Slowing down and getting in the picture | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

I'm a recovering multitasker and wannabe perfectionist.  I am always making lists and always trying to squeeze in a task to check off my to do list. And though I hear the words "present" and "mindful" more than enough, I'm still learning to slow down and really understand what they mean to me. 

I struggle often with finding a place between doing all the things that make life happen and slowing down to enjoy the moments that make life worth living. I question the necessity of tasks more often, but I still get caught up in the hamster wheel. 

I write this because even though the very act of setting my camera and remote up to take these images made me a little less present in the moment, I want these moments to be the ones I remember when my kids are grown and gone. I want to remember taking the time to stop and giggle even though there's piles of laundry that need to be put away. I want to remember welcoming my oldest son into bed with his younger brother, rather than losing my patience with him for interrupting naptime. 

I fall short of my aspirations all the time. But I find the more of these moments that I have - moments where I'm not focused on all the things, just the people in front of me - the pressure and anxiety to be perfect slip away and I catch glimpses of those oft extolled benefits of presence and mindfulness and remember that none of those other things really matter. The things that really matter are the people right there in front of me and they need me more than neatly folded laundry. 

I've found a lot of inspirations in audiobooks from the library recently.  One of the ones I've really enjoyed is Hands Free Mama.  If you're looking for inspiration to slow down, you'll find plenty here.

This post is part of a collaborative documentary photography blog circle called Around Our Clocks. We're documenting a day in our life over the course of one year.  This month was 11am. Continue the circle by visiting Heather Tully to see her June image.

Nicole Sanchez Photography works with busy parents in Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland to create stress-free photo sessions that take all the loving, fun, and chaotic moments of family life to make beautiful photos and films that families will love looking at year after year. Contact me today to start planning a custom photography experience that's perfect for your family.

Around Our Clocks - 9am | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

Have I mentioned how glad I am that it's summer in Northern Virginia? The first few months of this year were a little rough for us (figuring out the best learning environment for our oldest), but we're doing much better now. Perhaps not least because we can just head outside and play in the dirt when tensions start running high.

Perhaps you've heard the adage that children are our greatest teachers? Some days I think I must have more to learn than most. I've heard this saying dozens of times since having my first kid, but it has never had much meaning for me until this year.  I guess I thought that lessons from children must be easy or obvious.  But this year's lessons haven't at all been a passive acceptance of simple concepts - for me, at least.  Though perhaps simple in retrospect, I've found in them all kinds of emotional baggage and more personal faults, shortcomings, and mistakes than I was interested in knowing about.  On my good days, I also realize I've found more acceptance, patience, and love - for myself and my family.

This sh*t is hard.  And if you're ever feeling like you're the only one who feels that way, know you're not alone.  My social media feeds are filled with beautiful images and sweet moments (ahem, like the ones here).  These are often my favorite ones to post in my own feed because sometimes I'm surprised that even in the midst of a chaotic day, sprinkled with meltdowns, pleading, or yelling (from all parties) - even on those days - we can still have moments like this. Because as imperfect as I am and as often as I fall short, my boys are wonderful examples of what it means to forgive, move on, and be utterly present in this moment of life. 

If you find yourself in need of parenting inspiration, I can't recommend enough the Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids resources.

This post is part of a collaborative documentary photography blog circle called Around Our Clocks. We're documenting a day in our life over the course of one year.  This month was 9am. Continue the circle by visiting Heather Tully to see her May image.

Nicole Sanchez Photography works with busy parents in Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland to create stress-free photo sessions that take all the loving, fun, and chaotic moments of family life to make beautiful photos and films that families will love looking at year after year.  Contact me today to start planning a custom photography experience that's perfect for your family.

Around Our Clocks - 4pm | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

These two guys have so much fun together.  It's a joy to watch.  We have a lot of open parks and green space in Northern Virginia and one of our favorite things to do is explore new places.  This one just happens to be down the road from our day care near Mount Vernon.  We were playing in the field and noticed this GIANT praying mantis.  Luckily, I had my camera. ;-)

This post is part of a collaborative documentary photography blog circle called Around Our Clocks. We're documenting a day in our life over the course of one year.  This month was 1pm and it's our last month! I can't believe we've completed the year. Continue the circle by visiting Camille Arner to see her September image and stayed tuned for an update on what direction the circle will take next.

Around Our Clocks - 1pm | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

I fudged a little this month. This image was taken mid-afternoon, so not quite 1pm, but I'm going with it. :-) It's been a busy month and the more mobile my youngest gets, the harder I find it to bring out my camera. I don't remember where he was when I took this picture, but I couldn't pass up the quiet moment my husband and oldest son were having and sharing with our dog. This is often the scene in our house. Well, the messy part, at least. The quiet part, not so much. And sometimes it comes with a side of screen time.

