Birthdays past

When I was born, my mama started a baby book for me.  She did one for my brother and sister, too.

In those baby books, she lovingly and painstakingly chronicled our lives.  When we were old enough to take care of them, she gave them to us and they came to stay with us in our homes.

When I say my parents are two of a kind, I'm not just saying that.  They truly are.

This is what she wrote for my 1st birthday.

We went to my grandmas' houses and then to Lake Blackshear where I swam with my daddy.  Everybody was there except for Uncle Freddie.  It was 1968 and Uncle Freddie was in Vietnam.  I got lots of stuff for my birthday!  Toys and clothes and a bath tub.  This girl loves toys and clothes and bath tubs.  :)

Mama wrote stuff like this for every single birthday until I was eight, when she ran out of room in the book.  She then started a School Days book for us to keep our memories in.

Here's Birthday #3!

And lots of cool stuff about my favorite playthings and pets.

Thank you, Mama, for doing this!!  

She also kept my cards, gift tags, napkins and birthday candles.

Crazy story and I don't even know how it happened.  Those two dragon cards I got for my 7th birthday were from my grandparents, Maw and Paw.  I don't know if they were already divorced at that time, but they weren't living together, yet they both got me the same exact card.  That's SO cool!

Here are some hilarious pictures from my 4th birthday party.  June 26, 1971.

I do not know why I was so pissed off that day!  I got my Buffy and Jody paper dolls and I was the center of attention.  Oh, yeah, that.  Maybe that was it.  I never like being that.  And I probably needed a nap.  I always need a nap.

I don't even know what to say about this one.  Here I am, sitting on a jack-in-the-box, showing my butt panties, being completely antisocial.  I remember vividly making eye contact with Sophie (the cute little redhead looking at me) and the look on her face was something like, "why you akkin' a ass at your birthday party??"  

That's better!  Terry and Candy's mama, Nedra, took my ill butt into the kitchen and made me smile and got this one.  I remember that very well, too.  She was a mess and could always make me laugh.

I can't believe that Sunday, I will have had 41 birthdays since this one.  I still show my butt from time to time and I'm still a little antisocial sometimes but for the most part, I'm that little girl in the last picture, finding a reason to smile despite all the chaos around me.

I'm just thankful people love me anyway.