When I was only a mama to my daughter, I used to sit on the floor with her all the time with my camera and just snap all the moments that made up "her" in that moment. I'd sit for as long as could snapping away. And, yes, I'd usually have hundreds and hundreds of pictures of her, but, I didn't care, because I absolutely LOVE just BEing with her in this photographic way.

Now that I'm a mama to two, this has become SO much more difficult.

My inner self YEARNS to just sit with my kids and snap like I used to, but right now, in the stage that lil' bro is in, I have to keep my eye on him as much as I can so he doesn't fall and hurt himself.

A few weekends back, D and the kiddos were in the bathroom. C was having a princess bubble bath with her Daddy watching and no lil' bro's were allowed, that is, until he crawled right in the bathroom to see all the fun that was going on.

I was in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes and I immediately stopped and grabbed my camera because these are the moments I LOVE to capture. And, I had the help of D watching the kids, so yeah, I jumped on it immediately. OH YEAH!!

I sat down on the carpet and began to enjoy the moment of my little family having precious time together in our bathroom. Oh, how I LOVE this view!!

When lil' bro isn't in the bathtub with big sis, he tries SO hard to get himself in. Oh those little stretches!! LOVE!!

Then, the next thing I know, everyone's in the bathroom!! Oh, Rusty!! Never missing a moment either. ;)

Then, wouldn't ya know, the fire alarm batteries started to go bad, which was right above my head. Beep! Beep! Beep! So while I'm continuing to snap away and NOT being bothered by the continuous beeps, D kept wanting to leave IMMEDIATELY to go fix it. I kept saying, "No! Not yet! Let me just do this for a little bit longer!!"

Well, he couldn't take it and he left me.Oh man!!! Well, I kept snapping anyway. And, I'm SO glad I did because everyday, when I see lil' bro in the bathroom, he's always SO intrigued with everything and it's something I wanna remember. It's something that pulls me back into time and remember his big sis when she was his age. Moments that I LOVE to think about and look at because I'm filled with most happy-happy-joy-joy feelings ever.

Especially the bonding time with sister. Because, I know, it's not gonna be much longer until they're NEVER gonna be in the bathroom at the same time. ;)

And, the way he watches big sis...always, ALWAYS, melts my heart. If you look closely you can see that he's smiling at her...just like he ALWAYS does...every.single.day! :)

And then, right after this moment...

he fell over and that was "the end" of my picture taking moment.

And, I'll admit, this is EXACTLY how it ends up when I bring out my big camera these days.

I SO wanted to keep snapping more, but I stopped. Because, like we all know, making sure our kids are safe is priority, so I have to embrace that this is a season and soon I"ll be able to sit more with my camera and BE with my kids in this very present, photographic way.

I'm thrilled I at least captured what I did because the FEELING I get when watching my kids in this way...nothing compares!! Words really can't explain it, but I do know it's the best FEELING ever!!

So tell me...

Have you ever thought of your camera as an amazing tool to help easily pull you out of your "to do list" mind and bring you into the present moment?

If not, then I have to say, when you start to view taking pictures with your camera in this way, you'll see that it truly does help you become a more present mama with your kids. It's hands on and, the best part, you FOCUS only on YOUR kids and what they're doing. You don't miss a thing and your kids are happy that you're watching them and truly paying attention to them!!

And, you get to document WHO they are (they're story) in every stage of their life.

No special camera is required to be a more present, snapping, capturing WHO your children in this very moment, mama. Even though I do use my BIG camera, I do it because I have a deep, inner, telling stories through photography passion, but, I do use my iPhone quite a bit. I'd be lost without my iPhone...that's for sure! Thank you, Steve Jobs!!!

The important thing is, is that your camera (any camera!) helps you to focus on the good of your family and your life RIGHT NOW, in this very moment, just as it is! Isn't that how life is supposed to be lived, anyway? Ah, yes, I think SO! :)

Give yourself permission to take a break and take more pictures!! I promise it'll leave you FEELING so much more happier and energized, because you'll start to focus more on all the good in your life, rather than the not-so-good.

Mama-filled days can definitely leave you feeling exhausted and not wanting to do anything except be left alone, and, yeah, have you focusing more on the not-so-good (yes, I'm talking from experience here), so making a point to #focusonthegood from behind the lens...it'll change your mama life!! For the good!! ;) Promise!!

Wishing you happy, snapping, weekend!!

Until next time...

Life IS presently beautiful...SAVOR it up!