I take hundreds of photos every month, and most of them don’t get shared with anyone, let alone online. And yet the moments in time that those photos capture are just as important a part of our story as the other images that I do choose to share.

I created this blog as a way of documenting our lives, a way of watching the girls grow into who they’re going to be and a way of remembering who they once were. It’s something I want them to be able to look back on as they get older, because memories fade but (digital) photographs don’t.

It’s easy (and tempting) to only focus on sharing the fun bits, the memorable parts, the highlights and the celebrations. But I’m learning more and more as I continue through this crazy journey of motherhood that it’s really important to me that I capture the ordinary, everyday times that we spend together as well. The bits of the jigsaw that fill in the gaps to complete the picture. The tantalising glimpses into who our girls are becoming.

The chaos, the calm and all the moments in between.

This monthly feature – The Moments In Between – is a space for me to share all of those magical bits that would otherwise just stay in a folder on my laptop, never to see the light of day.

JULY

July seems to have disappeared in a flash.  The last three weeks of the school term were a frantic blur of events and assemblies and emotions running high as our eldest daughter left primary school forever.  The glorious weather has continued and we did our best to make the most of it whilst finding time in between to stay cool.

We spent the final week of the month in Italy on the shores of Lake Maggiore in the north of the country.  Travelling with kids brings it’s own unique set of challenges but it’s always, ALWAYS worth it and we came home with sun-kissed skin and hearts full of memories that we’ve made together.

Now the rest of the summer holidays lie ahead of us and we have very few plans.  Normally this would fill me with dread but for once I’m actually looking forward to slower, more simple days, spending quality time with my girls and preparing for the next stage of school/parenting/life that will be arriving in September, bringing with it plenty of new feelings and shifts in our routine that we’ll all need to get used to.

All of these photos are special and as always, I love every single one of these images. So very much. Every single one has a meaning for me deeper than the surface level of what you see. Every single one brings back feelings and thoughts and moments I want to remember. Every single one speaks to me in so many ways. Every single one is a piece of our jigsaw.

Every single one tells part of our story.

This is us.