Life is crazy busy and it's EASY to stay focused on the to-do's of it all and miss the littlest moments that mean the most. My camera is my tool to slow down, reconnect with the present moment and savor WHO my kids are right now in their current stage of life AND what makes MY heart happy with joy. When life is busy and I see something that makes me light up with a smile, I stop, grab my camera (iPhone or SLR - it doesn't matter because what does matter is that I capture the moment...), click what I see and SAVOR the FEELING of that LOVE. My camera helps me stay focused on what fills my heart up with love and captures a visual reminder of WHO my kids are and what they love, so they never disconnect from themselves as they grow older, like I did.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a picture like these earlier this week. I pulled out the "kids" table from the garage and my kiddos decided they wanted to eat snack and lunch on it.

Well, actually, it was C's decision....Luca just followed. :)

Another movie C loves, is the Wizard of Oz. We had been watching it on the DVR for over a year, but it accidentally got deleted. So this past weekend we bought it for her. She could watch this movie all day, everyday, if she wanted.

While I was making their lunches (and mine), I couldn't help but stop and watch these two. Especially Luca!! I couldn't believe he was sitting there for SO long, all while looking like a little boy!!

Cheers!! :)

As they sat there SO nicely together, I SAVORed every bit of it. It was filling my heart with happy JOY and making me smile BIG!!

FYI - we just picked C up from school, so all the toys haven't been touched yet and that's why my house looks SO neat and tidy in these pics. ;)

I mean, just look at these two...Wizard of Oz is cool, yo!!! :) And, how did my baby boy get to be looking like a little boy already!?!? I mean, really??? He looks ready for school here!! Ahhhhh!!

After about 20 minutes or so, the Luca that I know started to emerge!!

Yep!! This IS exactly WHO he is right now!! My climber!!! And one who looks to be going down the "I love the Wizard of Oz movie" path like his sister. :)

Yep!! SO into it!! :)

It even makes him laugh, too!! Ha!! :) There's nothing better than hearing your kids laugh, right??? The best!!

Then, more of the Luca I know came out!! Just look at that face!! Yep, the face that he's up to something!! :)

And there he goes!! Because standing on tables is way more cooler than sitting on chairs!!

Oh those little feet!! With cheese puff crumbs on them!! The best!!

The more I savored, the more big sis started to shine her "silly face" self. I didn't ask her for these...she just started to show them all on her own. I just LOVE that she's still so into making fun faces like these!! Always makes me laugh!

Then this little guy came running at me with full-on cheese puff hands. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

But that didn't last long, because he can NEVER be far from big sis AND her "angry face" is HILARIOUS!! :)

Then it was back on the chair with more funny faces.

And, yeah, standing up...AGAIN!!

But C's calling out of the, "THE WITCH!!!," stopped buddy boy in his tracks, that he needed to get down so he could concentrate more on this "witch" big sis speaks about. :)

I think he may just be a little scared of the "bad witch," like his sister is. We shall see...we shall see! :)

Wonder if he's gonna be like his is big sis and ask to watch this movie over and over again even though the "green witch" is a little scary. ;)

I'm SO glad I stopped making lunch, grabbed my camera and sat on the floor, watching and snapping WHO my kiddos are, right now, in their teeny-tiny lives. Nothing is more important to me than capturing this JOY that makes my heart oh-so happy!! Yes, lunch can wait!! :)

Wanna savor who your kids are, right now, in this moment, from behind the lens, like I do?

Here's how!

❀ If you see something that your kids are doing that makes you STOP + SMILE....grab your camera!! (it doesn't matter which one...just any camera you have on hand!)

❀ Sit down on your kids level and just watch them. Play with them. Talk to them. But, even better, just sit back, quietly and take it all in (this way they won't say, "MOOOOM! NO PICTURES!!" While watching them, just start snapping what YOU see, happening right in front of you!! (And, of course, if you think your kiddos may hurt themselves by falling or something, put your camera down to make sure that doesn't happen!)

❀ The key...just sit and BE with them, while snapping the special moment. No directing them to look at you. No telling them to smile. Just snap what they're doing, in the moment. When you do this, that's when the magic happens..especially the LONGER you sit!

❀ It may BE really hard to break away from all the to-do list tasks that fill your day, but I promise, when you STOP, SIT, SMILE, WATCH + SNAP!! You'll capture what truly matters most to your beautiful, mama heart..and trust me, it's NOT the laundry!! :) In the end, you'll be SO happy with what you captured....promise!!

❀ Never force the picture. Just sit back + snap what YOU see!! MOVE all around them. Stand up. Sit down. Lay down. Get on your knees. And, when you're done, you'll be focused on the GOOD and you'll BE the happier + present mama you're meant to BE!!

And, yes, these pictures, today, were taken with my DSLR, on manual setting. I don't use this camera every day. I mix it up with using my iPhone also. But, when I take pictures on manual mode on my DSLR, I do it because I want to have pictures that represent what my eye is truly seeing.

The light...the vibrant color...the beauty...but, most importantly, I've learned to take pics in this way, with my DSLR so I can have *some* pics that truly represent what my eye is seeing. It's one of my passions...one that doodling brought me closer to.

BUT...if taking pictures in this way speaks to your heart, then definitely pursue taking pictures with your DSLR on manual mode, but don't let it deter your from taking pictures of moments that fill your mama-heart with happy love. It's NOT about taking the most beautiful, professional looking picture...it IS about capturing the moment that your mama-heart wants to remember for many, many years to come!