Ok, so we finally unearthed the scrapbook albums and have begun the daunting task of catching up on the past 10 years of photos (10 years, I kid you not!). When Felicity (our eldest) was born, a friend of mine introduced me to "Creative Memories" which is a company that sells and promotes beautiful scrapbook photo albums. I went to a class, and I was hooked!
I diligently began to document her every smile, sneeze and burp and within 2 years had completed TWO fully decorated albums of just HER. Christian (born 17 months later) has about 1 and a half albums of his baby years...Sebastian (born 2 1/2 years later) has one baby album...Sophia (born 2 years later) has one album...and so on...you get the picture!
Well, you can imagine how many baby pictures I have in albums for my subsequent children (I have 6 children younger than Sebastian. You do the math!) To put it bluntly, some of my poor, deprived children only have an album title page and my youngest doesn't even yet have an album! Yes, I know I am as horror stricken as you are right now!
I promised myself that I wouldn't be one of those moms. I was going to make everything fair...make sure everyone felt equally special. What happened? Life happened, I guess.
So when I finally took my head out of the sand and looked at the reality of how I had failed so dismally...I decided that I needed some help...some "back up". And guess what? I have two wonderful daughters (ages 12 and 10) who were totally willing to step up to the plate and help me get caught up.
Now, as wonderful as this all sounds...I have had to do some major LETTING GO. I want the albums done, right? Then I couldn't be hovering constantly to make sure everything was symmetrical...every sticker exactly where I would put it. My daughters need creative freedom...just like I do. I also don't have the time to nit pick.
So okay, I open up my 6 year old's album to the 2 page spread of her baptism. There is a beautiful picture of all of us gathered for this solemn occasion...with the words written under it (by my 10 year old) "O.M.G. I didn't realize I was so popular!"
Do I laugh or cry?! I think I need to let go and laugh. Not only is our family history being recorded, but so is my daughter's quirky sense of humour. Who says family photo albums have to be all stuffy and formal, anyway, right?
Sweet idea to catch up, letting go with your little helpers...not so easy!
ReplyDeleteWow, this made me laugh out loud. How precious! Your younger children are not just products of their parents, but of their older siblings. What a blessing, to be loved by so many...to have unique relationships, and seen from so many different perspectives. They'll LOVE these albums when they're older! I swore I'd be fair too...Jude has 6 albums just for his first year. Violet has 2. Margot? None. We're too busy loving each other and having busy fun to sit around and document each moment. But someday, we will! Just as you are, finally...be easy on yourself. And breeeeaaathe...I can just imagine your face when you saw the baptism picture! haha!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful post - I loved reading this : )
ReplyDeleteLOVE it... and can totally relate. Sadly, I only have TWO children... the first has volumes of scrapbook history, the second... well, not so much. Some day...
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If it makes you feel any better, I still need to print out photos from Madeleine's first year and make an album. It just never happened...the scrapbooking that is. I love the concept, but I think I saw a few too many "too perfect" books and thought it would be impossible. Now, with four kiddos, I actually might do some scrapbooking one of these days.
ReplyDeleteFor now, I'm enjoying them and just trying to live in the now which I'm sure we'll document (on paper) one day. Blogging just seems so much easier right now!
I think your daughter is a genius! And it's much better to have the books finished than have a perfect vision of books that are never completed. My mom totally fell victim to that and she only had 3 children! My older sister has a perfect baby book. My "book" is really a shoebox full of photos. And my younger brother barely has any baby pictures at all-haha.
ReplyDeleteOMG! That is too funny! Can't wait to see these albums...
ReplyDeleteOh, your daughter sounds hilarious! I find it hard to delegate and let go, but you're right, we can only do so much. I only have 2 children and the differences between the way the first was parented in her first 2 years, and the way the second is being brought up are so marked. No. 2 just doesn't get the same undivided attention - BUT - he has an older sibling who teaches him SO much!
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