Tradition Tuesday-Measuring Stick

We have a lot of birthdays around here and we have a lot of traditions that go along with these birthdays. Our birthday measuring stick has been around forever, well at least it's been around for 16 years now. I had always seen places in people's homes, in their garages or their pantry's or wherever where they had measured their kids over the years. I loved seeing all the old marks with different names and ages scribbled next to them. I knew I wanted to chart my children's growth but I didn't know where. When Kara turned one we were living in a little apartment that I knew was very temporary. If I measured her and Tyler, who also lived in that apartment, on one of the walls or pillars, how would I take that with me when we moved which was inevitable. I happened to read in a magazine the idea of the measuring stick and my problem was solved.

I went to the hardware store and bought a piece of crown molding or chair rail (I don't remember exactly what it was, but it was more decorative than just a piece of wood) and our birthday measuring stick was born. The idea is that you could nail it onto a corner somewhere and then just take it off when you were done. We measured our 2 cute kids in our apartment and then when we packed up our belongings to move to our first home the stick came with us. We then measured many more kids on many more birthdays in that home and then once again packed up the stick and moved it to our current home.

We have never missed a birthday without measuring on the stick. It is a tradition-to get measured and to get your picture taken while being measured. After the official measuring is done the kids all gather around to see how tall they have grown in the last year and to see who was the tallest at the age of 2 or 3 or whatever age the birthday child is turning.

Our measuring stick is very full now of our own scribbles and ages and names and we still have a lot of marks to make. It is so fun to see all 7 of the kids at the age of 1, 2 and now, just recently, 3 and the differences or similarities in their heights. It is a record. It is a history. It is a part of our birthday routine. And when Trevor and I are too old to climb the stairs anymore and have to move into a nursing home, you can bet our measuring stick will be packed up yet again and move right in with us.