A Story of Strength, Love & Everyday Moments | Saskatoon Family Photography

As a Saskatoon family photographer, I often meet families whose stories stay with me long after our session ends.

The Born family is one of those families.

Some families have a way of making you feel at home the moment you walk through the door. Their home was filled with laughter, conversation, children moving from room to room, and all the beautiful chaos that comes with a large family.

Saskatoon Family photography, the Born family

Hailey and Brady are raising five children while also opening their hearts to foster children. They've been fostering for the past three years, welcoming children into a home built on love, patience, and stability. It isn't always easy, but it's clear they've chosen to create a place where every child feels safe and loved. (The foster children are not posted online, but trust me, we got some CUTE photos!)

After our session, I spent some time reading The Daily Hailey—the blog Hailey has faithfully written every day for years The Daily Hailey

As someone who tells stories through photographs, I couldn't help but admire someone who tells stories through words (this is not my strong suit, I am much better in person!).

Hailey’s writing is honest. She shares the celebrations alongside the heartbreak, the lessons learned through difficult seasons, and the everyday moments that remind us life is beautiful. I imagine writing has become more than a habit; it's a way of processing life's ups and downs while giving others permission to feel less alone.

That authenticity is exactly what I saw during their lifestyle family photography session.

While photographing the Born family, I noticed the quiet connection between Hailey and Brady. There's an undeniable closeness between them, even though life has asked them to carry more than most couples ever expect.

Saskatoon Family Photographer, The Born Family

Brady has been living with cancer and has had past surgeries (Both brain and spine), and now uses a wheelchair. He recently underwent a second brain surgery to remove additional additional brain cancer.

But what stood out to me wasn't everything cancer has changed.

It was everything it hasn't.

When life feels especially overwhelming, Hailey told me they have small traditions that help them reconnect. After all the children are asleep, they'll sometimes eat supper together in bed. In the mornings, before the house comes alive, they enjoy coffee together before work and school begin.

Simple moments.

Ordinary moments.

Yet somehow, they're the moments that keep them grounded.

During our conversation, I asked how they talk with their children about Brady's cancer.

The younger children ask questions only children can ask.

"What does a tumour look like?"

"How long will Dad be in the hospital?"

The older children carry heavier questions.

"Are we expecting Dad to pass away?"

There are no perfect answers.

Instead, Hailey and Brady have chosen openness and honesty. They gather as a family each day, creating space for every question, every fear, and every emotion. Some conversations are harder than others, but every child knows they're safe to ask.

That openness has created something remarkable.

Hailey shared something that has stayed with me ever since: "The kids have all become very knowledgeable about disability, and it has taught them some beautiful new qualities with empathy, sensitivity, and compassion."

Those words perfectly describe the family I photographed.

Yes, they have experienced hardship.

But they have also built children who are learning kindness, resilience, and compassion every single day.

When I asked Hailey how she takes care of herself, she admitted that finding time isn't easy. Between parenting, fostering, appointments, and everyday life, there's very little left of the day that's truly hers.

She tries to nap when the younger children nap.

She's incredibly thankful for her best friend, who supports their family through the foster care ministry. And when she finds a quiet moment, she picks up her crochet projects—a small act of self-care in a very full season of life.

As a family photographer in Saskatoon, I believe photographs are about so much more than smiling at the camera.

They're about preserving the seasons that shape us.

The traditions that hold us together.

The love that quietly shows up every single day.

The Hailey family reminded me that resilience doesn't always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like sharing coffee before the kids wake up.

Sometimes it looks like answering impossible questions with honesty.

Sometimes it looks like welcoming another child into your home.

Sometimes it looks like choosing to laugh, even on the hardest days.

Those are the moments worth remembering.

Those are the moments worth photographing.

Thank you, Hailey and Brady (and kids), for trusting me to document your beautiful family. It was an honour to witness your love, your courage, and the extraordinary beauty found in your ordinary days. Thank you to my sister Lindsay for connecting us.

If you're looking for a Saskatoon family photographer who loves capturing genuine connection and authentic moments, I'd love to help tell your family's story—exactly as it is.

A Story of Strength, Love & Everyday Moments | Saskatoon Family Photography

Family Portraits with a Northern Twist

TARA SPENCER PHOTOGRAPHY