Another trip to Challis, Idaho to wrap up 2025 felt especially meaningful as I met and photographed the Ringling family during the holidays. Ending the year with a session centered on family, connection, and time felt like exactly where I was meant to be.

Christmas is often one of the best times to schedule family photos, and Ashlee knew this was a season she didn’t want to let pass without documenting it. With adult children, spouses, significant others, and a grandbaby now part of the picture, this wasn’t just about updated family photos, it was about preserving a chapter of life that goes by far too quickly.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “time is a thief.” And it really is. Ask any mom who has watched her child grow from a tiny baby into an adult living a full, independent life and maybe even holding a baby of their own. The days feel long, but the years move impossibly fast. One Christmas you wake up and realize everyone is grown. They’re thriving. They’re building lives that once existed only in your hopes and prayers. And somehow, that realization is both beautiful and bittersweet.

This session included Ashlee, her husband, their three children, significant others, and their granddaughter Sawyer. At just 10 months old, Sawyer was the sweetest little presence throughout the session. Despite temperatures sitting in the low 20s, she smiled for nearly every single photo and didn’t cry once, a tiny reminder that joy often shows up even in the coldest moments.

Their daughter Emma and her husband Jaden, who currently live in Oceanside, California, were home for the holidays, making this the perfect opportunity to gather everyone together. When families are spread across different states, moments like this are rare and that’s exactly what makes them so important to capture. These are the photos that will mean more with every passing year.

We met the Ringling family at their cabin in Challis, surrounded by clear blue skies and just enough snow to make the landscape feel peaceful and still. It was one of those winter days that feels quiet in the best way, crisp air, soft light, and a calm backdrop that allowed the focus to stay exactly where it should be: on the people and their connection to one another.

As a Challis Idaho family photographer, I often tell families that photo sessions aren’t just for when kids are little. In many ways, they become even more meaningful when children are grown. When dynamics have shifted, families have expanded, and life looks different than it once did, yet the love remains the same.

These sessions become less about posing and more about presence. About documenting who everyone is right now. Because time doesn’t slow down. Seasons change. Families grow. And one day, these images will tell a story that words never quite can.

I’m so grateful the Ringling family trusted me to capture this moment in their lives. It was a beautiful reminder that while time may be a thief, photographs give us a way to hold onto what matters most.