Parenthood is the most rewarding yet fleeting endeavor, you want to bottle up each and every memory and that’s why I love photographing the love between a mom and her kids. Motherhood shifts your priorities and opens you up to a floodgate of emotions. It’s a juxtaposition of feeling at your wit’s end, then finding yourself rewatching videos and looking at pictures of the children (that drove you mad moments earlier) once they finally go to bed.

I’ve spent the past 7 weeks, 24/7 with my two kids. I feel closer to them now more than ever, I find myself trying to take a mental snapshot of the simplest, most beautiful moments and I often wonder what memories will stick with them when they look back on this time. Short neighborhood walks have become a world of exploration, we stop and examine every plant, bug, and sound along the way. There is no rush, we are just being, together. I no longer feel like I need to fill the spaces of boredom, I trust the kids will guide me in what they want to learn about and I’m constantly amazed at the way their imagination has taken flight. The beginning of this quarantine was cathartic and transformative, it’s taken me weeks of getting to a feeling of peace and acceptance, and I am abundantly grateful for each and every moment that I’ve gotten to spend with my kids through this.

Here’s a playlist I’ve compiled that reminds me of my kids, and I hope it brings some joy to you. It’s filled with songs that remind me of my mom (queue memories of her belting out “I hope you Dance” at my graduation party), songs I want my kids to hear when they grow up, and the melodies that accompanied me during all of those late nights of nursing.

Mommas, I hope you get a chance to fill your cup this weekend, lord knows you deserve it! Happy Mother’s Day!