Who knew making a scrapbook would play such an important roll in our family. So they are not all fancy, precision cut pictures, in the shape of a heart, on patterned paper, ribbon worthy, tied perfectly, books that tell our story. They are sincere compilations of the most important, most fun and most memorable things about our time together. Sometimes, plans are made, in hopes of making this time together, the memory of a lifetime. In truth, those plans don't come close to the simple things, which in the end, is what meant the most. Our story is not much different that any other blended family. One older child, one younger, our 2 girls, bonded instantly by parents who love them and want the very best for them. When we are all together…the house is loud, the banter is lovely, and the love flows…. But, when the house is quiet, these books we have made, they sure are comforting. While one is away at college, with a picture collage on her wall, and, the little one, out of state, the reality is…this is our reality! This is for all our likeminded divorced parents, that have to survive through long periods of time apart, Try it! Let the kids have a role in picking the pictures, making the captions and telling the story. It has been such a joy to see the story they tell through their own eyes. We all have our own collections. In fact, I pick up discounted scrap books throughout the year, when I find them on sale at the craft store. It's our end of summer and Christmas break projects that we look forward to doing. We love to pull out these books, revisit, laugh, and relive those memories. They each have their own books to take with them. It's an easy way to feel connected when there is distance separating us for long periods of time. I think what I love most is when out of the blue, during FaceTime or a Skype call, we are reminded of the funny face, or the ice cream place that we went to, only to realize that once again the book is being loved by all.