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.

JUNE

June has been equally lovely and difficult.  I’m kind of glad to see the back of it to be honest, though I am able to recognise the many positive parts of it and enjoy them for what they were – little pockets of joy that remind me how beautiful life can be in the most simple of ways.

It feels like we’re on a countdown now with just three weeks to go until the summer holidays begin and we can all stop holding our breath so much, relax a little and embrace slower mornings and fun-filled afternoons.  We’ll have space to enjoy the time we spend together without having to rush around because we need to be somewhere at a certain time, and our schedule will be nothing more than what we feel like doing that day.  Hopefully the sunshine and warmth will re-appear too.

I’m starting to realise the importance of slow and have made a mini-pact with myself to let myself slow down more, to give myself permission to breathe. Being busy all the time doesn’t serve anyone.  I’m pretty sure I’ve said all of this before.  It feels different this time though – there have been lots of reminders this month about how short and precious life can be, and how choosing to do anything other than what makes your heart happy is counter-productive.

That’s what I adore about this project of mine – it forces me to slow down. To observe. To simply be. Nothing else exists apart from me and my subject. I remember how I felt at the exact moment I pressed the shutter in every single image. And to me that is magical.

Every month when I come to write this post I worry about whether I’ll have enough photos, and I never know what I’m going to say until I sit down to type it. And my worries are always unfounded because there are always enough images and my words, whatever they end up being, are always what is in my heart. And that’s all I can ask of myself really. I feel so very lucky to be on this crazy journey called life with the people that mean the world to me.

Each and every one of these photos is part of what makes us who we are. Each and every one of them tells part of our story. And I love them all.

This is us.

(Note:  I normally add a caption to each image but this month I haven’t – I think they tell their story on their own without the need for words)