Scrapbooking [31 Things I Know]

[this has nothing to do with my post, ha, but I hope I just made you laugh]

This I know...

Scrapbooking

...takes less time in my mind, than in reality.

I think my first experience with scrapbooking was when I was in high school and I was at my best friends house and her mom was always always always taking photos of us. She also had 18 albums for each of her four children and proudly toted around a scrapbooking bag. About that time, I'm sure, I announced I would NEVER...scrapbook, or homeschool. Well, the joke was on me, huh? I proudly tote around two scrapbooking bags now.

I first scrapbooked [for real] when I was newly married and pregnant with my first child. I went on a scrapbooking retreat [yep, they are real, and they are awesome] and I started Charles' and I's wedding album. It turned out really amazing and it gave me something to do indoors all summer while I was huge and hot. [Well, of course hott as well]. Naturally, when Nation was born, I had a whole new world of things to scrapbook. His album was ginormous and only fit the first six months of his life. After that, I learned, although 100 photos scrapbooked of the same face---the same day---in the same outfit are precious at the time---they are not so much years later. Just overkill. Too many pages.

Since then I've decided each child gets an album birth to 12 months [sorry Moses, I haven't started yours yet]. Then I work on a family album every year. This includes all the photos of the kids, myself, my husband, our friends, trips, etc. I've done this for 2006 to present. Well, not technically, I mean, in theory. I have been on an almost *gulp* *gasp* [crying], two year hiatus from scrapbooking. I'm gonna blame it on the three kids thing. Even though Moses was born in March, I sometimes think being pregnant with my third and chasing a 1 & 3 year old in the winter in 1000 square feet was worse.

Either way, last year and this year I haven't put hand to paper or punch. It saddens my heart much, as I love doing paper crafts---especially across the table chatting with a dear friend. But last year had a lot of martial housekeeping to attend to on top of adding a third child and traveling to Ohio for 6 months. This year, my excuses include: Looking for a house, packing up a house, moving into a new house, and starting homeschooling.

Now...my plan is to do a digital family album for 2010 & 2011. Then paper scrapbook Moses 12 months. When all that is said and done, and hopefully sooner than later, I'd love to start a paper scrapbook of 2013. Wow, that's weird to type. All I know is that my scrapbooks are definitely the second thing I'd grab out of my burning house next to my kids. The hours and money I've put into them are priceless. They are extremely rewarding to look through and see all the memories we've had together, especially with our boys and traveling. 

In such a digital age, I love to just sit and use my hands to craft with paper. In my mind, I have time, in my reality, I don't, but I sure hope that soon changes. Who am I kidding? Maybe I'll just drive off into the sunset and have my own scrapbooking retreat!

Do you scrapbook? Have you ever started? Stopped?