Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Rewriting History

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I love my digital scrapbooking.

I really do.

But there is still something so magical about sitting down with a heavy photo album laid across your lap, slowly flipping the thick pages of pictures and memories.

I used to avidly paper scrapbook, back in the day when I was Triomom and Quatromom. I had a spot where all my supplies were in easy reach for me and protected from little creative hands. I have several volumes completed from the Trio and Quatro eras…and they continue to be perennial favorites with all the kids.

Though it does tend to make the younger kids ask where the albums of their early lives are.

To which I respond, “Somewhere under the laundry pile.”

Which is subtle code for, “My consuming hobby is now laundry, and no, I’m not being a martyr. Mostly.”

3 and 7 of 8 have been looking through some of the albums as of late. They particularly like the one recording the months immediately preceding 3 of 8’s birth up to his arrival and the first precious weeks of his infanthood.


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7 of 8 is enchanted with the pictures of ‘Baby’.

And it is so fascinating to hear 3 of 8 tell her of his history, the stories we have passed down to him of the events leading up to his birth, of his older sisters’ excitement, of who they were as children, of the transition from a family of two children to three.


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The oral tradition of storytelling continues.

And one day, when the laundry is somewhat caught up, I will again pull out the paper scrapbooking supplies. And I will print these pictures. And I will create a scrapbook spread about 3 and 7 of 8 looking at scrapbooks.

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Which means I will then be scrapbooking about scrapbooking.

Which is probably the dividing line between hobby and obsession.

I'm thinkin'.





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42 comments:

  1. YOu have such a beautiful family!! I just love big familes, or course I'm a little biased...lol I do miss my scrapbooking the old fashion way. I will start it up again, thanks for the encouragement.
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  2. I love good old fashioned photo albums too!

    Great pics :D
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  3. What a neat post. I love the photos of the kids looking through the albums. I too love plain ol' photo albums. Sometimes I even hate that I only use my digital camera these days. I miss getting photos developed and wondering how they came out. haha

    Happy WW from Sara @ The Mostly Wordless Wednesday H.Q.!
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  4. My kids love looking at photos too. Need to get more in at least an album. Scrapbooking is too much for me at this point.
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  5. I have scrapbooks of my travels, but never got around to making scrapbooks or real photo albums for my children. The digital age hit... I did get some nice photo books, though. :)
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  6. I love looking a old picture too!
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  7. If you take pictures of you scrapbooking, then you could scrapbook about scrapbooking about scrapbooking........ :)

    I love how my kids are so enthralled with their scrapbooks. Now I just need to get them caught up - I'm 5 years behind. :(
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  8. Scrapping about scrapping...won't that cause a break in the space time continuum??
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  9. Those are sweet pictures of them looking at it together! My kids love to look through my albums too. I feel bad because my last two kids pictures are mainly in the computer...lol.
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  10. Beautiful pictures. My daughter loves looking at pictures. It keeps their memories fresh. Scrapbooking about it, seems silly, but you have gorgeous pics to do so, so do it!
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  11. My paper scrapbooking has taken a backseat to life these days. But I do LOVE looking at my albums. Isn't it wonderful that you can share them with your children like that?

    And scrapbooking your scrapbooking? I love it! : )
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  12. That is beautiful and so are your photos. I really admire you for raising eight children! I am expecting my fourth. I just couldn't imagine having twice as many kids as I do now. Have a wonderful day!
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  13. Such precious pictures and a great story to go along with it. I haven't scraped anything since helping my daughter scrap her East Coast trip. I'm about a year behind on my girls books. I asked them if they wanted me to continue creating pages for them. They said "YES" in unison.

    Tell your kids that even moms with just two kids can't always keep up on preserving their memories. :)
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  14. I think the scrapbooking about their love for your scrapbooks is sweet. Feed that obsession, woman!
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  15. Thanks I honestly need to get photos off my computer and into our albums.

    Scrapbooking about scrap booking. lol.

    Happy WW
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  16. I hear you... I don't scrap book in any real way, but I have all these albums of photos (of my older kids.. :) that ALL my kids look thru over and over (and nearly destroy!)
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  17. So adorable! I love the pictures in black and white.

    Thanks for coming by my blog today! Hope you enjoy your Wednesday!
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  18. It wouldn't really be scrapbooking about scrapbooking, but about sharing each other's stories. Preserving memories by handing them down to others. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog on Sunday, it means a lot!
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  19. Scrapbooking about scrapbooking... I love it!

