Michelle Heath Photography: NH Photographers Blog Circle

Happy Mothers' Day moms, grandmoms, aunts, friends, and anyone who fits into any sort of "mom" role (single dads, if you are playing both roles this means you too!).

This month's blog party is appropriately themed "Mothers' Day". I struggled with this one (believe it or not). I did not even want to attempt to do mother/daughter photos of my daughter and myself. Getting one of us to look normal (no deer-in-the-headlights looks or scowling faces) is a challenge. Getting two of us in the same photo, at the same time, looking normal: mission impossible. So is parenting though. It is the easiest and most challenging thing in the world to do. I see mother's out there that magically fit into that role and have since the day the were born. They were MEANT to be moms. I see so many mothers out there carry themselves with grace and seem to get everything right. I am NOT one of those mothers. Oh how I wish I were. I make mistakes. I don't know how to do this. I have days where I feel all of my energy is maxed out and that I might be failing miserably as a parent. I have been given those looks in stores when Emma was young and would cry or throw fits and I had to simply let it ride out and essentially ignore her while I raced to finish up whatever shopping I could before someone called some sort of authority on us. It isn't all a trip downhill with no breaks however. Sometimes, I feel like I have gotten through. Like Emma has HEARD me. Or I have heard her. For instance, after her birthday celebration, she came to say goodnight to me and gave me a big heartfelt hug as she said "Mom, I have something to say to you; Thank you for making my birthday so special to me. I had such a wonderful time with just you and Dad having a picnic, shopping, eating cupcakes, and driving around". It meant so much to me that something so simple could make her feel so good. I have to be doing at least a little something right here. And so, I continue believing, that somehow, I am not a complete failure and I might just be better at this mom thing than I think.

This afternoon I managed to capture the (almost) impossible capture. Topped only by a few fantastic photos that Meg Hamilton of Rodeo and Co. Photography took at my wedding of Emma and I that I just adore to pieces (I think you know the ones Meg!). Here they are, and it surprisingly did not take us nearly as long (I suppose because I wanted it to be over even more than she did!).