Grow

{Grow}. I’m beginning to think that this is both my favorite word but also one that carries the weight of a mother’s realization that her children are changing. With growth, brings new fun stages and abilities but also the idea that those precious newborn moments are growing more distant. There is nothing that tugs at my own heartstrings more than reflecting on my own children’s growth. Nothing. I literally breathe them in sometimes, wishing that I could slow the hands of time. But we too, need to realize that there is celebration in growth. It HAS to happen, we WANT it to happen so instead, I am trying to embrace the present, the here and now in which they are shaping their places in this world. They still need me. They still look to me for approval, for hugs, for bandaids and boo-boo kisses, for guidance. I never refuse a tug or a cuddle from my three year old, never get tired of hearing “you’re the best Mommy in the whole world” from my seven year old and never miss my nine year old trying to catch my eye when he scores a basket or gets a base hit.

I didn’t intend for my second blog post to be personal. But it seemed just as natural as say, growth is, to include them in my journey too. After all, they are the biggest part of my own growth. They are my subjects (albeit unwillingly at times), my inspiration, and my motivation. And I need to capture all of that too. In words, but also in photos- for that is how I live through a photograph.