    I also love the comments about back when I was mom of 3 and 4... as the "easy days". :-)

    So sweet to see your children savoring your sweet books... makes the work of putting them together totally worth it, doesn't it?
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  20. What a great post...with awesome photos to boot!! I loved this post. My favorite thus far.
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  21. I love both kinds of scrapbooks. My mom made me a beautiful one for my baby shower. L is now too and I still haven't put pictures in it. Whoops.
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  22. Great photo's. I haven't done digi scrapbooking. I love the old way. Takes me forever sometimes to do a page.
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  23. Great photo's. I haven't done digi scrapbooking. I love the old way. Takes me forever sometimes to do a page.
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  24. LOL and I bet it will look fabulous!
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  25. My kids love dragging out the photo albums. I don't think digital will ever replace them truly.
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  26. Too funny... oh yeah, back in the day we scrapbooked, and then our new hobby was fostering, and adopting, and now adopting from overseas...and well laundry, homeschooling, and camp ministry....and I totally understand! I think I will be scrapbooking full time when I retire- whenever that will be????
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  27. I started to scrap book once ... it has three pages in it ... and only one of three children was born at the time. Not my forte!
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  28. you know, I never thought about this before. My kids won't know what a photo album is. I don't keep them, I don't even make prints. They are all on the computer. We look at them often but you are right, it is just not the same.
    I remember as a child taking out those photo books and looking at them with my mom. And the stories.... well they were priceless.
    The computer is just not a book. Maybe I should make some prints and get a book.
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  29. I miss the weight of my paper scrapbooks - the feel of the embellies, the thickness of the pages, etc.

    But I don't miss the cost of them. I went digital 5+ years ago and have never looked back. And someday, I'm going to actually MAKE the time and catch up on my pages. I have to remember that not every page has to be a work of art - sometimes, a photo and a few words is all that is needed.
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  30. These photos are just gorgeous... perfect for a heavy, photo and journaling filled scrapbook!

    We get our heavy scrapbooks out from time to time as well. It really brings back memories... not only of what was going on in the photos but what was going on when I was scrapping as well.

    I love how 3 of 8 can share his story with 7 of 8. I'm the official story-sharer with my 1 of 1...!

    Roban
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  31. I only have 2 kids and I can't find time to scrapbook. I want to make the switch to virtual scrapbooking but need to finish a book first and I have so many scrapbooking supplies to use up. For now blogging is my form of scrapbooking
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  32. My Mom created a series of scrapbooks when my siblings and I were kids. I still get excited to look at them.

    My only hope is that she will do the same for my kids. Not sure that I could accomplish such greatness. :)

    -Francesca
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  33. This is all so beautiful. I only have two kids but I can identify with the concept of laundry having taken over as your 'hobby'! I hope you eventually get around to scrapbooking all the pictures from your little ones' early years. And that you manage to do your scrapbooking about scrapbooking! I love that your son has turned it all into a story-telling opportunity.
    Janice.
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  34. Nothin' wrong with scrapbooking about scrapbooking, I'd say!

    This makes me think, though - I have very few printed photos of Esme. And going through digital photos (of which I have hundreds of bad for each good one) won't have nearly the same impact. I need to do something about that - when I'm caught up with everything else.
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  35. Such gorgeous pictures!!
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  36. I have not scrapbooked for so long! I, too, have been stuck under a mountain of laundry for the last 8 years.

    Sigh.
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  37. When Lion (#1) was born I could only find girly scrapbooks so I made a manly one, I put so much effort into this masculine blue corduroy cover that I then only got 3 pages into the photos that I gave up and it still sits unfinished and collecting dust... Dragon (#2) has a few photos that we have printed out... #3 is going to be lucky if we can remember where we put them down last to find them for their next feed...
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  38. I feel bad now. For whining that I can't work on 5 or 5's album like I want to... I can't imagine the pressure of 8 (or the laundry that goes with it). And personally, if the Martyr card works, I'd play it.
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  39. Yeah, our first child has about 12 scrapbooks, huge ones. Our second child has 5. Our third child has 3. 4th and 5th children? None. I did buy the 1st album for child #4 but nothing is in it.

    Yet, the kids love to look at their albums. There is something magical about them.

    I even made the kids photo books of their lives thus far and they like those but there is just something about a scrapbook page that has been pieced together. Or something.
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  40. I want to get back to scrapbooking too. It's like snail mail...actual cards written in handwriting and sent with a stamp. Nothing like it...
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