Happy Mother's Day / Long Beach, NY Family Photography

Motherhood.  I used to fear the word; in fact, in my early twenties, I vowed to never have children.  Well, as the saying goes, never say never.  It took me quite some time to get here, but years later, I am a mother to two beautiful girls and I realize how foolish I was to fear the greatest gift on earth.   Motherhood has changed me in ways that I never anticipated and, yes, my life is completely different from what it was a few years ago.   In the sake of honesty, some of the changes are negative. For example, privacy is a thing of the past, I now have an abundance of grey hair, I listen to nursery rhymes in my car instead of Tool, and my days are filled with basic and utter chaos; but, on the contrary, my days are filled with love; a love that is absolutely immeasurable and one that I was incapable of anticipating.  Being a mom is not always easy and most days I feel as though I am at my wits end, but there is nothing else in life that I would rather be doing and I can't imagine a life without my two girls.    I never realized the amount of joy and pride I would feel as I watch my daughters grow, learn and discover new things or how I would be filled with such immense happiness at the mere sound of their laughter, which sometimes brings me to tears  Each day, I try my best to be a better person and positive role model so that my girls will grow up to be strong, confident, and intelligent women.  Most days I feel like a failure and I fear that I have not done enough for them, but then I see their smiles, hear their laughter and I think, just maybe, I am doing a pretty good job raising them.  So, today I am celebrating being a mom thanks to these two beauties.  I am celebrating all the ways my daughters have changed me for the better, make me strive to be a better person, and have taught me about unconditional love.  I will revel in their love today and savor the day because I know how fleeting these days are.  Oh, and for the record, on the rare moments when I do get a moment alone, I spend my time missing the chaos and my girls. 

This is another picture from my monthly project. It isn't a perfect image, but it is a real moment and one that I want to remember.