Creating a Family Heirloom

I am creating a family heirloom.. otherwise known as a heritage album for my dad for his 60th birthday that is coming up in August.  Yeah, normally these things are done secretly, but not in this family.There are just too many of us and too many memories that need to be included! 

As of today I have scanned more than 2000 pictures into the computer and have sorted memorabilia dating from the early 1900’s through today.  It is an amazing experience but just a little overwhelming!  How can you decide on what to include in an album like this?? 

For example, we have notes written by my Grandfather to my dad during his first week of life.. those HAVE to be in the book.   

But we also have ration books from WWII, love letters, telegrams and poems written while my grandfather was at sea during WWII and even his autograph book prior to leaving for war.

I have learned so much about our family while going through pictures!!  I just don’t see how I am going to get all of it into one book.  And if I make more than one book, where do I stop one and begin the second… UGH!! But what a special problem to have!

One thing that has truly been apparent in all of the pictures, letters and pieces of memorabilia is the strong faith and love of family that has passed down through the generations.  My Great-Grandma spent from Nov. 1947 to Sept. 1969 writing the “Highlights on The Acts of the Apostles” it has to be more than 100 pages of single spaced typed biblical commentary.  Obviously it can’t be in the album.. but how can we not include it in some form!

Have I overwhelmed you all yet?  If not.. how about this.  I have a piece of hair from my Grandma’s first haircut in 1926!And I won’t even mention all of the pictures that are unnamed and unmarked that have got to be more than 100 years old!

Yes, I am absolutely loving this project!  I can’t wait to see how it will all turn out.. no telling how many pages it will be :)  The book I created for my Grandfather on the other side of the family didn’t have near this much stuff and his was 100 pages! 

Well, I am off to work on the book some more, but here are a couple more pictures for you..

This is my Great Grandfather taken during WWI.

The pictures below are of my dad at 8 weeks old with his parents.  My Dad’s dad wrote the commentary under these and probably 100 other pictures!

It’s no wonder that I have a love for scrapbooking!