More baby pictures .... ::sigh::

The reason for the huge amount of pictures I will be showing off today is because I cleaned some drawers out.  I found my pictures I was looking for!! 

When I think of Maddie as a toddler... this is the age I go back to.  These perfect little Chicklet teeth.  Saying "Cheeese" every time I bring the camera out.  She used to just point at the camera if it was on the table and say to me "cheese!".  This cute little stinker who used to get on the table and pour my salt and pepper out onto the table (I do have pictures of that...), and who used to throw her spaghetti on the walls and ceilings when I was cleaning up the table after dinner (Yes, I do have pictures of that as well!). 

This cute little blondie jabbered all the time -- only Katie could understand her. It took Katie to interpret what Maddie wanted. For a few years. :(  This is the same age that Maddie couldn't say the word fish.  She would say "shishie".   Maddie LOVED fish.  We took the family one day to a Japanese restaurant that had a huge aquarium.  I think my parents were with us... anyways, this little darling would start at the "shishies" the entire time, so every single one of us adults all took time away from our meal to hold her and look at the "shishies". 

We took them to Branson to see the fish hatchery.  Maddie then said "ewww" about her "shishies".  LOL

Katie was never my troublemaker as a little one.  She was just the sweetest little girl, always obedient.  So quiet, but loved to have fun and giggle and laugh.

Lion King was her absolute favorite movie of all time, and many times she would wake up in the middle of the night -- and she and I would take a blanket downstairs and watch the Lion King again.  Sadly... I was OK w/ TV being on during the day, so quite a few times she watched it 3 times a day. 

She was pretty excited when Lion King came out on DVD this last year. 

Sadly I didn't think about getting it..



Yes, I did put mascara on her little eyes sometimes for her pictures.  Otherwise, they would just disappear....  my mom chastised me about that.. and I stopped.  But I did add some to her eyes again when she was turning 8 for her baptism picture.  :O

We can't forget our very first family picture together... Katie was 2 years old?

Both my girls lacked hair until they were maybe 18 months old... then it was like that Playdoh machine that pushes playdoh through all these little holes on a head, and out came hair.  It was like one day they went to bed with barely any hair... and the next day it was "poof!  You've got hair now!"  I remember when Katie was 18 months old.. we took a trip w/ the Nelson family to Walt Disney World.  Katie's Aunt Tiffany put her in pigtails for the first time, and she looked so adorable, and no longer like a baby. 

I think Katie has Mike's shape of eyes.. and Maddie has my shape of eyes.  Could you tell at the picture below?  Katie is on the left, and Maddie is on the right.  :)

Cherish your babies when they are little.  Enjoy this time .. no matter how hard it is!!  Truthfully, you will blink, and you will find your oldest at age 14, and your baby at age 10!

While in my 20's .....

Two weeks ago I found a little message in my inbox from one of my dearest friends Anne who lives back in Kansas City. She had a invitation for a girls night out. Another dear friend who was the first to leave the bunch was coming back into town for a quick visit .. and I was the only one out of all of them who lived too far away to make it to this girls night out. These girls literally became a light in my life and the dearest friends anyone could have when my girls were little...
when I was in my 20's.

We all hung around together, depended on one another, saved one another (from screaming kids... whatever it was!) and was basically just a light in my life. We taught one another crafts, canning, worked out at the YMCA together .... and took many "let's go to the park" trips.

the last time the four of us were together.... two years ago.

One friend is actually Mike's aunt by marriage ~~ Gerri (bottom left), and we became close. Katie & Gerri's little boy are only 4 months apart, and literally looked like twins when they were little. Inseparable too! They told everyone they were going to marry each other. Gerri's sense of humor & my sense of humor just complements each other. Our youngest girls were only three months apart, and were also bestest friends ever. Even when we get together after not seeing each other after a year, we pick up right where we left off... that is a true friendship.

Another friend, Debbie (the redhead) is just so awesome. If something is bugging her, you can't tell. She smiles through it all. Everything rolls off her back. She decided to paint her house... and gosh darn it! She painted it! By herself! I took a trip with her to Branson to see her parents and their huge mega mansion with a swimming pool inside the house. She taught me canning (well, the ONLY time I canned before this summer, but really, she did all the work). I loved my exercise buddy... but she was the first one out of all of us to fly the coop. To Japan. She's in Virginia now... I keep hoping her husband will get transfers to Texas. That would be AWESOME!

