Friday, February 19, 2010

The 2010 Grandparent Calendar

Isn't the personalized photo calendar the basic go-to gift for every grandparent in the world? I can't even imagine what it must be like for those grandparents who have several sets of grandchildren--do they put a calendar up in every room, or perhaps just paste one whole wall full?

Since Matt's a graphic designer, he knows all of the local, independent printing companies in town, and I highly recommend printing your own swag local and independent. We've done everything from wedding invitations to birth announcements to these calendars from local, independent shops, and it's always been quick and cheap and of terrific quality. And Kinko's charges you to use the computer, which I think is sad.

Because I'm a big nerd, I insisted on arranging the photographs in such an order than the photo for each month in 2010 was taken during that same month in 2009. It makes a sweet retrospective of how the babies have grown:

February--at the Indianapolis Zoo
March--making Artist Trading Cards
June--at Lake Michigan
July--in California
September--snuggling at Strange Folk
October--on the balance bikes at Bryan Park
November--trying out their new superhero capes
December--the Christmas photo
The beauty of blogging is that I remember all of these moments intimately--I wrote about each one on this blog the day or the day after each happened, saying things and offering details that I never would have remembered otherwise. I don't have to worry (as much) about not completing Willow's baby book, or even starting Sydney's (THAT one I worry about), because in many ways, this blog is my legacy to them of what it was like to share their childhoods with them and parent them as best as I could.

I really need to do Sydney's baby book sometime, however. That kid will TOTALLY call me out on it one day if I don't.

3 comments:

Kim Fung Toy said...

The calendar is a wonderful idea! I like the one of Lake Michigan and the one of biking down the hill the best.

By the way, do you have any children of your own?

julie said...

If I didn't have kids, I'd totally have made a 2010 calendar of my cat. Each month, different pose--maybe sometimes I'd put a funny hat on her.

Or I'd do a calendar of my sewing machine, except that it never looks any different, so all the photos would look basically the same.

Kim Fung Toy said...

You could include photos of your sewing machine in different places. One in Nashville, Tennessee; one in Nashville, Indiana; in the parking lot of the St. Louis Union Station; at the Fort Smith Cici's; at Dinosaur Park south of Granbury, Texas; and Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, South Dakota.

I also hear that Portland, Oregon is a beautiful city. WKWYCDT? YCDTOTV!