Before I had kids, I scrapbooked regularly. Greg and I would live life – and then I would document it. When I had one baby, I kept up with the scrapbooks pretty well. And, trust me, I took many pictures!
Now, Greg and I are loving life with two kids, who are almost 5 and 7 years old. But there’s not as much time for preserving the memories in albums when we’re spending evenings at the soccer field, working on homework in the afternoons, and spending time with other families we love.
Even so, I still want to remember the memories we’re making. I want to document their words and moments. I want to tell stories about what God has done in our lives. The way I document stories has changed, but I’ve managed to find some ways that still work for me.
{Join me at Circles of Faith, where I share eight ways I document our family’s stories.}
A wise, older friend once told me she was finally organizing all the memories she had in boxes and albums once her kids were grown up and out of the house. She reminded me now is the time to make the memories and worry less about preserving them perfectly.
That’s something I think about when I see the piles of pictures and toss another paper into a box or binder. I know my family is going to be better off if we’re living this life God’s given us together rather than stressing out about documenting it.
Speaking of documenting stories, I’ve love sharing pieces of our adoption story all over the internet this month in honor of National Adoption Awareness Month and as part of my ebook launch. Today I’m sharing about my Thanksgiving baby at Britta LaFont’s blog.
You can see a list of all the posts here and “Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family” is on sale for $2.99 this month.
Want more stories? Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin’, or subscribe to receive “Insights in Your Inbox.”
Kristin, this post brought smiles as I well remember putting photos in an album diligently with my firstborn. When the 2nd came, I had every intention of continuing but the days just seemed to get away from me. And like your friend above, all my documenting is now in two boxes 🙂 But my children have tons of memories as they recall the things we all did together. And now that they are grown & married, I am so grateful I enjoyed the time and lived in those moments with them. The years are precious & go so quickly. Blessings!
The memories are certainly what matters! So glad you're here today, Joanne!
Kristin, the one thing I would highly suggest? Date all photos thrown into that box. An ex-scrapper. xo
They're dated and in chronological order! 🙂
Ugh, just thinking of all the photos I have in a box and online that need to be organized makes me regret and of course procrastinate on getting them organized. Your friend is right, there will be a day when the kids are gone that I will have all the time in the world to sort and organize. And I'm sure it will be a blessing to reminisce about the days gone by.
Three Word Wed looks good here!
Thanks, Alecia! I'm glad you came by here to comment and link up.
I did really well scrapbooking my kids first few years, but I haven't done it in longer than i'd like to admit. It's something I look forward to catching up on when life slows down a little. Thanks so much for letting us share our stories. Blessings to you and yours, Kristin.
Happy to have you here, Heather! I love the slow days that creep in and give me a chance to sit at my craft table, but I realize I'm not in the season for that to happen regularly. 🙂
I think there is so much wisdom in the fact that you recognize that there are different seasons in life. They are always changing, so we need not feel guilty about letting some things go for a time. It's all about grace, right?
Amen! I have to remind myself about this sometimes, but it's always worth it.
I love your friend's wise advice. Having a grown daughter, I never have regretted missing a photo op. In today's society I see so many living for the photos to post rather than just living. Living the life God has given us – yes! Thank you for hosting us Kristin.
I'm glad to have others come and affirm her advice. 🙂 I'm also glad you linked up again this week, Mindy!