Outnumbered: Day 15: Pictures

I'm a picture girl. For as long as I can remember, I've loved taking pictures and then having them to look at them. I'm not a photographer and I won't pretend to be one. I just like having the snapshot to remember people and experiences by. I've always been one of those people who brings their camera along to events, vacations, etc.

I made my first scrapbook when I was 8 and went on a trip with my grandparents to Chicago. I still have it. It has tons of mementos like a ticket from my first Metra train ride, a napkin ring from the restaurant in the Marshall Fields where we ate downtown and lots of pictures of extended family I met on that trip, Chicago landmarks we visited and family sites like the houses my grandparents grew up in.

Recently when my college roommate Lindsey visited, I pulled out my college scrapbooks, I had three from my freshman year. Clearly, I had a lot of time on my hands for doing silly things and then documenting it. I still do lots of silly things (or at least people in my house are always doing silly things) and I still document it by taking lots of pictures, but I don't get the pictures into photo albums or photo books as often or as quickly as I'd like.

My oldest three children all have baby books that I made through snapfish of their first year. I finished the twins' books and ordered them the night before my c-section with Aaron. I finished Aaron's baby book about two weeks before Caleb was born. And in typical fashion of a mom with several children, I've yet to even start Caleb's baby book. Poor child #4. I have no deadline to get his book done since there are no more babies on the way. In my defense, this child is keeping me busy, Busy, BUSY chasing after him and his crazy antics, so its not like I have oodles of time to sit down and put a photo book together. I do have pictures though and maybe someday when he isn't climbing everything in my house and getting knives out of the dishwasher I'll make that baby book. Just maybe!

I have always loved pictures. I'm thankful for pictures as this stage of life is so all-encompassing that its hard for me to remember what the boys looked like before, things we've done together or other milestone. Pictures help me remember, especially those first 6-8 weeks with the twins where everything was a blur. I also love that I can share what I looked liked and what my childhood was like with my own children through pictures. I love re-living those special family trips and memories through pictures.

So, I'm gonna share a few of my favorite pictures (its so hard to pick only a few) but here there are in no particular order.

June 2011--the big boys meeting Caleb for the first time.

July 2006 Andrew touching James' face when they are just a few hours old.

August 2008 Aunt Natalie gives Aaron a do-rag to wear.

January 2009--Matching PJs are so fun!

December 2010-Matching Christmas PJs are even more fun!

1988ish--My little sister and I in some old-school matching Christmas dresses.

November 2002--Jon and I are calling people to let them know we're engaged. I'm holding the ring because it didn't fit so I couldn't wear it until it was re-sized the following week.