My friend Anne (bottom right) taught me the power of friendship, and service. This girl served EVERYONE! Everyone loved this gal so much. She always had a smile on her face for everyone. Her home was open to anyone and everyone who needed help.. or a friend. One big thing she did for me was when Maddie was a toddler, she would have major separation anxiety about leaving me. Anne would simply say "Amy, bring Maddie over here and let her play for an hour every day". In turn, Maddie screamed and cried so much the first couple of days, but in time, because Anne was so gentle and loving with her, Maddie was able to overcome her fears. Momma always returned.

All of our kids were best friends with each other. Everyone got along so well (most of the time).

We would have girls night out at Anne's house. We would dim the lights, turn on some music (at the time, it was whoever was big on PBS like Charlotte Church or somebody like that), break out the chocolate, and do pedicures or manicures. Some scrapbooked (we were all big into scrapbooking at that time).. and others just lounged around and visited. It was wonderful.

I love my new friends here in Texas, but man do I miss my old friends!

*

As I look back then, I remember having conversations w/ them "wow... wonder why those 30 & 40-year olds don't want to do anything w/ us come to Enrichment? Don't they know how FUN it is?!" We literally did everything that was offered.... but we had little kids!
We needed a break!

Then I hit my '30's.

I learned.

Women in their 30's & 40's with tween kids don't have time to play around. We're too busy chauffering our kids to all the activities they need to be at. Even now, when I do have a get together w/ some girlfriends, it's a constant email of "can you do it _____ or _____" and we all email back & forth until we find a date. That's how busy we are nowadays. Now I get it. I totally get why those ladies in their '30's & '40's didn't come! They weren't snobby at all! (not that I thought they were)... they were exhausted. Tired. Busy.

Like I am tonight.

...flashback friday... CANDY!

Months ago, I wrote this blog post about candy.

I forgot some candy that I loved growing up.

Anything cinnamon... I absolutely LOVE!

I bought these Cinnamon Disks a bunch for Mike when we were living in Missouri. He loves anything cinnamon as well. Interesting though.. he doesn't like the spice cinnamon, especially on his apple pie. I'm missing these candies b/c I can't find them anywhere here in Texas. Bummer... {mom! Bring me some from Missouri!}
I used to buy the Jolly Rancher's cinnamon sticks.
I can't find them anymore, so I buy the little Jolly Rancher's Fire.
I also loved the Cinnamon Bears. I can't find them anymore.

and finally... one of the phases I went through and I remember BEGGING my mom to help me find the cinnamon oil I needed... was CINNAMON TOOTHPICKS!

I used to love those things.

Hot Tamales for some reason weren't much of my thing. Funny story: a year ago a bunch of us gals went to the movies for a girls night out. One friend came in bearing a HUGE bucket of popcorn. I said "y'know what would be good with that? M&M's". She said "No, Hot Tamales are better". I seriously had a blonde moment & thought "Huh? Tamales (like the mexican food tamales?)? Well.. how is that good with popcorn? Do they cut it up really small or something?" Samantha looked at me and laughed.... she said "NO! The cinnamon candy Hot Tamales!"
::duh::

Of course, if anyone wants to shower me with any of this cinnamon goodness, I'll forever be your friend. I can't find any of my favorite candy anymore. I'm lucky enough to find the Jolly Rancher Fire at the grocery store!

...flashback friday's ... SUNDAES!

When my brother & I were kids, every once in awhile my dad would proclaim
"let's have sundaes for dinner!"

To a kid ... this was music to our ears!

Usually this special event took place on Sunday nights (hence, "Sundaes"), and we would often take a trip to the store and pick out the special kinds of ice cream and all the fun toppings.

My girls once spent the weekend with my parents years ago. Well, they've spent MANY weekends with them, but this one particular weekend stood out in my mind.

Katie came home so happy & excited. She was so excited because Papa Rod said for dinner they were going to have sundaes. He took them to the store to pick out their own ice cream, bought bananas, chocolate syrup and whatever else they wanted on their sundaes... and then they made themselves a big old fat sundae. Just.for.dinner!

When she told me that, it brought back fond memories of when my dad would proclaim that special dinner. Now, this special dinner didn't happen often, but when it did, we were in heaven!

