Storing Memories

We are trying to clean out our house and get rid of the junk that has seemed to multiply and now pours out of everywhere. We have SO many baby items especially because we had twins. Two of everything, one in pink and one in blue. Now that K is here and he is our last baby I am trying to donate or sell some of our surplus.

As I go through the things we can't use anymore, like my daughter's crib bedding, her tiny dresses and baby clothing and as I think about getting rid of her crib or K's bassinet when he grows too big for it (a couple of weeks, I am sure), I get sad. My sorrow surprises me, after all they are just "things". I have pictures and my memory to get me through my years. Would holding on to my daughter's baby clothing or blankets change that? Can it take me back to the smell of my babies, the way their skin was so soft it felt like you were not touching anything at all? Would they make the memories more clear in my mind?

Getting these things out of my home and into the homes of needy people or people that could use them and want them would be best, but I can't help but feeling like I am selling my past. A part of me and my kids.
I have always had a unusual attachment to my "things" like my old stuffed animals or my favorite books. I hate to throw my things away, although I have gotten better over the past few years.
Still, I am sad. I have to get rid of things little by little so I don't overload my system.
I have decided to keep some of my favorite items for my kids. They can pass it on or use it for their children. Maybe even they will keep it stored safely away and only and take it out when they need their memories to be just a little more vivid.