and by “it” I mean life, and lately I mean motherhood and family life.
I recently posted on Facebook that I felt…. if not an obligation then a personal impulse, to share all the sides of becoming a new mother. Only showing Finley in moments of sweetness and light would participate in the Big Fib that social media entices us to commit. All is glossy. All is harmonious. All of our meals are perfect, as is our hair, our vacations, our relationships, etc.
I just can’t do it, you guys. It’s not me. And this isn’t some “see how authentic I am” speech; I just don’t have it in me.
Now, Finley does have those perfect moments, but he’s a human. He’s little. He’s fussy and complicated. He’s a need-machine. He gets his adorable little nose out of joint and can wreck a perfectly good snack time. I wouldn’t trade him for anything, but post-partum depression, exhaustion and re-identifying myself as a mother in addition to being a wife, business owner and woman in my 40s has taken a toll and acting like it hasn’t – that it isn’t – is to lie.

2 Faces of Finley James … but only 2o minutes apart

Let’s not. You know? Let’s not make up a personae for the world and then hide the awkward, the messy, the dog-days, the anxiety and the massive screw ups that make life ACTUALLY INTERESTING. Maybe it’s not interesting or inspiring in that moment, but so what? That’s life.

(left) What meal time REALLY looks like. (right) REAL Life = fighting a nap for 8 hours only to fall asleep on Daddy’s face.

Over the last couple of years, we’ve started doing more Day in the Life photo sessions in support of this very principle. Maybe we didn’t intellectualize it at the time, but both Ryan and I feel this need to “keep it real” sort of innately. There’s posing and there’s living and the intersection can be really beautiful.

An evening with family decorating for holidays, time in the park, playing with foster dogs you’re preparing for their forever home…. love looks like so many different things, but when it’s real – it’s rarely ugly. Let’s keep it that way and capture it that way and celebrate it – roadblocks, tears, messes and all.

Don’t wait for everything to look picture perfect, to loose the weight, to find matching outfits. Let us photograph real life as you and your family know it best. Contact us to schedule your Day In the Life family portrait session.