Memory Lane - Part 3

I almost forgot about these Memory Lane posts!

Forgive me for messing up the "order" of things. In Part 2 I was still a mere babe of a few months old. But these are the pictures that really touched me today, so this is what you're gettin'!

In these photos, I'm between 2 and 3 years old...about my Sammy's age. Is it me or does she look a little like me?

I just adore this first picture. First of all, I have CURLS! I've had stick straight hair as long as I can remember. Oh...I hope that doesn't mean Sammy's going to lose her beautiful curls. Maybe I'll just never cut her hair so we don't have to worry.

Second, see that high chair? Every one of my babies has sat in that exact high chair...metal tray and "genuine Naugahyde" seat and all. At one point, my Dad put that material (was going to say fabric, but I'm not sure it works!) on the high chair and our dining room chairs. Those dining room chairs now sit in my dining room! Although I replaced the Naugahyde with a more traditional fabric. Clearly, I did so before having children. These days I'm thinking of putting some Naugahyde back on! That Daddy of mine...he knows his stuff.

And third - the cake. My Mom made us a double-decker chocolate cake with chocolate frosting every single birthday. It's still my favorite. My mom? She knows her stuff too.



Hey, look at that plate! I have a bowl that matches that plate in my cupboard right now. I just love having little bits and pieces of my childhood around my house :)

Can I just say...it bugs me that these two pictures have such different color tones. Flash in one but not the other maybe?



Here's my beautiful Mama and Grandma showering me with gifts. Look at that cheesy grin again...



Looks like I got a big-wheel for my birthday. And that grin again...I'm detecting a pattern here. The thought of my Mom and Dad giving me a big-wheel for my 2nd birthday absolutely blows my mind. Although at the time, I NEVER would have known because I had every single thing my little girl heart desired...but looking back (and from stories Mom and Dad tell), we were B.R.O.K.E. back then. Mom and Dad were very young and Dad was in school. Let's see...if I was turning two, then we were living in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and Dad was going to school to get his degree in nursing.



Here's that silly grin again. See? I had everything I ever wanted...my Mommy and Daddy. The needs of a little girl are really quite simple. Hey, look at the old picture of Grandma and Grandpa!


I gasped when I saw this picture...my Sammy "does the dishes" every single day! She cracked me up yesterday. She said, "Mama, I want to do the dishes with you."

"Well, sweetie, but I'm not doing the dishes. I'm vacuuming right now."
"Okay, I see."
(pause)
"Mama?"
"Yeah?"
"Mama, I want to do the dishes without you."

This picture was taken in my Grandma's house. Man...that kitchen saw a lot of parties, a lot of card playing, and a lot of yummy meals. Evidently, it also saw some remodeling because I don't remember it looking like that at all!

Uh oh. It looks like these pictures don't quite belong in this time line, but I love them, so I'm including them today. This is me with my Grandpa (Dad's Dad). Isn't he handsome? This photo was taken at his house - it seemed he always had a comfy chair in that particular corner. If my memory is right, there was a bedroom off this family room which held Grandma's organ. She played for their church. See that painting on the wall? Grandpa's brother (Father Rich) was an incredible artist...and a priest...we didn't call him Fr. Rich for nothin'. My Catholic roots run deep. Grandpa loved the church.

Oh. Yes they did.

Let's see...1976...I had just turned 3 years old. This is just how old my Sammy is right now. I don't know where they got the idea to take these crazy New Year's pictures...I assure you that this tradition didn't last many years. Thankfully. :)

Stay tuned for the next installment of Memory Lane - this is fun!

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Memory Lane - Part 2

I thought I'd do part two of my "Memory Lane" series today. I hope you don't mind...I just love these old photos.

In these following pictures, I believe we're still living in Texas. Mom was kind enough to fill in some details for me. She worked outside the home before I was born. She "babysat"...meaning the watched the kids, washed and ironed the clothes, kept up the house, and did all the dishes that they were kind enough to leave for her from their evening and weekend meals. And she made a whole $30 per week. Then she stayed home with me after I was born. She's a hard workin' gal. Dad was in the Army. He's a hard workin' guy. They make quite the team...still happily married after 35 years. I consider being born as their kid one of my greatest blessings.

I feel a little like I'm getting to know my parents in all kinds of new ways just by looking closely at these pictures! Try it yourself....dig out those old pictures from when you were a baby and really look at every detail. You might be surprised by what you find.

This picture, for example, almost brings me to tears to look at it. At first glance, it's just me as about a one month old baby, lying in bed.

But then I really look at every detail of the picture. First of all, I notice the quilt and the matching elephant in the corner. I love those items because my Mommy made them for me with her own two hands when she was expecting me. I imagine her daydreaming about her baby and making all kinds of sweet plans for the future.

