Getting caught up

This week I settled down to scrap and was getting organized with my layout when I had to go looking for a picture. Since we went digital six years ago, all of the pictures we take are on my computer, and I take the time to organize them so that I can always find the time frame I'm looking for (I'm very meticulous about scrapping in chronological order). I also take each of the kids to get their pictures taken at a studio once a year and randomly do group shots every couple years or so as well. The problem is that, since those photos aren't digital, I'm seriously disorganized with them. And I also realized that I hadn't scanned most of these photos, so the one photo I have is the only one--very dangerous when you allow it to become a disorganized mess as I had. So this week, instead of scrapping, I've spent hours scanning old photos of my kids. It's so fun to look back on them when they were little munchkins, and checking out each photo brings back so many memories. Of course there were moments of great frustration when I couldn't figure out the year the picture was taken (as a scrapper, I've always been taught not to write on photos--that changes now; each now has the year on the back and I'm dedicating myself to dating each as soon as I get it from now on). There are some years where the kids look so similar from one year to the next, or maybe I just slacked on getting the pictures taken on time so they're only a few months apart instead of a whole year. In the end, with help from Jason, and even the kids from some of the older pictures, I think I was able to get them in the right order. They're all scanned onto my computer, and my files are backed up automatically thanks to my husband's subscription to a backup service, so I'll never lose these pictures. Now if I can only get the pictures scrapped and in the appropriate book, that might be something. ;) Here are a few pics that have been my favorites over the years:

Bailey

 18 months

 6 years

 10 years (I love this one of Bailey because she's just so beautiful. She had just got her hair cut in a really fun, edgy style and it suited her so well. The photographer even got her to smile all the way although she tries to hide her teeth when she smiles because she's self-conscious. I think it gives her character and makes her shine even more)

Cole

 7 months (first Halloween, Bailey was Pooh)

 5 years (this one is my favorite of him. The guy taking his pictures really just let him do whatever he wanted, and he was such a goof. It was hard to choose which pictures to buy this time because they had all been so great. He has such a great sense of humor, I love hanging out with this kid)

 9 years

Lindsay

 6 months

 5 years

6 years (this one is so representative of Linds, it's perfect. Yellow was her favorite color, so she's got the yellow shirt and yellow bracelets--and she's always wearing bracelets, only took them off to bathe. And her monkeys...this girl has loved monkeys since she was a baby, we call her monkey too. So I should have chosen one from when she's older, but I love this one too much).