“One Evening” is a photo essay series that provides a sneak peek into the everyday lives of the Fairfield County Moms Blog contributors. The evening routine is photographed by Anna-Liisa Nixon Photography and words are written by each mom to tell the story behind the images. It’s a rare and intimate look into each family’s life, one evening at a time.
Life is a continuum of peaks and valleys. The past year has been a valley for our family, in more ways than one. We have had struggle after struggle thrown at us, and in between we sandwiched selling and buying homes and moving to a new town.
What we thought would be a time of joy actually turned into not only a logistical nightmare but also an added stressor that iced our proverbial cake.
As we expected, our children’s behavior was less than stellar, filling our days in our new house with more tantrums than I care to remember. I was also in an isolating transitional period between moving away from the friends I had made as a new mom and living in a new place without having yet made any new friends.
Most days I was either yelling and crying, or blindly floating until I could go to bed. And so, as 2018 came to a close, I vowed to slam the door on the most challenging year of my life and take on 2019 with an eye toward getting our family back to what it was before things started to crash and burn.
Enter Anna-Liisa.
This is us on a Sunday.
These pictures helped to remind me of what we are as a family.
We always eat together.
This guy’s favorite meal? Salad. Yep, the greener the better. Meat? Not so much. His food preferences are one of the only traits he seems to have inherited from me. I imagine this will be the face he makes when he learns where chicken and beef come from.
We love dessert.
We take oral hygiene seriously.
Always floss and brush, folks (especially after eating Oreos)! I have really mastered the art of flossing another person’s teeth. Even better in an outdated bathroom…
We really like Mario Kart.
We do this every Sunday. Our usual matchup is Yoshi vs. Princess Peach. Whoever plays with Daddy usually wins. Notice my husband has a t-shirt to match the occasion.
We’re a tad dramatic at times.
We aren’t the most formal family you’ve ever met.
Laying around with his belly out is this guy’s favorite way to relax. Stuffed troll required.
We love the holidays and fashion statements.
Holidays are year-round for this kid, especially if she can wear a festive headband. She’s also pretending here like she doesn’t know what “put your pajamas on” means.
Hugs are free and in abundance.
Every night ends like this for these two, and I hope this never changes. I’m an only child, so the love between my kids is my absolute favorite part of parenting.
We pretend we’re not tired even when we are.
They’ll deny it, but now I have documentary evidence.
We love books.
There are always new stories to read and new things to learn (and new things to pick off Daddy’s face). Personal space is also a thing of the past.
We love each other fiercely.
Sometimes you just need a moment to view yourself from the outside to truly see how much you have to be thankful for.
This is our family.
Thank you, Anna-Liisa, for capturing our family doing what we do best – being ourselves and being together. Your pictures have reminded me of what I had allowed myself to forget. Though we may struggle, and though many days may seem insurmountable, I could not ask for anything more than what I already have within these four walls.
Images for this project are captured by Anna-Liisa Nixon Photography. Anna-Liisa specializes in documentary family photography and loves capturing the real, silly, weird, and tender moments of childhood. She captures that blur of motherhood — the laughter and tears, the real moments and connections, and the unique rhythm of a family. To learn more, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
To see all posts in the “One Evening” photo essay series view here.
