How To Make a Halloween Scrapbook for Your Kids

One of the items that comes out of the “fall decor” box every year is a Halloween Scrapbook I made for my kids one year (during one of my scrapbooking-obsessed years).

Here’s the cover:

I made it in a spiral-bound notebook (filled with heavy art paper) that I bought at Aaron Bros. I didn’t use plastic covering because I love the textile feel of paper and photos, but in retrospect (or if I were to do it over again), I’d probably cover it afterall (or use a traditional scrapbook with plastic page covers), because I had no idea how much this particular scrapbook would get so manhandled over the years! (In fact, of all the scrapbooks I’ve done for my kids, I think this is their favorite!)

Each double-page spread is devoted to one child, per year. On the right side is a set of three photos, the child’s age that year, and the date. (For the photos, I tried to have one headshot, then two full-body shots if I had them. For the date, I used a stencil and colored pens.)

On the left side is a page of thematic scrapbook paper, then my own handwriting where I tell a story about how they picked the costume, or a funny story about the costume, or trick-or-treating in it, or who we went with, or whatever.

Here’s one of Ricky’s early pages. This is the right side of the page:

And left page:

Here are some more pages I love: Continue reading

Boys of Summer

I often come home from lunch and see Nate and his neighborhood friend sitting on our fence like this, or somehow “looking for something to do” (a.k.a., “one step away from trouble”). They remind me of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer.

One time they were trying to fit each other into suitcases. One time they were building a precarious “ramp” out of a small cardboard box and a lot of daring. Many times there are chairs and upturned buckets around the yard, where they are building obstacle courses to fling themselves over fences and around trees in precarious ways. Many times they’re huddled around our hose, with either water balloons or squirt guns.

But it’s great to see them just being boys.

It’s one of those classic things about summer. …

What were some of your favorite things to do during the lazy days of summer when you were a kid?

In the Home Stretch…

Okay, another busy, successful week just ended for the kids: We had Senior Awards Night in the high school gym one evening; Ricky had his senior dinner-dance cruise another evening; Nate brought home all his art projects; and the kids have had various late-starts and strange finals-taking schedules, so we’re coordinating rides around here like a well-run taxi service. There are a few more things left (graduation practice, Nate’s class going on a group field trip, Rene’s “fiesta” at school, 6th grade clap-out, 6th grade promotion, graduation, Grad Night, and a family party for Ricky — all being planned in the midst of Father’s Day and an 8-day roadtrip that I’m planning like a Lewis and Clark explorer), but then we’re done!

This is definitely the busiest spring I’ve ever had as a parent! Good thing it’s not always like this.

But — who knows — I’ll probably look back on it and think it’s shame it’s not always like this. …

Bring It On, June!

June’s always been a crazy month for us. And this one started as no exception. June 1 saw:

An Egypt project due in Nate’s class:

Followed quickly by Nate’s Open House:

Nathan showing Rene one of his class' science projects

Followed quickly by Ricky’s second Prom, where I was a “guest photographer”:

Some of the guys waiting for their dates at Prom

Ricky and Em with their “Optimus Prom” corsage/boutineer

Followed quickly by Rene’s Track & Field banquet:

Followed then by Nathan’s 6th grade band concert:

And we’re only at June 6!

The kids don’t actually get out of school until June 21, so we’ve got a few more events to get through (senior events, parties, dinner-dance cruise, family festival, 6th grade promotion, 6th grade “clap out,” grad night, graduation, graduation party, to name a few …).

But I’m ready!

And these first 6 days have been a whirlwind, but they’ve been fun.

Bring it on, June!

Busy Weekend!

We had another busy weekend last weekend —

  • Senior Prom — I took pictures of Ricky and his date, who invited him to her prom at another school. (She “reserved him” in March, is I think how she put it.) He reciprocated and invited her to his, so they’ll gussy up for another round in a couple of weeks. She looked beautiful in a long Grecian-style, off-the-shoulder dress in deep purple. He decided not to go the tux route, since he spent so much money on suits at the beginning of this year and decided to get his money’s worth and actually wear them! So he wore a dark suit with a white shirt and purple tie. Their Prom was at the Ocean Institute here, which he said was cool — whale skeletons hanging, sealife touch-tanks open, etc.
  • 6th Grade Camp — I picked Nate up on Friday — he dragged himself off the bus, all dusty and tired, and he and all the other kids hoisted their backpacks and sleeping bags and duffel bags and shuffled to the cars with moms and dads. They were exhausted from all that rock-climbing, star-gazing, campfire-singing and obstacle-course hiking they did! I noticed he was wearing the exact same thing I dropped him off in. He informed me that he’d been wearing the same jeans and shirt the entire time — simply adding layers on or off for each day, depending on whether it was a “3-layer day,” “4-layer night” or what. (In the nights, he even put his pajamas on over his jeans!) Oh well. That’s a boy, I guess. He had a ball at camp. Continue reading
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