Lara & João – family session

Today’s post is about two very good friends of mine and their wonderful family. I met Lara and João 8 years ago, when I first arrived to Montreal. Since then, we have shared so many great moments together. I would even say that we have come to consider ourselves more as family than as friends.

They have been together for 17 years and, today, they are parents to two adorable little girls: Elena and Mila.

On a Sunday morning, I went over to their house to take part in a little of their family time. Nothing was really planned, nobody was dressed up and, like always, I just asked them to forget that I was there; to do what they normally do. The result, well, you can see right below 🙂

I am so happy to see where my friends are at this moment of life, and I know how much all of this means to them. Before you look at the images, I invite you to read the words of my friend Lara about her family:

“This girl has a strong personality!”

That is what I heard while I changed Elena’s diaper, when she, at just 2 months old, tried to push my hand away with all the motor function a baby that age has.

Fast forward to our current time: “Mom, wake up, it’s morning already!”

I rush to get her ready to go to the day-care centre with her father, but Mila keeps sleeping. She puts her clothes on, brushes her teeth, combs her hair, eats something & puts her coat on.

“Have a good day, mom, my love for you is as big as the sky!”

Mila wakes up, and I rush to breastfeed her. At that moment, I press the “pause” button. I look at that little baby in my arms, take a deep breath, and close my eyes. That other baby comes to my mind, the one with a strong personality, and I remember everything we have gone through; how much she has taught us.

Four years in the blink of an eye, but not completely. Long nights, short years. Moments recorded in our souls for all eternity. I take a moment to be thankful. Then, I look at the calm baby in front of me. Right now, all she needs is me – yet soon, she will also be telling me her love for me is as big as the sky.

João and I made it. We have a family. A perfectly imperfect one. We are at that point in our lives where everything we’ve wanted has come true. Elena and Mila. I cannot come up with a better definition for what love is. All that comes to mind are the wise words of Jack Johnson: “There’s no combination of words I can put on the back of a postcard…”