Family — whether you’re a family of one, you have no kids or lots of kids, you consider your pets your kids, etc., etc., we’re all part of some sort of family. Mine right now consists of me, dh, and our 2-year-old son. (Not to mention the extended families we both have that provide us with so much love and support.)

My family defines me — yes, I’m a mom and a wife, but it’s so much more than that. My husband and my son define who I am as an individual. They help me refine qualities I already have and develop qualities I wish to have. They mostly bring out the best in me, but sometimes they bring out the worst in me. They are the smile on my face and the sparkles that light up my eyes. They are the laughter that erupts spontaneously. They are the tears (both sad and happy) that wet my face. I want to be a better person because of who they are and who they can be. They are my motivation, my support, my reward. They are everything to me. I’m right here, right now, because of them.

Why do I scrapbook? For my family. To preserve our memories — the times we’re together and the times we’re apart, the good times and the bad times, the silly times and the sad times. To share pieces of me with them. To tell them what I love about them. To show them I love them. Scrapbooking is my therapy, and I do it for myself as well, but at the end of the day, those pages wouldn’t matter as much to me if I didn’t have someone to share them with.

How does your family, however you define it, inspire your scrapbook layouts?