This post is part of a collaborative documentary photography blog circle called Around Our Clocks. We're documenting a day in our life over the course of one year.  This month was 1pm.  Continue the circle by visiting Megan Nesom to see her August image.

Around Our Clocks - 7am | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

We took a break from Northern Virginia this month to meet up with family in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe for vacation.  I do not recommend Vegas for little kids, by the way.  It was fun, but a little too much stimulation for the boys.  We were there for just a few days and I enjoyed my morning ritual with this little guy.  He was up between 5 and 6am every morning (!) and we'd head down to the Starbucks in the hotel for breakfast.  Coffee (iced, preferably) is a necessity for this mama.  Thankfully, my parents are early birds too, so they usually caught up with us around 7am.  Casinos are pretty slow this early in the morning so we generally had Starbucks all to ourselves.  My Dad's not much of a baby guy, so I'm grateful to have these of the two of them. <3

This post is part of a collaborative documentary photography blog circle called Around Our Clocks. We're documenting a day in our life over the course of one year.  This month was 7am.  Continue the circle by visiting Heather Tully Photography to see her April image.

Want to learn how to document your own family's day-to-day?  Check out 4 Steps to Stop Time and Savor the Moment with Your Family.  It's a simple and fun guide to documenting your family's life with beautiful photographs.

Around Our Clocks - 2pm | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

Warmer weather in Northern Virginia has us out of the house more frequently,  And an increasingly mobile baby makes it more challenging to break out my camera lately.  So I took advantage of some one-on-one time with my oldest son for a recent dental appointment which coincided nicely with the 2pm theme for this month's Around Our Clocks blog circle.

Continue the circle by visiting Camille Arner, Family Photographer in Park Slope, Brooklyn, to see her May image.

Around Our Clocks - 11am | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

Every month, I seem to comment about how back and forth the weather has been in Northern Virginia. April was more of the same, though fewer cool days mixed in with the warm. For our April Around Our Clocks blog circle, we documented 11am.

Swimming has taken over our Saturday mornings lately. Even the baby is taking lessons at our local Fairfax County RECenter. :-) Both boys love the water.  The baby is a big splasher and my older son is quicky growing more confident swimming. It's so much fun watching him play with my husband after his lesson.

Continue the circle by visiting Heather Tully Photography to see her April image.

Around Our Clocks: 9AM | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

Sometimes I have the luxury of an extended moment to shoot a scene. While telling a story in a single image is wonderful in its own way, I also love the variety that comes with a series. I can find different angles/perspectives and choose different elements of the story to focus on.

Here is a typical morning at 9am in our house (no surprise, we're still in our pajamas). My son enjoys feeding our hamster by hand (despite being bitten a couple of times!) And I wanted to capture this part of our routine.

This post is part of a collaborative documentary photography blog circle called Around Our Clocks. We're documenting a day in our life over the course of one year.  Continue the circle by visiting Fort Collins Family Photographer Betty Berg.

Want to learn how to document your own family's day-to-day?  Check out 4 Steps to Stop Time and Savor the Moment with Your Family.  It's a simple and fun plan for documenting your family's life with beautiful photographs.

Around Our Clocks: 5PM | Northern Virginia Family Photographer

One thing certain about parenthood, and life in general, I guess, is that the only thing that stays constant is change. It's bittersweet, especially with kids. Watching them grow is so amazing and rewarding. It's like it happens in slow motion and fast forward at the same time.

And just when you think you have a piece of the puzzle figured out, they've moved on to the next stage.  I've found this especially true with little routines and habits. My son will fall into a pattern, doing the same thing for days or weeks, until one day he doesn't anymore. 

One of my favorite routines lately is him riding his scooter in our driveway as soon as we get home from school.  He'll hop out of the car and onto his scooter, making a few trips up and down the driveway before we go inside to make dinner. He's usually good about putting his helmet on and almost always asks me to watch him.  I usually put his brother down in his car seat to watch. Sometimes he'll stop riding to get the mail out of the box (which he still needs help to do) out to give his brother a hug. He's not so good about putting the scooter away and instead leaves it right in the way to be run over the next morning.  Thankfully, we've avoided this so far.  I know this little ritual will evolve or be replaced soon enough. 

Sometimes, I don't even notice the change immediately and it'll hit me months later when I see pictures like these and think, "Oh, remember when..."  And then I'm thankful for having preserved it and a piece of his story. 

This post is part of the Around Our Clocks documentary blog circle. This month we documented the 5pm hour. Continue the circle by visiting  Sincerus Photography, Fine Art Documentary Photographers, KC 

Want to learn how to document your own family's day-to-day?  Check out 4 Steps to Stop Time and Savor the Moment with Your Family.  It's a simple and fun plan for documenting your family's life with beautiful photographs.