Mother’s Day in Quarantine!

​May is the time to celebrate the mothers in our lives.  This year, we may not all be able to physically be with our moms to let her know how special she is, but there are lots of ways to show her how much you love and appreciate her.  Sure, a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine is a great choice, but I have a calorie free idea!  Give her the gift of memories with a new family photo.
 
My sister’s birthday always falls on or near Mother’s Day.  Last year, I decided to surprise her with updated photos of her kids as sort of birthday/Mother’s Day gift.  It had been a few years since they had a family portrait done and now the older two kids are adults and the youngest is starting for her teen years.  My sister is one of those moms who keeps the loads of family photos on the walls - old and new.  I totally love that and seeing all the changes as her kids have grown up.  (Crazy how fast the time goes!)  After I decided that updated photos would be the perfect gift, I got a group text going with my nieces to coordinate a secret photoshoot. 
 
It took about a month but we finally found a date where we could all get together at the same time without their mom being any the wiser.  Everything lined up to have the shoot done on Easter day in 2019.  The girls were going to their dad’s house for a holiday dinner so we met up in the middle of the day in Vancouver.  The cherry trees were blooming so we took advantage of that; they were a perfect backdrop for a secret photoshoot.  (Side note:  Once we gave her the photos, we told her about the shoot and she realized that was why they were taking so much time to get ready before heading to their dad’s house and why they were a little late arriving.)
 
We took a few group shots of all the girls and then individual shots.  The girls picked their favorites and I had the group shot printed on a 16x20 canvas and the individual photos of each girl was printed on 5x7 photo paper and put into one larger frame with four individually matted slots.  Then, I printed one of the group shots and made it into a birthday card for her.  (That card now sits on her desk at work.  So, now she has new pictures of the girls at home and work.)
 
Finally, the big day came to present the gift.  We again tried to coordinate schedules so everyone would be there when the gifts were presented–not exactly an easy thing but we managed.  My sister was surprised and so touched!  There may or may not have been tears…my lips are sealed.  My nieces were so excited to do this for their mom, it made for such a fun adventure.
 
If you would like to schedule a new family photo (once we are able to get out and about again), send me an email at [email protected].
 
Wishing all the moms a very happy Mother’s Day!  And kids – remember if you can’t get to the store to buy a card this year a homemade card is perfect.  In fact, I have it on good authority that they just love those.

#MakingMemories #Quarantine2020 #HappyMothersDay