I remember a few years ago, we stayed at my parents until late one night. We all hadn't eaten dinner yet, and so dad proclaimed "it's SUNDAES for dinner".
Mike was so startled... it was funny. He enjoyed "dinner".

Sometimes it's fun to get out of the rut every once in awhile.

Try it..... proclaim one weekend night to be
SUNDAES FOR DINNER!

I promise you, it will make an everlasting impression on your kid!

...why I blog

Lately I've been thinking "why do I blog?"

Do I blog because I like to be on the computer?
Do I blog because I like to *cough* want to be like other cool people and show off my cool skills
(or lack of cool skills?)
Do I blog because I have an opinion and I feel like it needs to be heard?

No.... I don't feel like I know enough about one particular subject in order to
designate an entire blog ... wished I did though!
and I'm not very crafty...
..... and definitely can't think of things to decorate on a dime

But I do blog to journal the lives of my children and my family.
THIS is the reason for why I blog.

Last week I was bored. It was late at night. I decided to go back to the beginning of my blog and see how far we came along in three years.

I found out that I forgot the little things. The little things that in two to three years, I've ALREADY forgotten. I remember thinking "oh, I'll never forget this moment!" But I did.

I had forgotten about the temper tantrum Madison had when she didn't want to get dressed for school, and how I made her go to school in her jammies.

I had forgotten my baby's first day of school, and who shed the tears.


I had forgotten the incredible evening the girls & I had with my mom at the circus. The hilarious clowns who followed me around, and my girls' blue teeth.

I had forgotten about Katie's "If you Where...." poem. It was hilarious. I'm so glad I wrote it in my blog to capture her thoughts. And her bad spelling.

I had forgotten about our family's experience and how we felt changing schools... twice in one year. I forgot how Madison came home telling me about her new best friend who was just like me. They didn't talk much, let's put it that way.

I had forgotten about the time when I visited Katie at school and brought her Mr Goodcents. Her friend wasn't eating anything because she didn't have a lot of money, and whatever she brought for lunch, she ate for breakfast. I was SO proud of Katie.

I had forgotten when Katie won her Most Promising Dancer trophy. Her face was all splotched up for some reason ... but she was so happy.

I had forgotten the time I took a road trip by myself with the girls to St Louis for a Highland Dance competition. How Katie blew away all the big kids and won a big trophy for Best Dancer.

Point being, I forgot a lot of the little things. I don't want to forget. I want my family to one day read my blog (and hopefully it'll be made into a book by then for them!) and know that I strived to capture all the little things that I know we would forget. Things that get lost in our memories.

I can bet you have already forgotten a lot of things too about your family,
that you didn't think you'd ever forget.

Capture the moment! Before you know it, it'll be forgotten.
My oldest is now 12... it's already gone by too fast. WAY too fast.

....mash

We've been enjoying our weekend with our friends Lopi & Julie from Independence. They brought along their 9 year old daughter Fiana to play with the girls. They're very good friends. Last night we left the girls home alone while we had a {quiet} adult dinner out. When we came home, it was quiet in the house. Katie was laying on the couch reading Eclipse. Maddie & Fiana were playing the game MASH.

Wait..... MASH? The same game that I played when I was a kid? Y'know the one that says "Mansion, Apartment, Shack, or House?!" The one that you write down 4-5 different people you could marry, how many kids you'd end up with, where you'll go on your honeymoon, what you're going to be for a career? Yep! That one! Ugh, I feel so old!

It's funny some of the games my girls play, are some of the stuff I played when I grew up. One of my favorite hand slapping games was "Miss Mary Mack". My mom taught me that one. She taught my girls that one too. I think Katie started learning all those girl hand songs when she was in 2nd grade, maybe 3rd. I remember thinking "whoa! this is stuff I used to do when I was a kid!" I do remember one song and it went something like "when Susie was a baby, a baby, a baby, when Susie was a baby, she went like this: WAHH, when Susie was a teenager a teenager a teenager, when Susie was a teenager she went like this ooh ahh i lost my bra ooh ahh i lost my bra". I thought that was like the most hilarious thing ever.

Ah, memories! What was YOUR favorite game as a kid?

....blast from the past

My grandma has a big wooden trunk. It's full of so many wonderful, old, magical things. Like my aunt's first baby doll. My grandma's first baby doll. Pictures & newspaper clippings. Growing up, I used to love going through her trunk {I still do}, and she showed me all the things inside. One day that trunk will be mine {I hope}. It's magic... it really is. It's the one thing that I really love that's my grandma's. She stored all things that were important to her inside.

