Today I was taking some time to reflect on what this occasion means, and I was overwhelmed with  
feeling privileged and proud of this job that I have been given of mothering my two beautiful girls.

Some days it's pretty easy to want to give into the temptation to resent certain aspects of our role as mothers -  the tiring tasks, many challenges, daily messes to clean, laundry to be done, food to make, noses to be wiped, diapers to change, tantrums to be calmed, etc.

The list goes on. And starts again each day. 

          This is motherhood.
And in order to do motherhood well, you have to make choices.
There are important choices before you to be made each and every day.

You cannot run on emotion.

There are so many daily tasks required of us that we can either choose to do begrudgingly, or do with love, knowing that the sacrifices we make are us sowing seeds of intention and purposeful living that speak to our children and will have a great influence on their lives as they grow.

They are watching us to learn from our example and see how we respond in the midst of different circumstances, if we will be resentful in our mothering of the amount of time and effort and energy demanded each day of us, or if instead we can remember the bigger picture and choose to pour into our families with joy.

Our everyday choices are teaching the next generation to either value the things of the Lord, or opposingly, to care more about what the world thinks is important and put God to the side as an addition to our life instead of being at the centre. I want to be a mom that works to love greatly in all things, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. I want my girls to know that Christ's great love for us motivates us to live for others, and most importantly, for Him instead of living for ourselves.

As much as it might feel challenging at times, I am so blessed to be a mom. 

My children are an endless source of joy. 

The cuddles, laughter, kisses, tiny hands to hold, their sweet words to treasure, cute stories to be remembered.

Their hearts are ours to instruct, their spirits to nurture, minds to teach. 
What an incredibly overwhelming blessing and responsibility it is to be called a mom. 

One of the things I think is a great gift in motherhood is the countless opportunities that we're given daily to put godliness into practice. We continually have chances to work on patience, self-control, kindness, gentleness, grace, empathy, selflessness, diligence, faithfulness, and L O V E. 

For this, I am grateful. And while I am ever aware of my shortcomings in these areas, I am also certain of God's grace toward us as moms. His constant and sure forgiveness when I fail fills me with renewed strength. Perfect strength through the richness of His love when I feel weak, tired, frustrated, irritated, or discouraged.
 
I think this verse is such a beautiful promise for moms: 
2 Corinthians 2:9-10 -  "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong."

There is strength from God that comes when we humble ourselves and admit the reality of our weaknesses, and turn to Him for grace. We have fresh strength to persevere when we meet with Him and we are reminded again of His work on the Cross, and His merciful workings in us sanctifying us by His spirit, for His glory.  

Happy Mother's Day to each of you mamas out there! You are loved by God and called and equipped by Him for this amazing job. May He be magnified through the way that you choose to mother. Bless you!  

- Janessa

Back in March (on my birthday actually...!) I got to do a meet up with some local fellow photographers out in my neck of the woods; Golden Ears Provincial Park. We explored the West Canyon Trail together, and in spite of some drizzle, we braved the elements and pulled our cameras out for a few shots here and there. I so enjoyed getting a chance to become acquainted with each of these wonderful ladies, who are all truly uniquely talented and inspiring! I'm going to leave their Instagram pages below, so you can check them out and be inspired too.....! 

Michelle Karst
​Kat Grabowski
Bree Ross
Haley Penner
Rachel Barkman
Larissa Sheremeto
*Bonus follow: Rachel's adorable pup Zivah...! 

A few weeks back on Saturday, the sun decided to come out for a few minutes after it had been raining alllllll day. I looked out the window and couldn't help but notice how beautiful the coloured leaves looked lit up in the rays. I threw the girls in some cute outfits and said, 'quick, let's run out and take pictures!'. Lierra has been very interested lately in mommy's work, and loves looking through the photos with me after I do a shoot. One day we were out driving and I took some detours to do a bit of location scouting, and since then when we are out for car rides she will sometimes tell me she is looking for spots I can do pictures at for people! She had also suggested that I could maybe take pictures of her one day.....so I told her this was her chance! haha. Keanu was home and was willing to grab a few shots of me with the girls too. We just went in the front yard/driveway, and spent only a couple minutes, (before we had to leave to head to a birthday party!) but it was so nice to be able to quickly capture these moments together enjoying the fall beauty. Lierra was having fun running through the leaves, and then for some reason decided her boots needed to come off and she should run around in her tights....! (see photos near bottom....my crazy girl!)