A collaboration between Boston Moms Blog and Leah LaRiccia Photography.
As a stay-at-home mom of two girls, I often feel harried and stressed. As much as I try to stay “in the moment,” those moments aren’t always blissful. It’s hard to keep perspective as we rush between errands and activities and I try to juggle everyday chores and duties while taking care of the physical and emotional well-being of my daughters. I often question whether I’m doing it right. Flipping through these pictures from our recent documentary-style photo shoot, though, I realized that despite it all, the kids are happy. Here’s one of our afternoons together:
My oldest daughter, the Big Sis, loves going to the park. I’m amazed at her independence and newfound desire to take risks by climbing all over the play structures.
Babywearing my youngest is a lifesaver. Big Sis always snaps the Ergo in place, and it’s a job she takes very seriously!
I love the snuggle time with Little Miss while having two free hands.
I’m happy for beautiful weather and the chance for Big Sis to get her energy out. She has a lot of it!
Big Sis is a love; even while playing, she still finds time to tell me she loves me. It’s these moments of parenting when I wish I could freeze time and save them in my pocket to cherish forever.
Big Sis convinces me to go down the slide, and we start to explore what else the three of us can do together.
As it turns out, there’s a LOT a mom can do while babywearing!
Being the second child, Little Sis has become accustomed to falling asleep anywhere. It’s helped keep our house sane as we’ve transitioned to two children.
Big Sis trips and falls; after a quick examination and a hug, she’s as good as new.
Big Sis is having too much fun, but we are in desperate need of groceries and have to leave. This was the only way to get her out of the park!
In the parking lot, Big Sis loses her sneaker. It’s the quintessential parenting moment.
Big Sis hops in the car where she buckles and unbuckles herself. It’s fun to watch her grow and become more and more independent.
On the way home, we stop at our favorite grocery store in town: Tilly & Salvy’s Bacon Street Farm.
Big Sis runs up to the counter to grab a free pretzel; it’s one of her favorite parts of food shopping with me! I love the personal touches of a small, family-run grocery store.
Big Sis adores the owner, Rick. Every time we go grocery shopping, she grabs her pretzel, then runs to his office to see if he’s there. Their relationship is an added bonus for me — it give me the chance to grab some groceries with just Little Miss.
Big Sis is gearing up for the day when she can be employed at Tilly’s. She lives for the chance to ring up our order.
I am so grateful that we have found such wonderful people in our community. Rick always insists on helping us to the car. Remember the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child”? I’m pretty lucky.
Time to unload the car.
Big Sis begs to play outside in her playhouse before we get dinner ready, while Little Miss is desperate to nurse. Thankfully I can juggle both.
Sometimes, nursing looks like:
But mostly, nursing is:
And while Big Sis enjoys her playhouse, I get some time and giggles with my Little Miss.
It’s time to get dinner started, and somehow I manage to convince Big Sis to help me while Little Miss oversees.
Big Sis quickly loses interest and decides there are more interesting ways to entertain herself.
Daddy’s home! It’s the best part of the day!
And now, it’s time for us to enjoy the mealtime rush together, share the highlights of our days, and be together as a family of four. We’ve made it through another day, and I do my best to keep these moments in my heart.
Leah LaRiccia is a documentary family photographer based in Natick who is forever grateful that she got to turn her passion for photography into her job. She loves that her work lets her meet new people all the time, and she loves even more that these people allow her into their lives and trust her to tell their stories.
Leah met her husband when they were both living in New York City. She misses it terribly (mostly the food and theater) but doesn’t think she could live there again. Leah is mom (or “ma!” or “mommeeeeee!”) to an amazing 4-year-old boy who is her best friend. They love to play good guys vs. bad guys, free build with “little Legos,” eat meals on their deck, and make each other laugh.
Leah’s been a Star Wars fan since she was little (before it was cool to be one), didn’t start baking until her 30s (and hasn’t stopped since), hates dressing up, and wishes everybody (including herself) would print more photos.
