Anyone who has sorted through the family's shoebox full of heritage photos has probably wondered about their ancestors and what they were like. This, of course, is why we are scrapbookers - to pass down our legacy to our children and grandchildren so they don't have to wonder what our lives were like--we will tell them.

Here are some ideas to get you started to preserve your family's inherited traits.

• Physical Traits - In my family, we have nose issues. We call it the "Gogliotti Nose" as it was obviously passed down right from my Grandpa Gogliotti. Other physical trait similarities can appear later in age. My husband has inherited his dad's receding hairline and as he started losing his hair, it was amazing to see the resemblance.
  
  
• Temper, Temper - We always like to think that our children get the best of our qualities--that's not always the case though. Whenever the children would throw a tantrum, I would refer to it as a "Russell fit" because it certainly wouldn't have come from MY family!
  
  
• Talents - Did you ever wonder how you got that green thumb? Was your mother a gardener, too? My children get their creativity and love of arts and crafts from me, but their musical aptitude is definitely from their father. All except for Jack, that is. He sings just like me, the poor child.
  
  
• Sawing Logs - Who passed down the snoring gene? If you need to, get the evidence on one of those memory sound buttons.
  
  
• Medical Conditions - On a more serious note, this might be a bit of a touchy subject. It's hard to even think about scrapbooking your mentally unstable grandmother or your developmentally delayed sibling. These things might be important for your future generations though. If you take the time to journal the facts as well as your feelings about them, it might not only be insightful for your descendants, but also cathartic for you.

Take some time today to think about how your inherited family traits have appeared in yourself, your children, or others in your family. Document them and preserve this important part of your history. That way your grandchildren will know exactly who to blame when their spouse elbows them for snoring in the middle of the night!