family is full of personality! Whether I'm looking through the lens at your whole family for a group shot, or taking solo photos of each person, it's so much fun to see how each family carries themselves, individually and as a cohort.

What I learned from watching this family through my lens is this: They are surrounded by love. Quite literally, the more the merrier. This family had me smiling from ear to ear throughout the whole session. Between inside jokes, sibling outfit swaps mid-session, and glances that carried (hilarious) meaning, we got really genuine smiles and a few belly laughs.

"To be irreplaceable, one must be different."

Becky and Steve, thank you so much for letting me take pictures of your family this fall during my annual trip back to St. Louis. Its moments like these that make it so worth it to pack my camera on these trips. I absolutely love watching your family grow and celebrate milestones, but more importantly, I love to see the every day. Your family is a shining example to me, to celebrate all of the things that make us different, because those are the things that make us truly special in each others' lives.