After spending some time going through Aubrey’s baby book with her a few weeks ago, and reading The Happiness Project, I was inspired to get my family photo albums up to date. (I haven’t printed pictures out since 2005, unless it was going directly into a frame.)
Aubrey’s face lit up as she looked at baby pictures and heard stories about herself. She asked me this afternoon as she flipped through the album, “Momma, when you had me did Emma just stay in your tummy?”
I wanted to cry. She truly didn’t remember a time without her sister. I explained as briefly as I could that Emma hasn’t always been around and relived with my girls some of our happiest memories as we looked through the photos.
Those pictures weren’t doing anyone any good on my computer, but printed out and put into an album we had a chance to remember.
I was so inspired by being able to generate our own happiness that I decided to put in a pool. (Ahem.) I sat outside with the girls and tried not to scream too loudly as Sadie got bounced all over the place and climbed up and down the slide with her sisters.
I made sure to take plenty of pictures, because five years from now I want us all to be able to remember this day as well.
That's great! I really need to do the same. I love that my oldest doesn't remember life without her sisters. It means becoming a big sister wasn't as traumatic for her as I thought.
Ohhhhh, steal my heart. That was precious.
It's funny, too, – your timing on this post. I have been printing our pics every month since my first was born and he is now four. But lately I have been wavering on whether or not I should print them anymore since we mostly look at them on the computer. This post gives me pause.
Kimberly,
Aubrey has been having a rough time in school and she was hysterical one afternoon because she was so tired and frustrated and felt overlooked, I guess. My mom was here so I took her baby album to her room and spent an hour talking to her about her. It melted her back into my sweet little girl!!
R
I was very good about this for a long time, but recently fell behind. You've inspired me to get back at it!
For those doubting whether or not you should print them out…PRINT THEM OUT! Computers crash…hard drives get corrupted…you don't want to lose them! (Yes, photo albums get destroyed in fires – but hopefully that is a bit more rare…)
I agree Angie. Our family albums even survived my mother's house fire…so PRINT PEOPLE!