kim + angelo + lilly

The number one piece of advice that people gave me when I was a brand new mom was, “enjoy it; it goes by so fast.” On some level, I knew it was true, but I didn’t fully understand it. Then I lived it, and she grew and changed right before my eyes, faster than my human brain could even process. Just when I think I have her little face memorized, it changes again. It all happens so fast, that you can only remember little snippets of things, and before you know it, you’re planning their second birthday party and wondering where in the world all the time went. It’s the most heartbreakingly beautiful journey I’ve ever been on, and it has forced me to learn how to be more present; just one of the many gifts motherhood has given me. I bet you can guess what my go-to advice is for all new moms now. :)

These newborn family sessions are even more special to me now than they were before I became a mother, because I’m fully aware of the fact that these moments are fleeting and the details of them will be forgotten. I’m so grateful that Kim and Angelo invited me in to document this incredibly special time in their lives. Lilly is one lucky little girl to have these two as parents.

2016: what worked and what didn’t

As 2016 winds down, we’re all thinking about what we did right and what we can improve upon, which goals we achieved and which ones we didn’t. It’s kind of incredible to look back and see how far you’ve come. When you’re living your life day to day, it can sometimes feel like you’re just stuck in the same place, stagnant and accomplishing nothing; but, when you look back at your life over a longer period of time, you can really see the growth and change that has taken place. We’re always moving forward, even if we’re not fully aware of it.

This was truly a year of transformation for me both personally and professionally. I learned so much about myself and how I fit into the world around me. I learned that I am a master at creating the life I want; a life that brings me joy and comfort. I also learned that part of my life’s purpose is to teach other people how to do the same. More to come on that!

So, three things that I know I did right this year:

1. I put a limit on the number of weddings we photographed. This is something that has always scared me, because I’ve never wanted to limit myself, but after shooting 44 weddings in 2015 with a newborn at home, I knew that something had to give. It wasn’t fair to anyone for me to spread myself that thin. So, around this time last year, I decided that we would cap our wedding calendar at 30 weddings, and that was the best decision I’ve ever made. It allowed me to feel more like a human being. It allowed us to take family vacations, and give our clients the most personalized attention possible. It also gave me the space I needed to fully step into motherhood, which was something that I really struggled hard with in 2015. This decision was such a good one for us, that we’ve decided to take on even less weddings for 2017! We are shifting our focus to quality over quantity in all areas of life.

2. I gave myself space to step fully into motherhood. 2015 was not a good year for me. I really struggled with my new identity as a mother, and I didn’t want to let go of who I was before Elsie came along. This may seem like a weird thing to feel, but it’s the truth; it’s exactly how I felt. This year, I made the space to step fully into my new identity as a mother and create a new belief system around what successful women entrepreneurs look like. The truth is, I never really saw myself having children because I was so career focused, so it took a major shift in thinking for me to feel comfortable and fully secure in this new life. I did some creative shoots that were just for me with the intention of resetting my creativity, and I met some really amazing people in the process. I focused on putting systems in place that made me feel more organized, I set work hours and stuck to them as much as possible, and I hired help for the areas that I just couldn’t get a good handle on. I don’t feel like I’m drowning anymore, and there’s really no better feeling than that.

3. Last year, I knew that I was feeling called to work with other photographers and business owners in a mentoring type capacity, but I honestly had no idea what I wanted that to look like. I just knew I needed to do it, so I set a goal for myself of 10 mentoring sessions. I ended up working with 12 incredible entrepreneurs toward getting “unstuck” in their businesses, and it was a very transformative experience for me. Honestly, it did just as much (if not more) for me, as it did for them. It made me realize that one-time coaching sessions are great and can be so helpful, but they just didn’t allow for the kind of deep, transformative change that I want to facilitate for people. I will be doing a whole blog post on this topic in the new year! I’m so excited for what’s to come!

And, these are the three things that didn’t go as well as I had hoped:

1. One of my goals for this year was to unplug more, and I was not even remotely successful with that one. I discovered Snapchat in 2016, and that only added to my feelings of social media overwhelm. That dog filter, though!! Haha!!   I figured out toward the end of the year that I needed to just choose ONE social media platform to put my energy into, so I chose Instagram and left just about everything else behind. This was part of me getting a handle on my new identity as a mother and a business owner: simplification. I think I will still post on our Facebook business page a bit here and there, but for the most part, all of my social media efforts and energy will be invested into Instagram because that’s where I feel most happy and comfortable sharing personal things about my life. Please join me!! (instagram.com/jennayresphoto)

2. Another one of my goals for 2016 was to exercise for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Well, that definitely didn’t happen, but honestly, I’m okay with it, because that was yet another part of me stepping into my new identity. Do I want to exercise five days a week? Yes. Am I passionate enough about it to work out at 10pm every night after my child goes to bed? Not even slightly. I use that time for personal growth in other areas, like taking online classes or practicing calligraphy, or working toward my business goals. This year, I’m setting looser goals around exercise, and it’s all good. I know the day will come when Elsie will let me work out in the living room without crying and clinging to my leg, so I’ll just wait patiently for that day to come and be proud of the body that I have right now.

3. And, yet another area that I wasn’t able to make much progress in was my morning routine (or lack thereof). I had a goal of waking up before Elsie, doing a few minutes of meditation, and journaling, but somehow she ALWAYS KNOWS when I get up and is awake five minutes later, so that didn’t work out. Again, I am trying to be gentle with myself and patient with her during this phase of life. I don’t want to wish away these special years of toddler-hood; I want to be 100% present in them. It IS frustrating to not be able to make things happen in the same way that I used to, but it just means that I need to set more realistic goals for myself in this new season of life. Slow and steady progress is better than no progress at all.

Even though I didn’t achieve all of my goals for 2016, I feel like I grew so much more than I ever expected to. I made it from a super confusing place of not knowing who I was to a place where I’m comfortable with who I am, and I can’t really think of a better place to be than that. This is going to be a really big year for me both personally and professionally, and I’m so excited for all that is to come. What about you? What is one thing you did right and one thing that didn’t really work out for you? Please feel free to share in the comments or hop over to Instagram and connect with me there. :)

Cheers to growth and change and transformation and moving forward!!  Happy New Year to you, my friends! Thank you for being a part of my journey!