a million photos & zero apologies

My mom recently sent me a coupon code to order a free photo book and it got me thinking about alllllll the photos we have (especially since Mia was born). Then for some reason I thought about all the articles I've read that advise putting down the camera and living in the moment (you know what I'm talking about?), the "rules" about over sharing pictures (there's an unfollow button for a reason), etc, and you know what? I don't care that I take a million photos or that I might be at risk of being an "over sharer"! If anything were to happen to any of us, we would never be sorry for the photos that  bring back a million memories... a way to remember that moment in time and the love and happiness we experienced!

If anything were to happen to me, I would want Mia to look back on our pictures and see how obsessed mommy was with her! I want her to see how her manly daddy ;) was a big ol' puddle for his daughter. If anything were to happen to Eric, I would want Mia to frame the photo that shows a happy 2 year old Mia cuddled in her daddy's arms wearing the dress he picked out for her from Mexico. She looks so beautiful in it and it holds such special meaning to each of us! I want my kids to see that mommy and daddy went on trips together because it was important for us to make time for each other! To reconnect, relax, enjoy each others company and remember how/why we fell in love, and why that love is so worth fighting for! Date nights, though few and far between, are documented because it's one of the little (but big) things we can do to grow closer together instead of apart in this busy life. I want our baby boy to see how loved and wanted he was before even being born! There are good times and there are bad times in every marriage, and all families experience the high's and low's of life. For some reason, the bad times are hard to forget, so I want pictures of alllll the good times because that is truly what I want to remember! Yes, we learn valuable lessons from the hard times, but remembering all the good, the little stuff as well as the big stuff, makes the hard times easier to endure! I want to remember the sweet moments that are too easily forgotten as life carries on, like when Mia had a hard time falling asleep just a few nights ago. She finally called me into her room and asked me to rock and sing her some songs. Usually I sing her a couple of songs and she is ready to be tucked in again and puts herself to sleep. Not that night. My two and a half year old asked to sleep in my arms, and my sweet baby let me rock her to sleep! I don't remember the last time she fell asleep on me (just another reason I want to document) and as much as Mia needed me and the comfort I had to offer her, I needed that moment where my big girl needed to be my baby again.

So, Eric may hate pictures and put up the biggest fight about taking them... and I have family and friends who love to tease me about my picture obsession... but I don't care! I will always be that mom/wife who snaps a few hundred pictures for memories sake then puts the camera away and lives in the moment so that I can truly make the memories that will be attached to the photos!

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