This is technically not Cadence's first summer--she enjoyed 23 days of the summer of 2011. I think of this as her first summer though and it seems to be slipping away right before my eyes. So I decided to try and create as many summer memories and keepsakes as I can. Who knows if next summer I'll be lucky enough to be home with her, or if I'll have another baby on the way? All I know is that we'll never have our first summer again. Ok, before I get all sappy about my baby becoming a toddler let me share some summer memory ideas with you.

Bathing Beauties in the Summer '12

Create a Memory Box. It can be anything from a labeled shoebox to an elaborate box decorated with shells and foam fish. Just a place to put your memories.

Photos: Last week I took Cadence to the mall with my best friend's daughter (who is by default her best friend) and we took the silly, sure-to-be-embarassing-in-the-future, baby beach photos. I absolutely love it, and it will certainly be part of her 1st Summer Memory Box. ( No need to do professional pictures, set up your own summer-themed photo shoot and click away!)

Footprints: Next week I'm going to let my little monkey climb into a tub of non toxic paint and walk all over a white sheet. Then I'll date it and let it dry. It might not be a work of art but it will document how much her little feet have grown since the hospital first inked her foot (my husband has that footprint tattooed on his arm so we'll always be able to compare.) It will also be adorable to follow her lopsided 11-month-old toddle. Maybe we'll fold it up and put it in her memory box or maybe we'll frame it and hang it in her playroom. Either way, it will be our special memory.

Make a Mixed Tape: Ok, so if any of you mommies are close to my age (which is perpetually 29 if you must know) then undoubtedly you've made mixed tapes for your girlfriends, your birthday parties and of course the love of your life that week. Why not make one for the true love of your life. No need to hunt down an actual tape but a CD is more tangible and more easily preserved than an mp3. Record songs that you and your little one love to dance to, fall asleep to, or sing in the car. Label it and listen to it until you can't stand it anymore. Then pack it away in your memory box. Pull it out in a few years and give it a listen. It will evoke a rush of emotions in you. And probably in your not-so-little -one too.

Please ladies, share with me some of the special ways you've created first summer memories with your loves!

Daddy's most permanent memory!