The mom behind the camera

I have the role of memory keeper in our family.  No one appointed the role to me or forced me to take it on.  I love being the memory keeper.  The art of photography is my hobby.  While my husband is researching football stats for his fantasy football team, I am editing pictures and blogging them or making our yearly photo book.  Because of this, I am always behind the camera.

Last week, I saw a picture of a mom with a baby on her hip and it really struck me.  I carry Stephen on my hip all day long.  He is constantly wanting me to hold him.  It is such a part of our life and something I will always remember.  But there are no pictures of it.  I have pictures of myself holding him as a tiny baby, but hardly any of me holding him as a toddler.  When I get him out of his crib in the morning, I carry him on my hip downstairs.  While I am in the kitchen making his meals he pulls on my leg for me to hold him.  At random times he comes up to me and puts his arms up.   That day I decided to take some pictures with my self timer.  I knew they wouldn't be the best pictures and would probably be a little blurry and that was fine.  I just wanted some pictures with my baby.





I took those pictures last week and while I was taking them I thought they were so great.  We were having a great time together!  I couldn't wait to blog them.  Then I downloaded them onto my computer and I was devastated.   All I saw were the pounds I needed to lose, my frizzy hair, no makeup on, etc.  I had no intention of sharing them.  Then I read this article:  Mom stays in the picture.

This excerpt really struck me:

"I'm everywhere in their young lives, and yet I have very few pictures of me with them. Someday I won't be here -- and I don't know if that someday is tomorrow or thirty or forty or fifty years from now -- but I want them to have pictures of me. I want them to see the way I looked at them, see how much I loved them. I am not perfect to look at and I am not perfect to love, but I am perfectly their mother."

Wow, that passage brings tears to my eyes.  I hope what my son sees in these pictures is his mom who ADORES him!

I know these pictures are not great.  I know that everyone looking at them sees the same flaws I do.  But, I love these pictures.  I love every single thing about them.  And that is all that matters.  When I look at these pictures, I see joy and love and happiness.