The girls and I have a big announcement to make this afternoon…and there’s no easy way to get started, so I’m just going to lay it out here…  For over a year now, my family has been urging me to stay home.  God had also been speaking to my heart about spending more time with my family.  With our busy photography schedule, I knew the beginning of the year would be the best time to reflect and make a decision about my future with Picsee.  God has given me this talent of photography, but He has also given me a husband and beautiful children to love, teach, and nurture, and my journey to this decision has not been an easy one. Change is not a strength of mine, so during this reflection time of much prayer and soul searching I watched and listened to Andy Stanley’s series on “Breathing Room.”  And after completing the last part in the series, I knew what my decision had to be.

Though it’s very bittersweet, I have officially stepped down as a co-owner of Picsee Studio, and will be staying at home with my family.  Averie loves that I will be able to spend this last year with her before she starts kindergarten.  My husband loves that he can look forward to getting a home-cooked meal every night.  The boys love that I can pick them up from school and come to all their sports games and activities.  And I love ALL these facts, plus the peace in knowing I’m becoming the wife and mother I was meant to be.  I am going on pure faith, and this has been a huge change for me – I have no idea what all the answers are or what tomorrow brings, but I know God is with me!

 Becky and Jennifer have been extraordinary through all of this.  I couldn’t ask for better business partners and friends, and I have loved coming to work every day and spending the last almost FIVE years with them!  And luckily, I will still get to see them very often. : )

A young girl once told me that her grandmother taught her to give a compliment or tell someone how you feel about them when you can, because you may not have the chance again…and I’m taking her advice: I have been so blessed to work with each and every family that we’ve photographed over the years.  I have met some wonderful people who I now call friends.  I have laughed and cried with you, watched your children grow from newborns to school age, watched your families add members, and witnessed the union of many lovely couples. I have enjoyed every single moment of my Picsee journey, and I hope that I have been as much a blessing to you as you have been to me!  And to end things on a happy note, I am excited to say that I will still be photographing Picsee newborns at the studio with Jennifer, so please continue to refer all your preggo friends, or ones with sweet new bundles of joy!

And since no post is complete without pictures, here are a few from my most recent family session:

And an Instagram glimpse of what we’ve been up to so far in 2013: