Senior Year...

My second-born is a senior in high school and now that we've finished the ACT's and the college applications I started thinking about what sort of book(s) I can make him as keepsakes. Afterall, Shelby has two prom books, an 18 Birthday's book and a high school memory book...so I figured I'd better make him a book or two so he doesn't feel left out (who am I kidding? He probably couldn't care less, right?) Anyway, he's super-jocky so what better keepsake then a book full of all his sporting pictures. I wanted a heavy baseball theme since he played for 12 years so here's what I came up with... I took apart one of his old baseballs that he initialed with black Sharpie...

Look at that little knobby-knee'd five year old.

This little glassine bag holds his "baseball card" that he autographed for my husband when he was 8 years old.

This is my favorite picture of him...I think because he looks the most like me at that particular moment in time.

Yes...bowling is a high school sport in Minnesota, strange but true...they even had team bowling shirts!

I was okay while making the book until I came to last photo in my pile...his cross country picture (on the left.) It was taken only a month ago so I found myself really studying the man he's grown into, then I found myself fighting back the tears. Look at that little 5 year old knobby-knee'd boy in the very first photograph and now look at this (handsome) grown man... I remember the day that first photograph with his T-Ball team was taken and I swear it was just yesterday, but it must not have been...damn, why do kids have to grow up? Matty, I love you more than you could ever know and I'm praying that you choose a college that's not too far away!