I have two days left of summer and I’m soaking up as much lovin’ as possible. Even though I’ve worked WAY more than I wanted to this summer, I’ve cherished every single second with my boys. As much as I enjoy my job, I still would choose to stay home with my boys in a heartbeat if I could. 
See how sweet they are!
Ok, let’s be real too. They bicker…a lot. They’re 15 months apart so I guess that should be expected. But they play nicely too. Quite often actually. And sometimes, they’ll even let their momma sleep late ’cause they know how much I LOVE to sleep. Sometimes, they’ll even bring me breakfast in bed… (see pic) Sweet boys! Sometimes, my heart feels so full, I think it might just burst. Actually, that’s most of the time!
I can’t believe how fast time goes. My babies aren’t babies anymore. I get scared that I won’t remember how these days feel. I worry that I’ll forget those little things that make my heart happy. The way their hand fits just perfectly in mine. The way my youngest combs his fingers through my hair when I’m telling him goodnight. The way my oldest can talk nonstop to me about absolutely nothing at all. The way my youngest will yell “momma” through the house and when I answer, he just says he’s checking on me. The way that they’re truly happy to see me when I get home from work. The way they hug me so tightly each and every time. And I could go on and on, just as every parent could.
So, how do I preserve these memories? How do I not let them slip away right along with the years that pass us by so quickly. That’s always been my question…
I’m not a good scrapbooker. I tried a few times but pretty much failed. I envy all those out there that do this so beautifully and timely. But it wasn’t for me. Finally, I’ve found a couple ways that work for me and my family. My husband even gets credit for one! 🙂
Calendars
Every year, I make a calendar (we use snapfish.com). I use all photos from the previous year. I try to keep the photos in the same month. For example, all Halloween photos from the year before I include in the October pics. And all year long, I write all over the calendar. I have it hanging in our kitchen so it is easy to jot something down quick. I try to write everyday but that doesn’t happen…at least a couple times a week though. I include things that the kids say/do, events, trips, etc. (see pic) I pulled out my calendars from years past and read through them one evening last week. I laughed, smiled, and even cried. There were so many things that I had already forgotten!
A good idea would be to create a “calendar” folder on your desktop and drop pics in it throughout the year then it wouldn’t take so long to create your calendar in December. (I really need to take my own advice!) 
Email
My husband actually came up with this fabulous idea! First, we set up email accounts for our boys. The husband and I email them pics/videos, stories, etc. as often as possible. Of course, the boys have no idea we’re doing this. One day, not sure when yet…when they graduate or when they leave the “nest” or when they have kids…but one day, we’ll let them know they have an email account chock-FULL of memories. We also cc’ed ourselves on all the emails and created a folder for them so we’ll have those memories too. I try to email often but what usually happens is I get stuck somewhere waiting on something with down time so I just go through all my pics/videos on my phone and email them individually to the boys with captions and sometimes an entire story. I try to add the date (or close to it) in the email since a lot of times when I actually get around to sending the email isn’t the same time as the pic/video. Also, I attempt to be very specific in the emails since they won’t be reading them for another 15-20 years. I’m soooo very excited to share this with the boys one day…
Photo Books
And last, I create photo books. Not scrapbooks. Remember, no good at that. Photobooks are much more my style. Upload photos to site, drag and drop on page. Add captions if desirable. And then place my order. 🙂 Yay!
More specifically, I’m organizing my photo books by their school years (Kindergarten Year, First Grade Year, etc.). So in the end, the boys will have 13 each (at least). I include all photos from that time period, not just school stuff. I also save their work, projects, etc. from the entire year. At the end of the school year, I photograph it all in sections so that we’ll always have the keepsake but not all the clutter. (I do hand-select a few items to keep.) 
I still worry that I’ll forget but at least I know that I’ve preserved quite a few memories.
One of my absolute favorite songs, “Photographs and Memories,” written by my husband, Daniel Justin Smith, seems to go perfectly with this post.
Red Fern Teacher 