Jerri Lynn :)

As an autism mom, I'm grateful for the first friend I made when I moved here 4 years ago, Jerri Lynn.  She was my next door neighbor for the first while we lived here, but when her husband made chief they moved.  Luckily, it was just down the road.  Jerri Lynn's family is so awesome.  They always look out for my family.  I love how they just accept my kids how they are, accept the chaos in my house for what it is.  I love that I can go months without hanging out with Jerri Lynn, and she doesn't hold it against me. She gets it, because she is a mother of a child with special needs too.  Our children's special needs are different, but she understands so completely the worry, stress, unconditional love that comes being a parent, especially one of special needs children. I appreciated that Jerri Lynn encouraged me to get going on all the programs, etc., that could benefit my children when I moved here and didn't know what to do.  I appreciate that when I can't reach my sister/babysitters in an emergency, she is the first person I think to call.  She is so dependable and loyal.
Of course, one of the things I am grateful for is that she has documented my family's history with her photography.  I remember when she offered to take family pictures for us the first time, and I didn't have high hopes because my kids can't sit still, don't understand what's going on...family pictures had always been a painful experience while taking them with blurry results.  I loved that she got some "normal" pics of my kids but also caught them in the moments that totally show their personalities and the funny side of our lives. 
I already posted this one on an earlier post, but I LOVE it, so I have to share it again.  This is our ICONIC family picture that was taken back in 2009:

I love that she can get their personalities in her pictures.  It is because she lets them do their thing.  She makes them happy too.  They all love Jerri Lynn.  These pics from 2010 are some examples:

 This picture catches Caiti's sweetness, but you can also see that little mischievous twinkle in her eye.

 This picture captures my cutie pie baby boy who is so cute when he does his "eensie weensie spider" hands.

This is one of my all-time favorites because it shows how much I love my Garrett.  Plus, he thinks I'm hillarious.  That is always a good thing.  This epitomizes Garrett's joyful personality.

I love that Jerri Lynn makes me take pictures with Kevin so that we have proof that we were in the same place, at the same time, and that we still like each other. 

I'm so thankful to Jerri Lynn for capturing all the sweet moments in the middle of all the crazy.