There’s no such thing as normal.
I don’t know about you, but I have a very limited number of photos of myself and my kids, even few of us all as a family. It’s so important to be in the photos with your kids, they don’t see your imperfections, to them you are perfect, to them you are everything. I believe everyone deserves to have these everlasting moments captured. You don’t have to fake smile, you don’t even have to pose. You just have to be you, in the moment, with your kids. 20 years from now, you will be so glad you did!
Family shoots are mostly done in the last couple of hours before sunset, in the “golden hour” of light where everything looks magical and dreamy. They can be at your house or somewhere else outside, or both! They usually take 1-2 hours and for a lifetime of cherished memories to look back on I think that’s a pretty good way to spend an afternoon.