7 Sweet Mementos I’m Saving for My Girls
Children get older. I'm getting older, too.
As a mom, I find myself constantly wanting to cling to memories as I am making them. To press pause. Take a mental picture. White-knuckle grip onto it. These are the days. But time continues on, always. Children get older, and I’m getting older, too.
I can’t stop time or slow it down. But I can capture it through sweet, little mementos. Here are 7 of the ways I’m doing just that.
Lucy Darling Baby Books
I love the idea of baby books, but the reality is I know I’d feel overwhelmed with putting them together completely from scratch. Enter: Lucy Darling Baby Books. These are beautiful books with templates set up so you can simply place photos and write in info. It includes sections for their birth, monthly milestones, first holidays, and more + blank pages in the back! It’s really easy to keep up with - something I particularly appreciate for my second little one! It’s important to me that her baby book is just as detailed as my first born, despite time feeling a bit more stretched.
Little Book of You
A co-worker recommended this to me and I cannot recommend it enough. If I could only recommend one thing on this list, it would be this. Little Book of You is a website where you manually enter information about your kiddo and their birth/family and then, they crafts all those fun details into a completely personalized, print storybook. My co-worker said it’s become a tradition to read it to their kids on their birthday each year. I hope to do the same! I also set it out for my firstborn’s first birthday party!
Annual Christmas Ornament Tradition
Each year, I plan to get one ornament that captures something relevant to that year of my kid's lives. This year, my oldest got a ballet slipper ornament in honor of our Mommy & Me dance classes and my youngest got her ‘Baby’s First Christmas’ ornament. I think this is a fun way to commemorate time. Each Christmas, you’ll be able to hang the ornaments and reminisce. And when your kids turn 18, you’ll have a whole set of ornaments to pass down to them.
Journals
After I gave birth to my oldest, my husband’s aunt gifted us a journal for us to write and document memories as she grows up. It is pretty much the PERFECT GIFT FOR ME! I love to journal and I’ve taken up doing this for my second born recently too! I don’t write long passages - but little moments and funny memories that I’ll love to look back on before handing them down.
Keepsake Boxes & Art Folders
There are a few items that I know I won’t want to ever get rid of. The outfits they came home from the hospital in. A lock of hair from the first haircut. First Christmas pajamas. I have boxes for each of my kids where I keep these items. I also have a folder with each box where I’ve started to save some artwork. Mine are just plain boxes and folders, but you could get creative and crafty with this! Maybe I’ll jazz them up a bit when I feel like I have a bit more time.
A Locket
My best friend, Jill, recently visited me and we stumbled into a small boutique only to find a beautiful locket with a butterfly on it. I have gravitated towards butterflies these past few years. My husband gifted me gorgeous butterfly earrings for our wedding. I’ve decorated both my girls rooms with them. They just feel like a symbol of love and hope in my life. Jill immediately said, “You should get this and put the girls pictures in it” and I was sold. A very special piece of jewelry.
Chatbooks
Shout out to
for this amazing idea - which she shares here! I love the idea of documenting our family through photos, but I don’t see myself taking the time to make actual scrapbooks or anything (notice a theme in this post? I’m looking for simplicity and convenience!) Chatbooks are like an elevated photo album - you just simply get the app, pay a monthly subscription (only $6) and then each month you upload pictures from that month. And them, bam - beautiful little photobooks delivered to you. So easy. So worth it.
I get that doing all of this can be a bit excessive. The beautiful thing is you don’t have to do it all, but just what works for you. I love writing and books and photos. That’s why many of these ideas resonate so deeply with me. I simply share all of these in hopes to pass at least one idea onto you - some way for you to bottle up the magic of firsts and favorites.
I won’t remember every moment, but these things will help me remember enough. And I hope they remind my girls how incredibly loved they are.
Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you.
Thanks for reading, friends. See you next Sunday!
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