My childhood, in pictures...

I have such great memories of growing up. I had a really great childhood and I've been able to save so many special things from it. All of my "treasures" have been stored at my parents house until a couple of months of ago. After lovingly going through each and every thing and reminiscing about each one, I couldn't figure out what to actually do with all this stuff. Some things I planned on passing down to my kids someday but the rest of it was just taking up way too much room just be be stored in a box. So I decided instead of holding on to this stuff just for the sheer value of "remembering", I would take pictures of it and let it go to someone else. So here it all is...my childhood in pictures...

Here are a bunch of stuffed animals I've saved over the years. From left to right: my squirrel that my Grandma Perkes knitted for me when I was 2years old, my rocking little baby doll that would make music when you pulled the tail (I think I got this for Christmas when I was about 6), my elephant that used to have a little baby elephant wrapped in her velcro arms, a tiger that would purr I got in highschool (our mascot was the tiger), the brown funny looking bear in the back was my very first "teddy bear" that I bought at pic-n-save on one of our vacations in Utah, a rag doll that my mom made (her dress is peach, the color of my room and my favorite color growing up), the doll that was one of the table centerpieces at Heather's wedding reception, and a doll knitted for my by my Grandma Perkes.

Close up pictures of all the dolls...

This is my very first and only trophy I've ever received! My parents actually made it for me after I finished my first year on the Volleyball team in high school.

These were a couple of things I made when I was in Young Women's. I had these hanging in my room for a lot of years.

Some of the books that I had on my shelves. I read many of these over and over again.

I got this printing kit for Heather's birthday. (We used to get a gift on each other's birthday's.)

I use to play with this thing for hours.

A pillow that my Grandma Perkes made for me. I always had this on my bed.

A couple of things I painted in Art Class.

My ponies! I couldn't get rid of these. I still have them in a box. 

I loved collecting Porcelain dolls. I would always get the dolls with red hair and peach outfits.

I got this doll from my bil, Kelly. 

A few of my barbie's that I saved. I couldn't get rid of these either. I still have some of them in their original boxes. 

My very first cabbage patch doll! Notice the red hair and peach outfit?

My mom made this cute little dolls for us.

This was my first baby doll that I can remember having. It meant a lot to me. She used to have a bonnet.

I even wrote my name and address on her head just case she ever got lost!

Maddie's project

Maddie is quite the entrepreneur. She devised a plan to sell some lemonade. She made the poster, enlisted me to make the lemonade, set up the stand and waited for customers. She waited and waited.


Of course Lyndon was her first and most faithful customer of the night. He will pretty much do anything to make her dreams come true so he rounded up money to buy at least 8 glasses of lemonade all on his own.

Maddie had a few obstacles that night...the first being the weather. There was a threatening storm on the horizon. So even though it was hot, there wasn't too many people out and about. The second obstacle was that we live on a cul-de-sac which doesn't drive hardly any traffic by our house. But neither the weather nor the lack of customers was going to derail her. She just moved the stand under our porch to get out of the rain. And as for the customers...you'll see.

Again, Lyndon waiting for yet another glass of lemonade. Strawberry lemonade, in fact.

Ahh yes, customer #2...Dad.

She put all her earnings in her Aurora bank. She's saving up to go the Bippity Boppity Boutique in Disney World.

Lyndon shouting out to all the neighbors, "Lemonade!!! FREE Lemonade!" Maddie quickly corrected him, "Lyndon, it's not free!!!"

The weather let up so she brought her stand back out...and waited.

and waited

and waited some more.

Until she finally couldn't take it anymore! She took matters into her own hands...She went and knocked on the neighbors doors to politely let them know she was selling lemonade. :)

It worked like a charm. She sold 9 glasses!! Success.

And it all ended when a huge flash of lightening and crash of thunder scared the kids back into the house.