Two children pose outdoors with a vintage globe, books, and wooden school desk for a back-to-school portrait.

Young girl in striped dress holding a red apple up high, with a globe and books in the background.

A joyful young boy jumps in the air outdoors, wearing a blue shirt and khaki shorts, with a globe and chair behind him.

Two happy children pose outdoors, a girl in pink romper giving a boy in blue shirt a piggyback ride near a wooden chair.

Backpacks are packed. New shoes are (hopefully) still clean. School supplies have been purchased, labeled, and somehow already misplaced. And just like that, another school year is here. The back-to-school season can feel like a whirlwind of forms, schedules, lunches, sports, activities, and trying to remember which day your child needs to wear gym shoes. There’s so much to do that sometimes we forget to stop and take a minute to simply notice our kids.

Because they won't be this little for long.

Every year, I make a point of taking back-to-school photos of my own kiddos. And while I love having that little snapshot of what they looked like at the beginning of each school year, what I love even more is looking back through the photos from years past. I can see how much they've grown. I can see the missing teeth, the changing hairstyles, the clothes they insisted on wearing, and the backpacks that seemed enormous when they were little.

Young girl in blue floral dress holds red apple over one eye, sitting outdoors near books and wooden chair.

But I also see so much more than that. I see their personalities changing and growing right along with them. The shy smiles turn into giant, toothy grins. The serious faces become silly expressions. Their little quirks and mannerisms show up in ways that I might not have noticed if I hadn't taken the time to photograph them. And, of course, there are always a few completely ridiculous photos mixed in (those might actually be my favorites).

Because when I look back at these pictures years from now, I don't want to remember just what my kids looked like. I want to remember who they were. The things that made them laugh. The silly faces they made. The way they stood when they were trying to look "cool." The little personalities that were so uniquely them at that particular age.

Happy young boy smiling at desk outdoors with stacked books and pencils, back to school photo.

Young girl in blue dress reading a book outdoors on a wooden chair, surrounded by stacked books and pencils.

In the middle of the chaos, take the picture.

Two happy children dancing on green grass outdoors, boy in blue polo and girl in pink top with floral skirt.

Excited young boy jumping in air outdoors, wearing blue shirt and khaki shorts, with globe and wooden chair on green lawn.

Smiling young girl with pink bow resting chin on hands over books outdoors in blue floral dress.

Two children pose outdoors with a globe, apple, and books for a back-to-school portrait on green grass.

I know the temptation during back-to-school season is to rush right into the next thing. Get everyone dressed. Get the kids out the door. Make sure everyone has their lunch. Get to school on time. Then it's homework, dinner, activities, bedtime… and suddenly we're doing it all over again. But somewhere in the middle of all of that, take a minute.

Notice how little your kiddo’s hand still feels in yours. Notice the gap in their teeth. The cowlick that refuses to cooperate. The way they still mispronounce certain words. The outfit they picked entirely on their own. The goofy grin they give you when they know you're taking their picture. These are the things that disappear so gradually that we don't always realize they're gone until we look back.

Young boy reading Little Toot children's book outdoors, peeking over the colorful cover with curious eyes.

Someday, you'll look back through these pictures and wonder how they ever fit into those tiny shoes. You'll laugh at the hairstyles. You'll miss the silly faces. You'll wonder where the years went. And you'll be so glad you took the time to stop in the middle of the chaos and remember exactly who they were.

So yes, check the school supply list. Label the water bottle. Pack the backpack. But before you send your littles off into another school year, take the picture!