Taking Pictures with my Girls

During our family photo session I was adamant about taking pictures with my kids. Except for random selfies here and there, I don’t make it a point too often to make sure I’m in the frame with them. I have tons of my husband with the girls, but since I’m usually one with the camera, I’m always behind the lens.

These two little ladies made me a mama. They’ve tested me and pushed me, and made me love in a way I didn’t know I was capable of, so I asked Brooke (our fantastic photographer) to specifically get some pictures with me and the girls. Asking her was a no brainer since she said she likes to get both parents with the kids individually, but I’m happy I made it a point to specifically make sure it happens.

I know my husband treasures the pictures he’s in with them, too. He prints them out and puts them in his notebooks and hangs them around his office so he can always see them even when he’s not with them. I’m already excited to set up my new office in California and find a great frame to put some photos in. And, moving forward, I need to be more intentional about getting in the picture with the girls for those more candid shots.

I was terrified of being a mom of two. I just didn’t see how it would be possible to love another baby as much as my first, but your heart really does overflow. Being a parent is impossibly difficult some days, but watching these two little girls turn into little ladies is so worth it.

I braided Julia’s hair for the first time yesterday, and it brought me to tears. I didn’t cry because it was Mother’s Day; I cried because for a split second I envisioned me putting on her veil on her wedding day like my mom put mine on. My first born, while she’ll always be my baby, is now a little girl, and I know it’s a matter of blinks before she’s all grown up. 

 

It’s so easy to be behind the camera instead of standing in front of the lens. I can tell you about the dozen flaws I see when I look at the pictures, but for every imperfection I see twice as many sweet moments that I’ll cherish.

Madilyn’s little tummy sticking out of her shirt and her bare feet, fresh from learning how to walk, and Julia’s freshly-painted fingernails—a sign that she wants to be a big girl, but then her adorable pig-tails still reminding me that she’s still a toddler. My list could go on, but I’m just happy I have a few of these moments frozen in time.