I’ll try not to get too sappy with my Mother’s Day message but you know me. Every once in awhile I’ll get a tad vulnerable and open up about things other than fashion. Think today might be one of those days. Sharing some beautiful photos that we did in our mini Mother’s Day session with the always amazing April Narby to go along with today’s post.
April Narby came into our lives when Summer was just 10 days old. April was a baby photographer who was next door neighbors with my Godmother. My Godmother surprised me with a baby session shoot with April as my baby shower gift. Little did I know at the time that April’s photos would become such an integral part of our lives over the past decade.
I’ve lost count with how many shoots we have done with April but I can say that each session has created some of the most beautiful memories I have with Summer. Her photos tell the story of the bond Summer and I had at the moment. The bond deepens, changes and evolves all the time but each stage with Summer is different as it is with all our children. You can see some of our past shoots here, and here.
Just as April has evolved beyond just baby photos her work continues to capture the beautiful innocent moments in life. You might be thinking with what I do for a living there is no shortage of moments caught on camera. And you are completely right. But sometimes letting someone else see the magic and capture those moments is when you can really create a lasting memory, the kind of photo that will get passed on through the generations. These become photos that Summer will give to her children and then her grandchildren.
In the era of cell phone photos that never get printed out it’s more important now than ever that we have these memories on paper to pass on to our children and then to their children. I still love to see old black and white photos of my mom when she was a little girl. I hope these photos that Summer and I have taken over the past decade will bring that same curiosity and admiration to her children one day.
My Mother’s Day message is a reminder to start getting back in front of the camera. These years with our children are precious. They are fragile. And they go way too fast. Selfies are fun but they don’t tell a story. TikTok videos are fun to make but we have no guarantee those videos will be here in 5, 10 or 20 years. Keep taking the selfies and making the videos but don’t forget to create memories that will hang on your walls and be put into albums that will one day have worn out binders that our grandchildren will inherit.
Time is fleeting. Childhood goes so quickly. I only get to do all these things once with Summer. She is my one and only. One of the best things I ever did was make it a point to always capture memories in photos with her. I hope this is something she will do with her own children one day.
Summer is still twirling even at 9 years old. She is still coming into the basement to play with Barbies. She still crawls in my bed (most nights lol). There is still so much innocence there of her little girlhood, but little by little it starts to go away. One day she will tell me she’s ready to give up the Barbies. One night will be the final night she crawls into my bed. And one day she may tell me she may not want to twirl in girly, frilly dresses anymore. But I hope the day never comes that she won’t want to take a photo with me.
These photos are timestamps of our time together. Timestamps of what our mother daughter bond looked like when she was 10 days old, 1, 2, 5, 9 and so on. Make the time mamas. Teach your children the beauty and importance of life in photos. It’s a gift that will keep on giving for generations.
And Summer my darling girl, my Mother’s Day message to you is a simple thank you. Thank you for loving me so deeply. Thank you for letting me experience each first with you and thank you for choosing me to be your Mommy. God had something to do with that obviously, but thank you for allowing me to experience this beautiful role of motherhood with you.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the beautiful mommies out there. xoxo
SHOP THE POST:
MY DRESS | SUMMER’S DRESS
**In collaboration with April Narby. To book a session with April contact her here or on Instagram.
Tammy Happy Mother’s Day my very dear niece. And thank you for sharing your very special Mommy’s Day photos of you and my precious great-niece Summer. I know I speak for all moms who have the privilege of viewing your blog that today’s shoot is a wonderful Kodak (anyone remember that company?) moment. The love that is so evident between you is so endearing. I am filled with so much joy seeing how lovely your mother/daughter relationship is evolving. And yes childhood does have a way of “flying by” so enjoy every single minute of Summer’s childhood. And especially – take those pictures. I was seldom without my “Instamatic” camera, which used to bring moans and groans of “not another picture”. But those moaners and groaners never fail to enjoy looking through the massive number of photo albums I have amassed. Those photos taken so long ago do truly become a “gift that keeps on giving”. So Happy Mother’s Day dear Tammy. I am so very proud of the mom you are and I know that another mom, our beloved “Sofa” would be over the moon seeing her Tammy as a mom. Love from Aunt Jeanie