August tends to be when many take one last vacation or getaway before back-to-school season returns — in fact, the entire month is known as Family Fun Month. Creating memories with those who matter most in your life is the best way to bond, share laughs, and build relationships.

This past June, our family took one of our most fun trips yet. We ventured back to Yosemite National Park to see its amazing waterfalls after this winter’s record snowfalls. Now that the kids are older, we have different interests and appetites for adventure, so we decided to “divide and conquer.” The boys could explore and hike, and I found time to kick back and relax. My sons made it to the top of Half Dome — a hike that usually requires a permit to climb once the summer season begins and the cables are up.

They set out at 5 a.m. and completed the 17-mile hike in just one day. Because it was about to rain when they reached the top, they only spent about 15 minutes taking in the views and soaking up their accomplishment before they had to scurry down. It was a joy to connect over dinner and share all the details of their adventure. Many years ago, I also completed this hike, but because I’m a much more leisurely hiker than the boys, camped in the backcountry along the way and took two days to complete the climb.

When I think back to family fun and trips with my family when I was younger, one of my greatest memories is playing the “license plate” game in the national parks. We would set out on a mission to find a plate from every single state in the U.S., and more often than not, we’d check them all off the list.

Creating these memories with your family and friends is just as important as your estate planning documents and passing on your financial assets to your kids. It’s all about intentionally doing fun things together while creating new memories and traditions — it’s another legacy to leave behind, where family members can look back on it later through photos, scrapbooks, social media, and memoirs. And even more important than putting together photo albums and scrapbooks is to look through them together and reminisce. That’s the true value of documenting these memories.

We also recently celebrated my sons’ earning the rank of Eagle Scout last year. In preparation for the Court of Honor, we took time to go through their photos and memories of their Scout journey and put together memorabilia, patches, derby cars, service hours, hiking miles, records, and ranks to look back on and remember some of the greatest years and experiences of their lives thus far.

Many people shy away from doing their estate plans because they don’t want to think about their death or assume they are too young to have one. But the question of “what if” will always linger, and it’s better to have a plan and revisit it every five years than to have something terrible happen without plans about how to pass your legacy to your loved ones. The other legacies you leave for your kids and family — the memories, laughs, photos, and good times — you’ll want to be more proactive and intentional in visiting those and discussing them more frequently.

Have the fun, make the memories, and don’t forget to document them!