Traditions

Have you ever been doing something and all of a sudden something happens and it immediately takes you back to a memory you have? It might be something somebody says, a movie, a song, or maybe a smell. Yesterday when we were driving past the Harbor in Brookings and to the hotel, the smell of the salty sea air and the sights around me threw me back in time to all the times we have been here with our kids on the 4th of July. Everywhere I looked, I thought of them. In the gift shop across from the hotel, Timothy is known as the Webkinz kid because he kept going in and buying Webkinz cards with his spending money. At the hotel, I looked at the pool and thought about how every one of my kids learned how to swim there. Even looking down on the beach or being in the hotel room, I thought about all the memories we've created. Why? It's a tradition.

When the kids were younger I hated coming. It was so much work packing porta cribs, swings, and everything else that came with the toddler age. We have a large extended family, and at the time no one else had kids. At times I would feel isolated because they would all want to do things that weren't kid friendly - like snorkling down the Chetco or golfing. Every year Sean and I would end up in a fight because I would get so frustrated. I didn't realize at the time, we were building memories for the kids -traditions - that would be so cherished.

I think there will be things that family's do as traditions that are intentional. We all have those fun little things, that we hope our children will carry on when they have a family of their own. I also think there will be things that we have no idea will become traditions, until one day we look back and think of all the memories that have been created.

Some of the Eisma Family traditions:

- 4th of July in Brookings
- Family Camp at Lake of the Woods
- Picincs at Medford Oaks
- Christmas morning at Grammy and Grandad's house
- Getting each child a new ornament at Christmas
- Having 2 Thanksgiving Dinners :)

Feel free to share some of yours!