Make this Summer's Memories Last Forever

Boy Playing with Garden Hose

This morning I saw another Back-to-School sale ad and realized how quickly summer is passing. Soon we’ll be sending kids off to class instead of to camp. Fortunately, you still have time to capture some summer fun before the pace picks up again.

Many of us have a phone full of recent pictures. If your photos from summers past are buried in a digital pile, why not try something different this year? While the memories and details of these moments are fresh in your mind, invest a little time to preserve them with a photo book.

Your kids are sure to love an album of family activities. But how do you create a lifetime book they will never forget? The one that even as adults they will pull out when they say – “remember that summer when we….” Why not take advantage of a rainy or just-too-hot day and make a book together with them? Here are some ideas of which shots to choose from your collection:

Firsts and foremosts. What made this year different or special? Include pictures of your kid’s firsts - a new friend from the park, a weekend road trip to a small town you just discovered, or the first time catching a fish. Highlight the most special new activity from this year with a full-page photo.

Vacation. What was your family adventure this summer? Whether camping, theme parks, or a cross-country trek to the Grand Canyon, you probably have lots of vacation pictures. Along with the postcard shots, include some of the simple moments that will refresh your senses—the diner with those delicious burgers, the breathtaking colors of a mountain sunset, or the field of curious cows who smelled like “things growing”!

Dog Swimming with Toy

The Dog Days of Summer. On a sweltering day, nothing beats a swim, especially for our four-legged family members. The happy face of a wet dog in summer is always a winner, whether cooled by the lawn sprinkler, a dip in the kiddy pool, or bobbing for sticks in a local lake.

Be a good sport. Summer sports always make for great conversation. Team pictures in matching uniforms are nice mementos, but shots in the heat of soccer or swim team action and the dirt of sliding into home plate evoke the true experience. Or include selfies from a special family outing to a major league game, dressed in your team colors.

Marshmallow Peep melting over a fire

The camp experience. Whether it’s a sleepaway or day camp, some amazing things can happen in these kid-focused environments. What was their favorite part of camp? Making new friends, or learning to canoe? Singing and enjoying smores around the campfire? (Extra marshmallow chicks saved in your freezer make the best smores!). Be sure to include shots of parent’s day.

Summer-only moments. Sometimes the most special memories are made in the simplest moments of every day. Flying kites and waging water-balloon battles. Discovering sun-warmed tomatoes in your patio garden or at a U-pick. Family barbeques and back-yard campouts. Those are the “remember when” moments of years to come. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to the green and sunny days of summer. You can’t control how quickly time passes, but you can make the most of the moments you have by preserving the memories that come with them. Live these last warm weeks like they are the best of your life. And keep taking lots of pictures!