Smile! You're on candid camera

Here's an interesting one; There are countless arguments against taking "too many" photos. I have a counter argument for capturing those candid mommy moments. 

We always make sure to get cute pictures of our babes in their Christmas finest, or at their birthday party, or any other major celebration. I'm polar opposite of this. While I always bring my Nikon digital along to any special event or holiday, I rarely, if ever, use it. Partly because I know my mom will get pictures to prove we were in fact at this gathering on this day. Honestly though, I will always remember the big occasions, after countless years of traditions with friends and family. I like to capture those candid moments between holidays, because those are the things that make up the majority of our lifetime. 

These moments are so fleeting and seemingly meaningless that we just let them pass us by, allowing each day to bleed freely and carelessly into the next. When my girls have grown and I look back at all the photos I have of them (undoubtedly bawling my eyes out over the fact that they've grown), I want to see that time Ed was singing Hallelujah sweetly to our Jo, unbeknownst to the photo I just snapped of that moment. I want to see the girls snuggling and nursing their bottles on a Tuesday of little importance. Or, like just moments ago, the look on Jo's face when I busted her with the entire container of hummus.

There is a certain level of balance to be maintained, I will admit that. I would hate for my girls to grow up only seeing me with a phone or camera glued to my face. Not to mention, you can very easily lose the moment you're trying to capture by removing yourself. There are still many of these moments that have come and gone with no documented proof of it happening, but that is totally fine. 

I feel like I deserve stealth points for this one! I had to sneak out the front door and run around back....

So I guess I'm not so much advocating for excessive photographing, but rather insisting that there is a grey area to explore. I will cherish these ordinary days so much, I already do. Don't miss out on them, this is what your life is made of!