Memories

For Mother's Day this year, I thought that I would record some of my earliest memories of my mother.  And then I will ask the boys for some of their earliest memories of Nana.  This could get amusing.  I would like to preface this by saying two things: 1) I love my mother and 2) these memories have taught me that we don't get to pick what our kids remember.

+One of my earliest memories of my Mom is actually of hiding from her.  She would constantly tell me to blow my nose when I would sniff.  So, I hid in the basement/laundry room and SNIFFED.  It felt very liberating and defiant.

+I remember my Mom's face when I brought out my sister (5 years younger than me) and proudly showed her that Santa/Easter Bunny (I don't remember which holiday it was) wasn't real as my Mom and Grammie were busy prepping for the holiday.

+I remember coming home from school and finding my Mom sitting on the floor in front of the record player listening to classical music and reading the cards from the Trivial Pursuit game.

+In the summer, I remember my Mom hanging up the laundry on a line strung between two mimosa trees with the bumble bees lazily flying around her.

+Also in the summer, one year she would go outside and spray down the side of our dark-colored adobe house with water in an attempt to cool the house down.

+One time she started yelling in the kitchen because our pet parakeet had landed on the counter next to the hot pan she was making pancakes on.

+I remember the year she helped us put all the snow back on the driveway (after Dad had shoveled it) so we could sled down.

+I remember the time we were bickering/fighting and she lost it and screamed and slammed a pan on the wall.

+I remember hearing her voice in the other room as she read books to Doug and Rachel.  (she wasn't leaving me out, I was a pretty rabid reader at the time)


Michael
--I remember Nana sleeping on the couch in the basement in Virginia.
--I remember her getting us books and we were climbing and stuff.
--I remember that whenever we went to Shenandoah we would get food at that restaurant.

Ben
--I remember how we would always climb on the rocks at the end at Shenandoah.
--I remember when she made me the six layer chocolate cake.  That was a good memory.
--I remember when we all celebrated Uncle Doug's birthday without him.  Nana made a strawberry cake.

Josh
--I remember Nana being there when Ben was born.
--I also remember her at like every Christmas ever.
--I remember her at the smoothie place right before we left Virginia.
--I remember her coming over and making breakfast for us all the time.