I am a mother to a brave, bold, strong, opinionated, and absolutely wonderful little girl. She is the light of my life. Everyday she brings me wonder and joy. And everyday she brings challenges as well. Being a mother is such an emotional rollercoaster, but there is nothing I have done or plan to do that will ever match it. Being a mother to Avery is my greatest purpose in this life and my greatest happiness.

Like so many mothers, my day is full of nonstop activity. Going here, getting this, making that. Did you potty? Are you hungry? Where’s your shoe? I need a nap. I consider it a victory if I shower or change out of my yoga pants. My life moves fast, as do so many of the mothers I know. We know the things we cherish, and we know that so many of them happen in our everyday moments, but it is a challenge to grab ahold of it when life refuses to slow down. Just the other day, as I gave my daughter a bath, I wondered what this moment might mean to me when she is 18? When she no longer depends on me for simple tasks, and when bubbles no longer carried the same magic? It was a simple moment. But knowing that I will one day tell her, that at least in her eyes, the best baths were always in mommy’s big tub. Or that this was where she mastered “diving” and felt so proud of herself. And that bath times meant toys could be wet, splashing was allowed, and coloring could be done without paper. These are moments she will never remember, and ones that I will never forget.

For me documenting life for other families is a constant reminder to myself that my world too needs to slow down, because I don’t want to miss one single beautiful, extraordinary, second of it.