It is always nice to hear back from a happy mother! Reading the lengths Karen went to, to get a copy of High School Chronicles for her daughter Elizabeth, is the sign of a truly devoted Mom. Here’s to the excitement we all feel as we watch our kids grow.
Memorably yours,
Dania
PS: Note to parents – Karen talks below about my earlier editions of School Year Chronicles and High School Chronicles. The current editions have School Year Chronicles covering pre-school to Grade 8 and High School Chronicles covering Grades 9 through 12.
Kids grow up. They do! No matter how much I want mine to stay little, they keep growing.
Elizabeth showing her Kindergarten page
I have always enjoyed recording my two kids’ milestones and accomplishments. When my sixth grade daughter, Elizabeth, was starting school, I hunted for the most perfect record keeper for her. I looked at a lot of them. I wanted a book that was more than a single page per year. Surely, during an entire school year, more would happen than what would fill up a single page.
One night in Barnes and Noble, I stumbled across The School Year Chronicles. I had to sit down for this binder!!! Page after page I flipped and fell in love. Within its cover it held places for, not only the primary school grades, but Family Vacations, Summer Vacations, After School sports, Health Records, and much more. I was in love! Right away, I bought the three that they had in the store-one for Elizabeth, one for her three year old brother, and one to give away.
Elizabeth's Preschool photo page
As the kids grew, we worked on the book together. First it was just me filling in the pages, and then us together. They especially loved the page where it asks to draw a picture of themselves, and then a yearly autograph.
Each time the book is out, we can’t help but start from the beginning and read and enjoy where we started-and where we’ve come. We laugh. I sigh. Those books have become such a treaured keepsake-for all of us, we will probably play tug a war with them when they head off to (gasp)college.
Elizabeth's Grade 3 photo page
Recently, Elizabeth got her school pictures returned to her. The first thing we both did was reach for the School Year Chronicles. We flipped to fifth grade-and were taken back-and saddened to discover that this is where the book ended. We both couldn’t
believe it. I told her that perhaps I could order some extra pages.
I found the website on the front cover of the book. We both jumped on the computer and typed it in. We were THRILLED to discover not extra pages-but a whole new book!!!!!!!! And this book started with sixth grade!!!!!!!!!!!! We wouldn’t have to skip a beat!!! I clicked on where it said retailers and then went to Amazon. I laughed when I saw the price of it: 181.00???????? That made no NO sense to me. I figured it was a mistake-so I closed out on my computer-and tried it again. No mistake. I then went to ebay and saw that there was one book-and it was selling for the same price. I just did not understand. For a memory book???? Memories, to me, are worth gold….but????? I googled it several times-and it was ‘out of stock’ in most places. I just did not get it.
Elizabeth's Kindergarten "My Favorites & Highlights" page
Elizabeth's Grade 2 "My Favorites and Highlights" page
Monday morning I tried Amazon again-and the same price came up. I noticed that on the cover of our first book there was a number-so I decided to try it-just to get to the bottom of this crazy price. Luckily, I reached Dania-and she, too, felt the price was crazy!!! Even better, she had a few of the books that I so wanted!!!!! I was able to order two of the books-and I couldn’t be happier!!!! When I told Elizabeth at the bus stop she was shocked that I paid almost 200 hundred dollars for a memory book-I was happy to report to her the better ending we had!!
Elizabeth's signatures over the years ...
Kids do grow up, but it doesn’t mean that they no longer want their accomplishments and special moments recorded. Elizabeth was chosen as Student of the Month in Sixth grade-and Thursday there is a big breakfast in her honor-I’m sooo relieved that I’ll have a place to write about and show off this special event. How sad we would have been if we were to continue recording Matthew-who is in third grade-and no longer Elizabeth-I know that she would feel left out. I’m relieved that we have many more days that we can look back, read, compare and laugh together, thanks to these amazing books.
Our memories are priceless, it’s true…
Elizabeth today
Thanks, Karen
Loveland, OH
It’s time to brag. Share and email to blog@babychronicles.com pages from your child’s Baby Chronicles, School Year Chronicles and/or High School Chronicles books.