When I was pregnant with my first child, I would sit in the nursery and just look around, feel my tummy, talk to my baby, and dream. I loved that little life so much, and I hadn't even laid eyes on him yet! Could it be that my Mom and Dad had the same sorts of feelings? Could it be that they love me as much as I love my children? That's quite a thought...to be precious to someone like that.

I also notice the sweet bird mobile hanging over the crib...and I love this part...the baby dolls tucked so gently and carefully around me. I can just see my Mom making sure that her baby girl was just as cozy as could be.

And then there's the fact that Mom or Dad actually took the picture. Do you remember what it was like to watch your infant sleep? To smell their smell? To listen to their little baby noises? To wonder what they were dreaming of? To hope and pray that they'll be safe, and that they can feel how loved they were? Could it be that whoever was taking this picture wanted to remember those things forever, just like I do when I take pictures of my kids?

I am loved and cherished. I am precious to them. That's what I see when I look at this picture. See? Tears. Yep...they're a rollin'!


This picture is fun because...I see my kids in this photo! There is some of me in my little monkeys after all. Poor things!



Ahhh...the naked New Year's baby pictures that everyone has. What? Not everyone has these? You're missing out! It's great...the naked part and all. I especially love the cloth they put under me just in case I peed or...something.



Hey! There it is again...the baby look of my babies! Oh my...I hope their baby look is about all they inherited from their mom. Daddy has perfect teeth, eyesight, skin, and hair. Me? Not so much. I was all about the braces, glasses, acne medicine, and bad perms. Please Lord, have mercy on my babies!


Oh Mom. Sorry! I couldn't NOT post this picture though. I mean really...who can have rollers in their hair and still look so beautiful? I gotta say too...she still looks JUST like that! No joke! People think we're sisters all the time. So either she looks like she's 30 something or I look like I'm 50 something. I'm going with the 30 something for the sake of my own self esteem. Not that there's anything wrong with looking 50 something. Especially if you ARE 50 something. And especially if you look like my Mama when you're 50 something.

Something tells me to shut up now. My point is this: see my Mom? Beautiful. Yesiree.

Well, that's all I have for this installment of Memory Lane.

All this talk of precious babies has me thinking of our Father...the one who loves us even more than we can comprehend. Imagine him just watching us with a gentle smile on his face...watching us learn and grow and explore. Imagine him taking pleasure in us, and looking forward to having us home with him. I am so thankful I'm his child.

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. Psalm 52:8

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Memory Lane - Part 1

I've had such a great time looking through old photos to do the post in honor of my sister, Megan...it gave me an idea for a new blog series..."Memory Lane".

Since you're here and you're reading my blog, I can only assume that you are at least mildy interested in...well, me. So are you ready? You're going to learn more about me and where I come from than you might want to know.

Are some of you cringing...thinking "Oh boy, I hope she doesn't put that one picture up". I promise to be as respectful and kind as possible. But I'm also going to be honest. And honestly? We're all in the same boat. The 80's...they were just plain BAD from a style standpoint. Yep, the pictures will go up, but we'll all be in it together!

So here goes...fasten your seat belts!

These are the first pictures of me that I know of. According to the back of the photos, I am one week old. Look at my parents! Look how young they were when they became parents! If I've done my math right, they were 18 and 19 years old when they married in 1972...and a mere one year and 4 days later, I rolled into their lives. So they were 19 and 20 years old when they became parents!

**Note to my children: I know everything turned out wonderfully for Yaya and Papa, but you are not to do this! Do you understand? You are to go to college, marry the nice young man or woman I choose for you when you are about 27, and live next door to me. I promise, you'll be happiest if you do as I say.

OK, back to my story.

We were living in Killeen, Texas and it was 1973. Dad was in the US Army. I think Mom stayed home with me...but I'm not sure. How long did we live there? I'm not sure about that either. Mom, Dad, can you help me fill in the blanks?

Can I just say...aren't my parents beautiful people? Look at this handsome man...I can see why Mom dropped out of school to run away to a far away place and marry him (again...kids...don't even think about it)!

They joke about how they had absolutely no clue as to what they were doing when it came to caring for an infant. That picture of my Dad cracks me up a little because I imagine him holding me in that tidy little seat frequently...because maybe he didn't know how to do it any other way. They were young. They were livin' on love. They were far away from their parents and older siblings who might be able to give them some baby wisdom.

I love the picture of my mom for two reasons. First, the peaceful happy look on her face. It's so sweet to see how happy she was. And then...her hair. I never noticed that she had her hair clipped up like that until just now. Guess what my hair looks like at this very moment? I put my hair up like that all the time!

So there you have Part 1 of Memory Lane. I think I still have more Texas pictures to share, and then we'll be on to Wisconsin. Stay tuned!

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