Do I have the right?

I'm 3 to 4 weeks from my due date. I'm tired and aching a lot of the time, and by evening my patience is sometimes wearing thin from cleaning up messes that weren't there when we woke up and feeling like I'm not making a whole lot of progress. Sometimes it can be hard to feel like being in a good mood. 

But what I was thinking and re-thinking the other night was... "Do I ever really have the right to be in a bad mood?" Do I have the right to let my negative thoughts change the atmosphere and affect those around me? Because bad moods definitely affect more people than just you. Should my tiredness make our evening as a family less enjoyable? What do I really have to be complaining about anyway? We are together, we are healthy, we have a home, we have a NEW BABY coming!! 

I'm usually pretty good at hiding my feelings even if I am not feeling the greatest, but I want to take it a step further... The quote in the picture up there really says it all. We are the ones in charge of our "moods" or thoughts. We can choose what to dwell on, what direction our thoughts are taking, whether we will choose joy or misery in any set of circumstances. I want my thoughts to set the tone for a happy, content, peaceful atmosphere in my home. I want to choose to laugh, to be light-hearted, to not be discouraged, to know that when I'm tired it's ok to sit down for a minute and let Jesus hold me there. 

I really felt like I put this into practice last night and it was amazing the JOY to be found in the ordinary. Sunday night football was on tv, Drew & Isaiah were making me constantly aware of their every need as usual, there were dishes that needed washed... my husband was home and relaxed, there were honey nut cheerios and apples in the pantry for snacks, we'd had a great, laid back dinner together, it was our SIX YEAR anniversary!!... My heart felt full to bursting just soaking in our moments together and not letting weariness steal the joy away. 

I can't promise that my emotions will never get the best of me again, but I can say that with as much strength as I can muster I will choose to spread joy to those around me. 

"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." 

The Maska Family Photos 2013

I feel like every year when I take my best friend Ashly's family photos I raise my bar of expectations to a new level. I love brainstorming with her about outfits and location and ideas, and then making it come to life. Her boys are SUPER active, and I always joke that I spend most of my time chasing them around, but somehow you would never know that from looking through the final result of their shoot. 

Ashly & Ricky are such a gorgeous couple, and it's no wonder their boys, Chase and Nolan are so adorable too. They definitely make it easy to take pretty pictures :) 

I love how she chose to use pops of purples and greens, and the location was one I've been wanting to use for a while. We got a beautiful evening and perfect time of year to use this dock and canoes. Plus their Wheaton Terrier Bentley came along, and he is the sweetest :)I am so, so happy with how their session came out, and I hope you have fun looking through some of my favorites too! 

(To see last years photos click here)

I feel like the above picture should be a magazine cover for something.... 

Pretty ducks swimming by. 

I love the one above!!! 

These are the kind of moments I love to capture, totally unposed, real life. 

LOVE. 

Waving Goodbye :) 

As always, thank you guys for having me take these for you. And for driving back and forth from the park a million times once we realized I locked my keys in the car during the shoot.... (true story.) Love you all so much!