I have 5 kids, born in 8 years, and I started my role as yearbook advisor when the youngest were almost 1 and the oldest was 9. My oldest was in 4th grade the first time I did the yearbook for her school, so I only made 2 of her yearbooks. The other 4 kids, I have made all of their yearbooks Kindergarten through 6th grade. That’s a lot of books, even when you count the overlapping years when I had more than 1 kid at one school. It’s a lot of work and there are times when I am so focused on completing the yearbook or 3 yearbooks, that I am not available to my kids, but there is a day that makes it worth it…delivery day! Not only do I love the joy the book brings to each kid, but it’s especially exciting when it makes my kids happy and the pride in their eyes that their mom made something special.
My kids love having the inside scoop and I welcome their input. After all, it is their yearbook. They love knowing the theme before anyone else or the name of the winner of the cover contest! I’ve even overheard them sharing my theme ideas with their friends, but also trying to tease them with some secret information. Having a mom who creates the yearbook gives them some kind of school cred.
When the 
yearbooks are delivered I always bring one home to review before distribution and my kids always pour over it for hours, sometimes they even ask to send photos to their friends. On distribution day, they act just as excited as everyone else. Their excitement and bragging about the book helps me sell more yearbooks!
The first year I made a yearbook my babies were not quite 1 year old. I still remember taking them to the first training I had for the yearbook software, I had just put them down for a nap, when I got a call, “Are you coming to the training?” So, I put them in their carseats in their footy pajamas and drove to the training. They sat in their stroller while I learned the ways of an online yearbook layout, design and ladder. They have been with me for every yearbook since that day. They are 12 now and I’ve created a yearbook almost every year of their lives; I’ve made all of their school yearbooks. Their whole lives I’ve been a yearbook lady.
They are just as excited to have me creating their yearbook this year as 6th graders as they were in Kindergarten, as a matter of fact they are the ones who insisted that I had to do it one more year – the last year I can since this is the last year parents make the yearbook.
Two weeks ago I received a proof of a yearbook cover I’m making and my twin boys both grabbed their phones to take a photo to send to their group chat. They are in 6th grade, so the fact that they still get excited that their mom makes their yearbook is pretty cool to me.