My daughter uses pom-poms to cheer. My sons use pom-poms as weapons

One of my favorite things about fall is football. Now, I’ve never been a huge football fan in general—but when Henry started playing in 7th grade, I suddenly became a very big fan of 7th grade football. And now that he’s in 8th grade? I’m a huge fan of 8th grade football.

We load up the whole crew for his games, because really—what else are we going to do with them? So Henry ends up with probably the biggest cheering section in the stadium: me, his dad, three little brothers, two little sisters, his granddad, his Gigi, his Granny, and sometimes even my Uncle BP. The kid is lucky, and I need to make sure I actually tell him that.

At yesterday’s game, Emily decided she might want to try out for cheer next year. She found some old pom-poms lying around the house and brought them along, cheering along with the squad and beaming with excitement. But then—like most things with an 11-year-old—the novelty wore off. She put the pom-poms down.

That’s when Alexander (my 5-year-old) and William (my 2-year-old) swooped in. And let me tell you, those pom-poms instantly became less “rah-rah-go-team” and more “let’s see how many people we can whack.”

First, they smacked each other in the face full of smiles and giggles. Then, because apparently that wasn’t entertaining enough, they started spinning around, whacking adults in the face too. So instead of “Go team! Yay! Defense!” it was more like:

Emily: “Yay Henry! Go team! Touchdown!”

Alexander & Willaim: giggle, giggle, “WHACK.” giggle giggle

So now in our family, we’ve got one cheerleader, one football player, and two pom-pom ninjas.

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Mama, I know the exhaustion that comes with never having a moment for yourself. That’s why I’ve created a space where you can pause, exhale, and just be. In a “Back to You” session, I’ll take care of your hair, makeup, and posing—even if you don’t feel camera ready right now. You’ll be pampered, celebrated, and leave with portraits so beautiful you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

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Kristian is a mom of six, Program Manager by day, active Professional Photographer by trade, and a big believer in finding beauty in the everyday chaos.

Life in our house is loud, messy and full of literally everything. Love, noise, laundry, laughter, and definitely could use a bit more grace. I'm happily married to my best friend, grounded in my Catholic faith, and fueled by five to six hours of sleep per night and adrenaline.

I try to find joy in the everyday — even when it's wild, because without the little bit of joy, this life would be unbearable. This space is for the moms in the middle of it all: the ones juggling family, faith, work, and wonder. The ones that need someone else's messy life to make their own seem better or somewhat normal. You're not alone, and you're doing better than you think.

Welcome to Six Sweet Smiles — where we celebrate the mess, the miracles, and everything in between.