Getting through each day for me might seem like all fun and games, if you base it just on what you see on my blog. I love to take pictures of my children when they are happy and engaged. Brayden always looks perfectly content just hanging out, doing a variety of activities. Carter’s little toothy smile makes it seem like he just smiles all the day long.
In all honesty, most days are a struggle. By the time four o’ clock rolls around, I have had it up to my chin. My patience dwindles by the minute. I want to run away and hide under the bed sometimes. Brayden is up and ready to attack the day head on by 6:30. He doesn’t need any “adjustment” time between sleeping and being awake. He just hops out of bed, ready for his first victim (which is always me). Talking nonstop and asking the same questions every morning–can I watch a movie? Can I have eggs for breakfast? Want to play with me? What can we do together? Etc, etc. Really, it’s the same thing every morning. And I can assure you that he asks these questions through the entire day.
Carter has his very happy moments. He plays by himself or with Brayden for a bit. He find something fun to throw and chase after. But most of the time, he finds me, pulls himself up on my leg and just hangs there. Whining and crying until I pick him up. Hanging on my pants while looking up at me with those baby blues and cries and cries. My frustration level rises. I can also assure you that this goes on the entire day.
I’m not very sure how people have many more than two children.
I love them so much. So incredibly much. But it certainly is a struggle with patience every day. An inner battle over whether or not I am making the right decisions with how I act upon certain situations. The words I choose to use. My sternness, or lack of it. My grace toward them. My guilt for sometimes acting the way that I do. Luckily, I have never yelled at them. My voice has never raised. I sometimes speak sternly, but I have never yelled. And I hope I never do.
How blessed I am that I get to be with them during the day–may God lead me to raise them the best way that I can.
James took these next few pictures. He laughed and said, we would have never let Brayden do that. And he’s totally right. But when Carter climbed up onto the dishwasher while I was unloading it, it gave me five minutes of freedom–no hangingfrommyleg crying baby, no walking around in circles while trying to evade the fatal pant grab. Just a happy baby, content with pulling the bowls and silverware out of the bottom rack. And why did I care? They were clean, right? And he’s the second child. Give me a third, and I might let them hang from the upper rack while swinging like a monkey.
Then it was time to work. So he grabbed the camera again and snapped a few more for me, saying these are for you–you’re never in the pictures. So here I am. Working, while trying to be a mom at the same time. It’s a hard act to juggle. But we’re working on it every day. Trying to find the balance. 
There it is. A little peek into my day. Pray for my sanity! 🙂
And we are going on a two-day vacation to Splash Lagoon, so I will not be posting for the next few days. Sorry for those of you who I have spoiled with my daily antics! Time for a break for this little family!
newborn, child and family photographer
rochester new york