summer in the life



Edited to Add 7.01.2010   I have heard that the link to my Etsy shop isn't working on Ali's blog. Click here to check out the goodies in the store. 

If you're here because you read my guest post on Ali Edwards' blog featuring my Summer in the Life mini album project...


W E L C O M E!


If you haven't yet been to Ali Edwards' blog yet, click here to read about how our family will be documenting our Summer. You won't want to miss reading the

 
series as there are some wonderfully talented contributors sharing their own Summer memory-keeping plans.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to share how I plan to gather the tidbits of our Summer. Everything from photos, movie tickets, drawings, thoughts and memorabilia will be a part of  the  Wright Family Summer in the Life mini-album. 


And it all started with these tabs I designed and which can be downloaded for free by clicking on the free downloads tab in the menu bar located beneath my blog header.


Here at our house, we've been busy enjoying doing, well, absolutely nothing.  Hmmm...I should probably rephrase that, shouldn't I? Gordon has been working while the kids and I are at home all day taking it easy. Yes, that's a more accurate statement of the situation. No schedules for 2 months is just so nice.


You've already seen a few pages on Ali's blog, but let me show you a few more pages I've completed for our Summer in the Life mini. At this point, there aren't any plans for us to go away during our break, but that doesn't mean we're not having fun, enjoying adventures and creating memories. We're just going about our normal Summer routines while making sure to document the adventures along the way.


DaDa did get to relax in the pool on Father's Day, even though he cooked all three meals that day.


Yeah, we do a lot of swimming. Nana and Papa live just up the driveway, so we have their pool to splash in and a Nana that gives free swimming lessons. This page documents all that and shows Zach teaching Isabella how to dive. She and Victoria are already jumping from the diving board!


Little did I know when I took the top photo during a walk on the driveway to see all the wildflowers in bloom that it would be the last photo with Isabella's two front teeth. That very same evening before dinner, she lost her first front tooth and the next day she lost her last front tooth! Victoria started calling her "toothless wonder." And I'm doing a layout {coming soon} about the funny story Isabella told us about her tooth fairy experience. It. Is. Funny.


The left page tells the story about the sign that, when spotted by the girls, elicits high-pitched screams of "SQUIGGLY SIGN" every single time we drive by. Zach always hopes that they'll miss it, but they usually don't. The photo on the right shows Zach with three school buddies. The tall boy in green has been a friend since the 2nd grade and the high school Valedictorian. All are headed to college, with the boy in the red shorts going to West Point. All they all contributed to Zach's graduation albumI didn't expect that they would participate since guys, especially high school guys, don't normally like to share their feelings. I was impressed.


We're lucky enough to have a lake {well a lake, a creek, a pond and a swimming pool} on our property, so Gordon takes the kids fishing while I photograph them, and the fish, and bugs, and wildflowers and generally just try to get out of fishing. I have caught a fish in this lake and there's a photo to prove it. Wanna see?

   Okay, so it's an old photo from 2008. Can I help it that I like photography more than fishing?

There, my update on our Summer in the {Wright} Life is complete. For now. I'm sure you noticed there aren't many embellishments to the pages. I didn't want to feel like I had to make each page a masterpiece, so I didn't. I am more interested in the stories these photos will tell. So, go kick off your sandals, sit out in the shade and do an art project with your kids, with a friend or even by yourself!


Come back for more updates throughout the Summer. If you'd like a free download of the 4 tabs I designed for the mini-album, go here for play, laugh, splash and go here for chill.

{ play laugh splash chill }

Hope you enjoy making your very own Summer in the Life mini-album as much as we are. Leave me a link in the comments so that I can see how you've documented your Stories of Summer.


So, thanks for staying until the end. I appreciate you looking at my album. And, I hope to see you back again soon.

4 comments

  1. Hi Monica, Since I have visited your blog (via Ali's) I thought it only polite to let you know I was here.

    Love, Love, Love your mini albums. They are so bright and fun. My DH and I are planing a two week road trip (here in Australia, we call it "A Stubby and Tshirt" holiday.

    Our only plan is to get into the car and head north. The rest will just happen. So you have inspired me to make a mini book and document this up coming holiday.

    Will send you a link when it is complete.

    Cheers, Irene xx

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  2. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Summer in the Life idea! For the first time I did the December Daily project this past winter as well as A week in the life this past spring-it's my twin sons first summer vacation from school and this will be a great way to document our summer!
    I too am a huge mini album fan-yours are adorable!

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  3. What size is each page in the album? I always wonder when I see these sorts of cute albums.

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  4. Hi Gina!

    Each of these pages is approximately 4x6 so that I could use my printed photos without having to crop them. So glad you stopped by for a visit!

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