Dear Sam & Dear Luke,
I know you have seen the collection of big archival-quality binders on the family room bookshelf. Those are the family scrapbooks. The green ones include photos of fun family trips, outings and vacations (before your time, of course). The pink book documents Emily's first year of life--all with a red, white and pink Valentine's Day theme. Cute, huh? The blue volumes are a minute-by-minute account of Jake's first two years...including the box top of his first Gerber rice cereal meal. What can I say? He's the oldest.
Well, you know those two big manila envelopes sitting at the bottom of the hall closet? The ones all dog-eared and stuffed with random diaper coupons, immunization charts and scraps of blue wrapping paper sitting under a pile of old magazines and last year's science fair poster? Those are your scrapbooks, my darlings.
Please, don't feel unloved. I have had every good intention of making you each your own acid-free book of recognition. I have "it's a boy!" stickers and sailor-suit paper yellowing away in a drawer somewhere. But now that your 4th birthday is approaching, I am realizing that the scrapbooks are just not going to happen. Ever. Somehow, life has not slowed down the way I thought it would and when it does, the last thing I'm gonna do is pull out the scallop-edged scissors and page protectors.
I think you would rather have a happy, drug-free mother than your own silly scrapbook anyway, right?
So, this is my plan. I am going to put all your supplies into beautiful acid-free boxes. Then I am going to put them in a safe place--probably the top shelf of my closet. Then, someday, when the two Ms. Rights come along (and wouldn't it be fun if they were twin sisters named Lucy and Samantha?), I am going to give them each a hug and hand over your precious box of treasures. Trust me, they'll love 'em.
In the meantime, over the next few days, I will write down as many memories as I can of your miraculous and hysterical first year of life. You will have your own cyber baby book to prove that your mother really DID care.
More soon!
Love, Mom
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18 comments:
At least your youngest has a manilla envelope...
My baby has the same manilla envelope & pics stored on the computer...the oldest have big, thick, cute scrapbooks (NEVER AGAIN!) Love the idea of handing it over to the wives!
No scrapbooks here. I will pay for 1 year of therapy if they need more than that it's their problem.
i couldn't have said it better myself. i did manage to get a baby book in for noe, but it's pretty slim next to my 9 year old's FOUR volumes.
but we all know THAT'S why we blog. right? right? RIGHT???
no manilla envelopes, no scrapbooks, for my kids - and i only have two. it makes me worry what's in store for any other kiddos that might come along. we do have lots of digi pics on the computer though.
That is what my MIL did to me, and guess what? They are still in the plastic bags! Oh well!
Mine are in big plastic tubs, all thrown together because we all have
"looked for a certain picture". I think this is a call to repentance for me...get them out of the plastic tub and into archival quality containers instead.
My MIL has made scrapbooks for my husband and all five of our kids. Not one for me though, think she is trying to tell me something?
Great ideas. My youngest has all the pictures of her she could ever want- stored right here on my computer. My mom gave me a big old folder when I got married with my old stuff and it's just fine with me.
I haven't done scrapbooks for either child, but they do have their boxes of mementos. Instead, we have opted for photobooks - so much faster and pain free for me. Snapfish and Shutterfly have been wonderful!
kerry has the same envelope...and you know, i swore that all my kids would have their baby books, becasue i didn't have one!!! one of the problems of being the youngest...
What is wrong with me? I must be the last scrapbooker standing. I didn't even think there was an alternative.
And HOW ADORABLE would it be if they married twin sisters named Lucy and Samantha? You must find them.
This was so good. I have said it before... my husband calls me a collector...not a scrapbooker when he referrs to all of my scrapbooking gear and lack of finished books.
There are 8 children in my family. One of our favorite things to do is have a slide show when we all get together. I am the oldest and there are tons of pictures of me, the next 2 children have a few, the 4th-a couple, and the last two are identical twins, so there are too many to count for them. Now as for the 5th and the 6th child, there are maybe one or two. My poor sister and brother always complain about how they feel slighted and left out (and I don't blame them).
I always promised myself that I would do better than my parents, but here I repeating the same sins they committed.
I do hope to see you at the Y, I am trying hard. I do have a pretty intense week coming up, but hopefully.
Gabi, that's so true. I have lots of books for Bryce and not much for Grace. Although, I do have TONS of scrapbook products just waiting to be used! Soon, of course.
Dear all my kids,
copy of Gab's letter here
Love,
Jessica
(so much easier and cooler when you write it)
It's so good to know I'm not the only one...I just spent three hours yesterday organizing pictures just in case I might have the desire to scrapbook them someday...or never.
Tell the Twinkies that some of the pictures of Jake are actually of them. That's what we did. (Sorry, Min.)
I enjoy scrapbooking. I really do. BUT since I've started blogging I really don't see the point. Meg doesn't have ONE page finished yet. Will she ever? hmmmm.
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