What do you want your children to remember about his time?

For me, I want them to remember that their dad went to work each day because his job was deemed essential.  That he put on a facemask while he worked and threw his clothes in the washing machine and took a shower as soon as he came home each night.

I want them to remember that as a NON-essential business their mom couldn’t photograph the tiny babies I love so much or the weddings that had to be rescheduled.  To remember that even though the financial strain of not having mom’s income we put their needs first and made it work.

When things open back up, I want them to appreciate the opportunities to be social with friends and family.  To remember the way a hug from grandma and grandpa felt after weeks or possibly MONTHS of only seeing them from a distance with a glass door in between.

To remember that through social distancing and quarantine we did our part.  I want them to remember that we didn’t hoard essential supplies like toilet paper and hand sanitizer.  Was it easy?  No, but most things of value are not easily gained.

Most of all, I want them to remember how life slowed down for a while, how mom actually cooked meals from scratch (a rarity in our house) and how we ate dinner together every night and talked about what we were thankful for.

Trust me, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows in this house.  The kids fight, then they make up.  I may have raised my voice a time or two or two dozen.  There has been crying for absolutely no reason other than we’re mourning life pre-coronavirus. I haven’t magically found the desire to deep clean the house and fully organize everything. Not even close. Somedays I consider it a win if I shower and the kids are still alive at the end of the day. I have a “to-do” list a mile long both for house things to do and business stuff to accomplish. I waiver between beating myself up for not accomplishing all the things, to saying screw it, it will get done when it gets done. Currently the screw it attitude is winning.

If nothing else, I’m keeping it, real folks. You won’t see me posting or saying anything that isn’t telling it like it is on my social media. I’m not going to fake it for the sake of likes on Facebook or Instagram.

Take this blog for instance. I started it days ago, then got distracted most likely by my daughter wanting me to see something “adorable” that the cat was doing (which was most likely just him sleeping). Then this morning, when I looked at the post I had auto-scheduled I realized I had pointed everyone towards a blog post that wasn’t finished – #sorrynotsorry – this is real life right now.

But anyway, I digress (the struggle is real people, I have zero attention span).

So back to what I hope my kids will remember.

If nothing else, I want them to remember that mom and dad did their best to keep them healthy, keep things as normal as possible. That even though we don’t always agree with the president/governor/etc…we respected the difficult position our leaders are in and gave them grace. They are, after all, only human too.

So there you have it. My completely unorganized thoughts in a blog for the world, or around 6% of my followers to see. While you’re here, take a peak that sweet Charlotte’s newborn pictures below. Her parents will have quite the story to tell about being born just before the world shut down.

I miss photographing babies, and can’t wait until the world rights itself and I can snuggle newborns again and photograph your beautiful families and kiddos!

XOXO,

Kristin

All sessions with kDarling Photography are photographed on film. What does that mean for you? That means you’ll still receive your images via an online gallery. You’ll still be able to print where you wish or through my professional lab. What will change? I will get to slow down a bit at your sessions, allowing me to pay closer attention to details. We’ll get to know each other better, and we’ll have even more fun! And best yet – you’ll get your session back much sooner! Sound great – you’re excited? Me too!

TO SCHEDULE A PORTRAIT SESSION, PLEASE CONTACT ME, I CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Born and raised right here in central Illinois – Cissna Park to be exact – I transplanted over 20 years ago to Fisher. I’m proud to say I’m now a Fisher Bunnie (yep, that’s our school mascot, you can’t make these things up). When I’m not behind my camera, you can find me hanging out with my hubby and 2 kiddos, Payton and Mackenzie.

Photographs tell the story of our families. The good ones, the bad ones, and the ones that take our breath away – they’re all part of our perfectly imperfect stories, and each one is beautiful in its own unique way. I have been telling stories of families just like yours in the central Illinois/Champaign-Urbana area since 2012. Building lifelong relationships with my clients as their families grow, and telling their ever-changing story, is what makes my heart go pitter-patter. I would be honored to tell your family’s story..  To schedule your next session, please contact kDarling Photography by email or at 217.778.1325

For information on wedding photography, please visit our wedding website at www.SweetDarlingWeddings.com