The End Of An Era - The Bug

Wow, I had no idea how much time this was going to take. What was I thinking??? I'm running a half marathon on Saturday. I'm going to need some sleep and here I am glued to my computer till the wee hours of the morning! I've never laughed and cried so much in my life. I'm absorbed in it all.  Each night it takes over me.

Tonight Man With A Drill even got in on the action. We've turned into scanning maniacs! I kept telling him tonight, "Honey, everything you scan, I have to edit." Then just as he'd go to leave, I'd see another picture and tell him to scan it. It's awesome!

The house is dark now, the world lies sleeping. Man With a Drill has gone to bed. I am singing at the top of my voice. The door is shut. I am encapsulated.

Here's where you stop a minute, go over on the left and hit the song, "Go Together!' You can sing along!

Singing loud now.
"Want to go together with you."
"Like a photograph to a smile... a runner to a mile... like strings to a cello... like a wave to a hello how are you!"
"Like a face in the mirror, I want to see you clearer,  wanna be so much nearer, I wanna go together with you!"
I'm in my element. And I'm happy.
"Paint to a canvas."
I'm living my life over again.
"I, I, miss you!"
It feels like a repeat, only I feel no pain, no disappointment in myself, just joy! I'm working here knee deep in it, and it's rising up in me like the swell in a tide.

So here we go. Are you with me? I'm about to give birth to my second child. It's only a little after a year since I had the first one. Man With A Drill Is in the tub when I tell him. "Honey, we're having another one." I think this is the very moment I was first introduced to that familiar "Eye Roll," I know so well now.

She was born 18 days early! Wahoo!!! And oh, she was so sweet! Sweet as can be.

She had jaundice and colic. She cried a lot. I didn't know anything about all this baby stuff. She endured my lack of knowledge like a soldier!

They kept her under the Billy Rueben lights for three days. Back in the old days, I got to stay at the hospital for three days. They fed me, waited on me hand and foot. I sat and watched TV while someone else took care of the baby, No wonder I kept having kids. It was magnificent!

They finally kicked us out. I hate my hair in this picture. Never get a drastic hair cut before you give birth! Worst hair day ever! Emy was so excited. She had to sit on my lap and ride in the wheel chair. She loved her baby sis from day one! Back then having a baby was a big deal. Look at the nurses hat. Oh life is priceless! I'm singing louder now. 

"Wanna go together with you!"

I sat down and balled like a baby when I came to this picture. Oh how I love my dad! Every July I spent a week at a rodeo. I rode in it, I watched my dad ride in it. I miss it. I miss those days. I miss my dad. I miss my little tiny kids! I miss it all! And the camera bug must have been inside me all along, because something prompted me to take this picture and I must have had a camera with me. My dad rarely held a baby! Priceless!!!

I MISS YOU DAD! SO MUCH IT HURTS!

She was a toe head. We use to walk to Drug World in Cleveland every day and get a cherry doughnut and every little kid that was a different color than she was wanted to touch her hair.  

Em, was the first person to make her laugh. They giggled non stop after that first moment.

Always together. Our walk to Drug World.

If this isn't Eden sitting by me then who is it? Oh ya, it's her mother! LOL!!! 

My hair only gets better! I can only murmur the words, "Good hell." Hahahahaha

"I wanna be so much nearer, wanna go together, wanna go together, with you!"

I don't know how she inherited her nickname? But that little vivacious spirit of hers just fit with it, "The Bug." She was buzzing everywhere, every minute!

I have a picture of her sitting on the toilet wearing these glasses. I'm going to find it. She loved them. She's holding Gavin.

How is it that right when life is the most precious, we don't see it. Why does it take looking back to see the most valuable moments in our lives? It's always right there.. in the middle of the mundane!

"Window to the sky, a telescope to the eye!"

Seth, Kadie, Breyn, and Emilyn. This was at my Grandma Berrett's grave when she died. Look at Breyn, I remember it all!

"Wanna go together with you!"

"Paint to a canvas!" 

The Bug 

Me and my girls loved Winnie the Pooh from the first day we met him. Wow, I was more creative than I ever thought. There you are Melissa, holding the Bug. Cute as ever! Look at Em's long golden hair. I'm still looking dorky as ever! Hahahaha

Here's Eden again. Oh my I'm laughing as I type. Good times in Cleveland!

"I, I miss you! Wanna go together with you!"

Wendy Tillman had a horse and Kaedell climbed on that thing the first time she saw it and that was it. She took control! Every time we went to Wendy's, that was after we moved out, we lived with the Tillman's the first month and a half when we got to Cleveland. 

For a month and a half, Wendy's son Nick never got to ride his own horse. Kaedell took full possession of it. Then when we finally moved out, Nick got to ride his horse anytime we weren't visiting. 

For Christmas we finally bought her a pony, a pony she could call her own. You should have seen her face when she unwrapped it! She had a red cowboy hat that she wore every time she rode it. What a cowgirl!

Piano lessons, dance lessons, we did it all.

I coached Kadie's ball team for a while. This was a mistake. I was hard on Kadie. She was the pitcher. One day when we were practicing her pitching, her karma directed the ball right at my eye. And I deserved it. Kadie forgave me for being obsessed with making her Babe Ruth, and we laughed about the eye. I never forgot that lesson. It took a knock to the head to realize I was out of control. BTW! She was an awesome pitcher!

Here she is with Desi sleeping in her lap.

Desi had seven mothers! Me and all my kids!

Good years that flew by so fast.

"Long distance call to, I, I miss you!"

Oh, and there's Babs!

Kadie decided to try out for Cheerleading. I made that bow in her hair! Finally a place to put all that energy!

Beautiful, blonde and blued eyed, her vivacious spunky self driven personality was addicting.

She loved the arts and participated in them all.

Your looking pretty swanky here Kaedelly! Oh, how I'm enjoying this!

"I wanna go together with you."

Bring it all back!

I threw this picture in below in just for Kin. Oh the piano years. Hit replay please!

"A Wave to a 'Hello' how are you?"

Here she is getting her Young Womanhood Award.

The dance. Be still my heart. Always best friends these two! So close!

"Wanna go together with you."

"Like a stamp to a letter, I wanna know you better." 

Look at her and Merideth. The best of life, right here!

Kaedell and I made the dress. Kaedell sewed every pearl around the neck. There were a gazillion. I still remember her sitting on the couch sewing. Kaedell has the determination to do anything. Just get out of her way once she decides!

"Wanna go together with you!"

Here we are at seminary graduation. 

B E A U T I F U L

I could listen to Kaedell play her violin all day long. From the time she first picked it up she has been self driven to play it. Her violin was made by Peter Paul Prier himself. Her motivation with it paid off. It won her a full  scholarship that would go on to pay for all of her college.  She's now a dental hygienist.

The best of friends.

"Like a stamp to a letter, I wanna know you better. I wanna be so much nearer."

"Like a photograph to a smile, a runner to a mile, like strings to a cello, like a wave to a, hello how are you?" 

"Like a face in the mirror, I... wanna see you clearer, I wanna be so much nearer."

"Paint to a canvas, first day to nervous, birthday to wish, long distance call to I, I miss you!"

"Wanna go together with you!"

All of you - every single one of you!

The graduate. A blessing in our lives. You're beautiful Kaedell. Number two in the line up. Wish I could go back and do it all again! I pay tribute to you today.

"Lock to a key ---you to me!"