projectTEN (aka the year I'll blog at least 12 times)

Every year I tell myself I'm going to blog more - I have the best of intentions, usually start some blog posts, but as my blog clearly indicates, I never follow through. Life happens, my kids need me, emails beckon, timelines and wedding day plans with my (awesome) brides take priority, and honestly before I know it, it's January again and I tell myself this will REALLY be the year I blog. 

This year I'm not even pretending.  Maybe I'll discover that's the trick. Or maybe not. 

2014 was quite a year for me. We welcomed our son in March, and life only got busier and crazier since then. Being a mom of two now has caused me to do some serious reflecting on my life. I'll spare you the details, but it was a rough year for me of trying to balance photography and motherhood (this is when I throw a virtual high five to all moms - those who work outside the home, those who work from and inside the home, those with helpful partners, those with none. This role is not to be taken lightly and I think each one of us deserves a pat on the back (or a glass of wine) when we successfully make it through another day. Also, a virtual high ten to my awesome husband for keeping me sane. D, you're the best.)  What I'm learning about myself is that my priorities are shifting. Motherhood has changed me in ways, and helped me learn more about myself in a lot of ways. I've started to see that affect me as a photographer, and am trying to embrace what that means (even though I still don't fully know), and find ways to be true to myself, photograph things that are meaningful to me and in turn help me create my best images, and also be the mom my kids deserve. I'm still learning what that will look like going forward, but what I've discovered over the past year is that what I'm most drawn to are authentic moments, and doing my best to capture life as it plays out in front of me. For me this starts in my own home, taking the time to document life in these times when it feels like the kids change daily. 

As luck would have it, I got an email at the end of the year from a college friend (the talented Katie Hall) about a project she was putting together with a group of women from across the country, challenging us to take the time to take personal pictures on a regular basis, and post 10 of them every month. I love this concept and am so honored to be a part of this group. On the 10th day of every month, we'll each be sharing 10 personal images, something we created just for us and not for clients. Let's be honest, you're probably going to see 120 pictures of my kids over the next year, but we'll see. :) 

My pictures for this first month are everyday moments from our normal life. Things I want to remember, like how we forego bibs on pasta nights and Emmy eats shirtless, how Pierson is a drooling, teething mess right now, how those two play together nicely sometimes, and just how crazy, fun, messy and unpredictable day-to-day life looks like in this season (like having heart-to-hearts over Chick-fil-A at our crazy cluttered counter).

Starting the show, Emerson, 3 going on 12...

Check out the rest of the talented women who are also doing projectTEN:

Katie Hall (Newark, Delaware)- http://katiehallcreative.com/| https://www.facebook.com/katiehallcreative

Paula Richwine (Newark, Delaware) - http://richestwinephotography.com/| https://www.facebook.com/richestwinephoto

Cait Jensen (West Chester, PA) - http://www.photographyjensen.com/| https://www.facebook.com/photographyjensen

Lisa O'Brien (Wrentham, Massachusetts) - https://www.facebook.com/lisaobrienphoto

Rebecca Bender (Winfield, IA) - http://rebeccabenderphotography.zenfolio.com/| https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rebecca-Bender-Photography/139668796110338?pnref=lhc

Parker Slaton (Newark, Delaware) - http://slatons.blogspot.com  | https://www.facebook.com/ParkerSlatonPhotography

Claire Bunn (Philadelphia, PA) - www.clairebunnphotography.com| https://www.facebook.com/ClaireBunnPhoto?fref=nf&pnref=story

Rae Barnes (Philadelphia, PA) - http://raebarnes.com/ | https://www.facebook.com/raebarnesphotography

Lisa Turner (Chattanooga, TN) - https://www.facebook.com/LLturnerphotography