Family Traditions: Building Memories With Your Favorite People

{Key music} …It’s a Family Tradition.

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I love having certain things to look forward to every single year! Those things change depending on what phase of life you are in. As a kid it was summer beach trips, the grandparents’ house, and the holidays. As a young adult it was prom, parties, and football games.

And for the phase of life I am in now, it is time spent with my sweet little family. 

There is such a short period of time where my girls think that hanging out with Mom and Dad is somewhat cool. Advantageously… I also completely control our calendar as they have not started having their own events or agendas.

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So, my mission is to take full advantage of this time and create LASTING traditions while they are young.

The great thing about having a tradition is that it is already set. They are harder to cancel, change, or forget about because it becomes a known fact that it is something you do every single year! So by establishing these while they are young, when they turn into awful teenagers… they know that these traditions are here to stay and are important to our family unit.

But most of all… traditions are fun! They create excitement and memories for a lifetime!

Looking for some inspiration on traditions you can start with your favorite people? Here are a few traditions that my family has started and I look forward to every single year:

1.) Go BIG On Birthday Day

This may be obvious, but it’s a special day to celebrate that just that child.  Drew and I both take the day off work and plan a full day of things that they love.

Even when Aubrey turned 1 we had a day full of activities that we knew she would enjoy and could just spend the entire day watching her smile. This always includes a sprinkled doughnut, ice cream, mani/pedi, and some type of nature/animal (zoo, museum).

I have told her each morning on her birthday before we go out and start our day, that this is a big day for her, but it is even bigger for Mommy and Daddy because this is the day we welcomed you into our family and learned what love truly meant. 

We then wipe away the river of happy tears, and put on her [amazon_textlink asin=’B071CM343X’ text=’tutu dress‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’02c55bef-bc0f-11e8-b8a4-cbcfa054f1e6′] and start our birthday tradition.

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2.) Run A Race

Any active mamas here?

I am one of those weird people who enjoys running! It is a stress reliever for me and I love setting a goal and achieving it. Once having babies, I wanted this to be something that I could enjoy with them!  I invested in the [amazon_textlink asin=’B019EZD7Y2′ text=’Bob Stroller‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’6543bf45-bc0f-11e8-ad44-9d580064238d’], (Ah-Mazing!!) so I could make this happen.

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I think it is important for your children to see that you make your health and exercise a priority. 

It’s good for them to see the time and training a parent puts into achieving a goal and having them being a part of the process and complete the race with them is not only fun, but a valuable lesson. I am so looking forward to Aubrey running her first 1 mile race and having me right by her side pushing Caroline in the stroller!

3.) Paint A Pumpkin

We love fall and pumpkin everything!  And it seems like there are endless things to do!  We haven’t established a specific pumpkin patch we visit or certain hayrides to go to… but we have made a pumpkin photo opportunity a must.  Every year I use either Aubrey’s feet or hands to create my pumpkin and then make sure to put the year on it and take a picture.

It is great to see how big those tiny fingers and toes get every single year!

4.) Take A Christmas Tree Trip

This might be my absolute favorite! 

I have always thought there is something so special about chopping down your own tree and putting it up in your house. It is something tangible, but more importantly on Christmas, it’s a memory and an experience. So Drew and I decided to make that something our family looked forward to every year.

We started it when Aubrey was only 3 months old!  We took a weekend trip to Boone, the first weekend after Thanksgiving, we to the Christmas Parade and then picked out and cut down our own Christmas tree!  This is something we have done every year since and it is becoming my most favorite tradition!

Something cute that has come from this is our keepsake Christmas ornament. (Coming soon to the blog!) 

These are just a few things that we do and look forward to every year. What are some of YOUR family’s favorite traditions?