{well, at least I think she does}

For my graduation, my grandparents bought a hope chest, similar to theirs. I stuffed it full of things that I would someday take to my new home after I was married.

After I was married, it became my memory box, just like my grandma's. Sadly, the hinges broke off of it, and long story short, I no longer have my hope chest. :(

So, I made myself a new memory box. I limited myself to ONE (big) plastic box, full of my memories. I stuffed it full of all things of importance to me. Newspaper clippings of my days in Brownies & Girl Scouts, pictures of all my friends, boys that I thought were cute, old addresses, poems I had written, letters I received from friends, a tape that my mom made of me making noises when I was a baby. My first baby quilt, my own daughters' baby blessing outfit, and all my old corsages from the dances I went to.

I had been itching to go through it for awhile now. Today was the perfect day....and I had the perfect audience. My girls proved to me memory digging is in the blood. They had a blast laughing at pictures of me as a teenager, tried on my graduation cap & gown, laughed at my old glasses, laughed at all my old ... everything!

Everything truly brought back wonderful memories.

Several of my very best friends, doing what we do best....

Maddie trying out my cymbals my grandparents got for me from Egypt. I had to try it out for her. Too bad I don't know belly dancing. Now THAT would've been funny!

Laughing over my 16 year old "Olde Tyme" photos. Gosh, I had great legs then.


Ah, yes. Mark Hypko. I fell in LUST with Mark. He was from Germany.
I took German in 10th grade because I wanted to communicate with him.
He answered one letter to me, then nothing again. Bummer.

I really did like Mark. He was so cute.

Flash forward to what she's going to be doing in 10 years.

All my dried up corsages. Stuffed in a cedar box to protect them from what? Moths?

::snort::

Don't hate. They WERE the hottest styles around at one time.

... when I was a kid, my dad.....

When I was a kid, my dad used to play on a softball team. I don't remember how often (2-3x a week?), I just remember ALWAYS going to the ballfields. In my memory, we practically lived at the ballfields, b/c that's all I really remember. We used to go to the ballfield right around the corner from where we lived growing up. They didn't have a cool playground. Or a cool concession stand. But, one thing my dad always did (or that I remember he did) was buy my brother & I some of this gum, ready for us to "chew" at the game.

I loved this gum. All of my dad's friends who played ball with him used the real stuff (and then hack & spit the brown crap out all over the ground.... EWW!). But, we used to grab a huge bunch of gum, and chew away. I think we tried to spit the sugar juice out like Big Al used to (or whoever it was that did it), but all it did was take the flavor out, and make a huge mess (and attract all the mosquitos).

Then my dad's team went to a new park... with an AWESOME playground, and the BEST concession stand. And I fell in love with these:

These were only five cents. And my dad ALWAYS had five cents on him (or my mom... I'm sure we pestered her too and she probably freely gave in to get us out of her hair... don't blame her!).... we'd run up to him while he was resting in the dugout, and with our faces pushed up against that diamond shaped fence, holding out our hands through the fence with a "can we have some money?".

Which brings me to why I'm blogging about candy & gum. I haven't seen these since I was a kid! However, just a few weeks ago, I found the gum, at a sports good store! Whoa! Brought back memories of playing in the playground, getting dirty, cheering my dad & his team on.... and going to the pizza place afterwards, eating pizza & drinking Shirley Temples or Roy Rogers drinks. It was THE life of a kid.

The suckers were another weird thing... I hadn't seen them until Katie was a few years old, at the local Ben Franklin's store. They sold all those old fashioned candy (remember cinnamon toothpicks? they had them! I used to make those!), but they increased it to a quarter. I bought a bunch b/c for my little kid eating them, they were pretty nice to clean up after a 2 year old instead of a regular DumDum sucker. But, I haven't seen then since, until August came, and my girls went to a birthday party at this pizza place, and THEY.HAD.THEM! Oh! The memories! I tried one, and WHAT WAS I THINKING? These things are SOUR! I don't remember them being sour!

What is YOUR favorite candy from when you were a kid that brings back memories? Are they the wax candy w/ the nasty liquid stuff in it? Cigarette candy? {wink}