But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. —Luke 2:19, KJV

They grow up so fast. One minute your children are so small that they can almost fit in the palm of your hand and in the next, they are towering above you. It happens so fast that if you turn away for too long you might miss something important. So, as time goes by and events pass, we save little things here and there to remind us of times gone by. Organizing our collectables can be a challenge. Here are a few suggestions on ways to organize your tiny, trinkets.

Baby books

For starters, a baby book is simply a must. Pick up a book that suits your needs; you will find that there are quite a few to choose from. Some will contain places for the family tree and some background on the parents. Others will have spots for you to monitor their growth spurts.

There are so many to choose from, you need to look through them carefully. You can put their baby bracelet from the hospital, a copy of their birth certificate, footprints and even their first lock of hair from their first haircut. These books have spaces for their school years to follow. There are spaces for pictures, awards, information on birthday parties and friends. It is a wonderful way to remember when.

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. —Psalms 127:3, KJV

Report card files

Don’t forget about report cards. There are books you can buy that have special pages especially made for report cards. There are places where you can write down the teachers’ names, the grades, subjects and special exam and test scores. These will be valuable when your children have children of their own. They will be able to compare and contrast their own academic progress with their children. This can be both fun and interesting.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. —Proverbs 22:6, KJV

Wall art

What about the little pictures that the children draw as they are growing up? A wonderful way to be reminded of their sweet thoughts and giving hearts as they created very special artwork for you is to hang them up. Put them on your mirror, in the study, or even on the fridge. If you have too many and can’t get them all hung up in view, get yourself a special box where you can put the creations in and look at it at whenever you choose. You will be blessed by it when you find yourself missing your kiddos or even just a little lonely for their younger days.

Display cases

Awards and certificates are another thing you will want to save. Get yourself a display case, if you have the room for special and significant awards. Your children will love to come home and see their childhood successes. If you have too many, again, you may need to get yourself a container for them. Some children are very competitive and may have many metals, awards and certificates. If you have trouble displaying them all, just put out the most significant ones for display and store the others for safekeeping.

Treasure chest

Last but certainly not least are the little things that are unique in value. Maybe your favorite T-shirt from when he or she was an infant or a special blanket or teddy bear. These should be kept somewhere safe and special so that when they are grown and have their own children, they may want to pass them down.

Buying a chest or container for these items is advisable. You can even seal them in a large storage bag to keep the moths away if clothing is involved. For things like rosaries, crosses and other religious mementos, get a special jewelry box for them. This will keep them all together and are less likely to get lost. Saving these items is especially important. These pieces of memorabilia will bring up memories and feelings of those very special moments in your life and the life of your child.