{event} Mimi's Birthday

Trying to figure out a birthday gift for the woman who gives so much, asks for nothing, and loves unconditionally is a difficult task. My mom's birthday can be a little more challenging because it usually falls within days of Mother's Day. The weather didn't work out in our favor as we all gathered at Larissa and Stephen's for a BBQ, but our little surprised unfolded perfectly. Larissa, Frank, Stephen, Laura, John and I decided that the best thing we could give my mom is a photo shoot with her family...all of us together...and especially all of her grandchildren. We planned to dress the kids in coordinating colors and surprise my mom in the moment for our Mother's Day celebration with pictures of the ones she loves the most for her birthday.

It was easy and it was so fun to think of the details for this photo shoot; however, I should mention that one thing we (and by we I mean my sister and I) are NOT good at is keeping a secret. This was not easy. The relief on our part when we finally told her on Saturday at the BBQ was mixed with her joy and excitement. That Saturday was special because it was also my mom's birthday. Seeing her with her grandkids and her "big kids" was the true definition of happiness and so evident looking at the smile on her face.

Somehow, with four kids, the timing worked out perfectly so I started by taking some individual family photos, and the pictures of my mom with her four grandchildren. In between family shots, I captured individual pictures of the kids and some candids of our family. All of the kids were cooperative and had a blast goofing around, which provided amazing, natural smiles.

The finale was the best and the funniest part. I rested my Nikon on Larissa and Stephen's counter, angled it correctly and used the self-timer to get a group picture of all of us. This took a little time and many laughs but the pictures I got are absolutely priceless. I had about 10 seconds to run across the room and jump into the picture. A bonus is that Cano also got in it! As part of the surprise, we also picked out our favorite picture (the one of all of us per my mom's request) and got her a framed 8X10 picture for her living room. We also got her another surprise with the picture of her and her four grandchildren.

This day was a celebration for so many reasons. We celebrated our amazing mom and got to do something we don't always pull off: surprise her. We were all together, laughing, eating, and chilling. We got to watch the kids play together--they absolutely love each other. We celebrated Mother's Day, and a very special one as it was my sister's first. We all understood how precious days like that are and how even a little bit of rain couldn't put a damper on our party.

It is such a fulfilling feeling seeing how happy pictures can make someone. These moments will forever be a part of our family and framed in Mimi's living room--and every time we see it, we will think of the amazing day we celebrated with our wonderful family. Happy Birthday, Mimi. We all love you so so so much!