They Grow Up SOOOOOO Fast!!

My friend Gina posted about how her little boy is growing up so fast. Last week, he couldn't reach the faucet to wash his hands and this week he can!! I have been realizing that myself a lot lately. Things that the kids hadn't done before, they are learning to do. Looking at the ages, I am quickly reminded that they will soon be adults, striving out into the world. Life passes by so quickly and we get caught up in the daily busyness. We need to stop and remember that even though there are the things that we need to do, we don't want our kids to grow up right before our eyes and miss it, because we were too busy!!!

Share what you do to make sure the busyness doesn't rob you of the precious time you have with your children.

We try to establish traditions, both at holidays and other times throughout the year. Some revolve around the foods we eat, the decorations we use, the places we go and others may be just a one-time thing, but they all add to our collective memories, that are specific to our family. One of the many reasons that I take lots of pictures and scrapbook is to make sure these things are not forgotten. Like today, when Grandma taught both of the girls to drive the tractor.

Scrapbooking Goals for 2008

I ran across this thread on a scrapbook forum and decided that if I wanted to get lots done this next year, that I should write down my goals and put them where I can see them. I realize this is an ambitious list, but I have various categories of goals within the list: one time things, ongoing things, decorating ideas. Some of them are various subgoals that need to be completed to complete larger goals. I will be printing these out as well and posting them in a prominent place. Disclaimer: these aren't in any type of order, just my random thoughts at the keyboard when we got home at 11:00 p.m. last night (plus a few I added this morning).

1. Complete 1 page per day (so annual goal of 365 pages completed)
2. Set aside part of each day/each week to work on scrapbooking/projects
3. Print pictures monthly
4. Print kids own pictures monthly
5. Pull out cards and memorabilia to finish baby books and finally complete them
6. Journal weekly, even if on laptop to be printed
7. Get backlog of digital pictures printed
8. Buy flash drive to back up photos
9. Store back up CDs offsite
10. Pull out college photos, memorabilia and sort chronologically
11. Power layout DH's college album (now that I finally bought the album)
12. Complete several altering projects
13. Post layouts on blog
14. Post altered items on blog
15. Migrate email folder with craft ideas to laptop
16. Install Memory Manager on laptop
17. Buy new laptop battery
18. Paint office to turn into scrapbook studio
19. Repurpose entertainment center for scrapbook storage
20. Rearrange/repurpose office furniture
21. Hang framed photos
22. Move small bookshelves to girls' bedrooms
23. Purge large bookshelves so they can hold all books
24. Finish various vacation albums in process
25. Work on albums from 1990-1994 when we met
26. Finish kids albums that are in progress (2000-2006)
27. Work on family albums from 1999-present
28. Go to Okoboji Overnight retreat in February
29. Possibly attend St. Ansgar retreat in April
30. Host Scrapapalooza here (or nearby)
31. Do more things with photos/papers - photo cubs, tags, etc. from blog posts I have saved
32. Buy proofs and negative from wedding photographer
33. Complete wedding album at a retreat
34. Take a couple scrapbook classes (locally and online)
35. Teach a scrapbook class
36. Read a couple scrapbooking books
37. Get supplies out of totes and into furniture for storage
38. Work on and complete house building album
39. Add to house album as it get redecorated
40. Get more of DH's photo from when he was growing up
41. Scrapbook DH growing up
42. Make album with Christmas photos and cards we receive.

There it is! And it is BIG! But I need a plan if I am going to make it happen!

My challenge to you is to do the same for what you want to do!

Favorite Christmas Memories Meme

Paula tagged me so I have given it some thought and I came up with a few special memories:

One memory that is not attached to a particular year, was the first thing that popped into my head. I grew up on a farm and my dad would always give the animals extra hay and feed on Christmas Eve. Nothing particularly symbolic about it, just that as we were celebrating Jesus' birth, it was my dad's way of sharing the celebration so to speak.

Another memory is something that we do on my side of the family. Every year for quite some time now, we exchange names and set a dollar limit for gifts. Then as soon as we had eaten, Christmas Eve, we would all gather in my grandparent's livingroom and open our presents one at a time. Rather than a free for all, we take turns starting with the youngest first and going all the way to the oldest. Sure it takes longer, but everyone gets to share what a thoughtful or perfect gift it was. It has generally been pretty easy to figure out who is next in age, that was until all my sisters married within a 5 year period. My 3 brother-in-laws and one of my sisters have birthdays pretty close to one another so we always have to stop and figure it out. Of course with all these marriages, there are now more children being added, which is always such a blessing.

Another memory was the night we were sitting in our livingroom and there was a knock at the door. I went to answer it and was surprised to see that Santa was at our door. Our kids were 2-4 years of age I think and boy were they ever surprised. He came in and talked to them and gave them a candy cane while we took some pictures for their scrapbooks.