THIS. IS. MOTHERHOOD.

Moms are amazing.

They give up their wants and often time their needs in order to make sure their babies are well-loved and taken care of...

They sacrifice their bodies. Even if they are one of the blessed few that return to their pre-pregnancy weight, their bodies never quite return to normal. 

They give up sleep. Endless hours of sleep.

They sacrifice their dream car for the minivan because safety and stroller space far surpass the need for speed. 

They give up the last bite of their favorite snack when they get caught trying to eat in secret.

They sacrifice their ideal career to give their child the best possible life.

We as moms make these sacrifices because we love our children. But do you know one thing we should NEVER have to sacrifice BECAUSE we love our children?

Taking photos with them because we feel anything less than perfect.

Years down the road when we have passed and our children can't find a single photo of us... will the sacrifice be worth it? Should we sacrifice these sacred photos with our children in fear of not fitting into the box of society's standards?

So let that set in. Is it worth sacrificing photos with our children because our nose is too pointy, our strands of sparkle (gray hair) is prominent, our teeth aren't perfect, we feel frumpy, our clothes aren't from a designer store, our makeup isn't flawless?

In our attempts to impress others we sacrifice what truly matters. 

Let's not let the fear of being less than perfect force us to sacrifice being in photos with our children. These are the photos your children will cherish for years to come. The photos that they will show to their children when they explain about just how amazing their mom was and about all the endless sacrifices they made to make their childhood so memorable.

Shoutout to some of the AMAZING moms that I've had the honor to photograph last year!!!!!

They are strong. They are beautiful. Their smiles radiate love for their children.

This.

is.

Motherhood.