With just about a week left in the month, this is usually when I start gently gathering things for my roundup. I am not doing anything complicated. I just slow down for a few minutes and start paying attention. That small bit of prep makes the actual documenting feel so much smoother when I sit down to do it.

I apologize for not posting the photo prompts earlier in the month. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’ve been recovering from another surgery (my 4th in 4 years!) But its not too late to take some meaningful photos this month.

This month’s theme is Love and Connection, and one of my favorite ways to lean into a theme is through simple photo prompts.

February’s theme is Love and Connection, and this month I’ve been thinking a lot about how love actually shows up in real life. Not the big, dramatic, movie-scene kind. The quiet kind. The kind that is part of everyday life.

The kind that looks like this:

This collection is my way of documenting the relationships that shape our days. The quiet moments, the everyday care, and the ways we stay connected even when life feels busy or imperfect.

As the end of the month gets closer (just a week left!), I always like to take a quick pause and do a little prep for my roundup. Nothing fancy. Just a few small steps that make the actual documenting feel easier and more enjoyable when the time comes.

If you have ever sat down to do a roundup and felt like your mind went blank, this post is for you. A little bit of noticing now can save you a lot of frustration later.

One of the reminders I keep coming back to this month is this simple truth. You are allowed to grow at your own pace. Not someone else’s timeline. Not the version you thought you would be by now. Just yours. Growth is not a race. It is not a checklist. Most of the time, it’s not visible. It’s uneven and happening beneath the surface. We often remind our children of this when they feel frustrated about their progress, but we seem to forget this grace when we reach adulthood. I think we forget how much is happening when things look calm on the outside. You might be learning something new. Letting go of an old habit. Practicing patience. Showing up differently than you used to. Those shifts matter, even if they are not obvious yet.

This new collection is my way of documenting the small steps we take at the start of a year, and the ways we keep going when real life does not look like a perfect reset.

The story behind the Growth and Renewal collection

When I started planning this scrapbook kit I kept coming back to three ideas.

• Growth that happens slowly

• Fresh starts that can happen any day

• Being kind to ourselves while we change

January feels like a good time to pay attention to the small things that are changing inside and outside of us. That’s why I chose Growth for this month’s theme. Growth can be big and visible. It can also be slow and quiet, showing up in ways you might not notice until you look back later. It might be something you’re learning, healing from, building, or even something you are letting go of. Looking for growth in photos helps me see what is happening that I might otherwise overlook.