Birthday Girl

This picture was taken of me when I was just a few hours old. I was born at St Marks Hospital in Salt Lake City. The reason that Liz, Shelly and I were all born at St. Marks is because that is where Grandma Thomas had worked. She knew Dr. Warinski was a good OB/GYN and recommended him to Mom. Dad wasn't able to be there when I was born because he was starting his brand new job with Emery County School District. All the faculty and staff of the schools had been called to a pre-class meeting. He was at that meeting the day I was born. Mom told me that I was a very easy birth because that summer before I was born she had whooping cough and she had done so much hard coughing that her muscles were all strong and toned. She pushed a little and I came right out. She also told that I had colic as a baby and spent many hours crying. I told you about the almost pleasant birthing I gave her and it seemed only fair that I give you the truth about the colic. I don't remember that any of the other kids had colic, but I've taken care of colicky kids and they can be mind-numbingly painful to care for. I have always felt bad that iIwas such a troublesome baby.






This next picture is of me in first grade. I went to school across the street at the old Castle Dale Elementary. Elda Anderson was my teacher and I have many memories of that school year. Mama was obsessed with my hair looking all ringlety. I could have cared less what my hair looked like, but I remember her brushing my hair into ringlets after I had worn curlers all night. The dress I wore had a red skirt with sewn in netting underneath to make it poofy. There was a white top with black velvet suspenders that had been embroidered. It was a beautiful dress and I loved wearing it. Someone told me that I looked like Heidi when I wore it. I didn't know who Heidi was but when I found out I was very pleased. This was the last year that Castle Dale students were not mixed with Orangeville kids. To even out the student teacher ratio there were some second graders in our class. I have a very strong memory of Gale Jensen teaching me how to color without going out of the lines, opening up a bathroom stall and finding my teacher, Mrs. Anderson going to the bathroom,(long before faculty rest rooms) and standing in line to get a vaccination and then running down the hallway into my classroom and throwing myself in my cousin Michael's arms. I was sure that he would comfort me after the indignity and pain of being inoculated, but he quickly pushed me away in embarrassment and I was more shocked by that than by the shot in my arm.






This picture happened when I was in third grade. Mama had tired of taking care of my hair and talked me into getting it cut short. I didn't mind too much. Iliked how easy it was to take care of, but the boys didn't think I was as pretty and I lost much of their attention. Nita Hampshire was my teacher and it was a the year she wrote a song that had all of the classmates names in it. Of course it ended with, " and my name is Nita . " We mocked that song for years and we mocked Mrs. Hampshire too. We were rude little girls. The dress I'm wearing had originally been made for Elizabeth, (remember Mama's art class and the famous picture of Lizzy?)Lizzy had grown out of the dress and it was my turn to wear it. Mama loved dressing her girls in the same colors that she looked good in. We had lots of brown and green dresses.



This is a picture of our family that was taken in 96 or97. I'm not sure which and I don't want to do the research that would help me figure it all out. You know when you have a family picture and you never can get a sitting where everyone looks good so you have to choose the shot where most of the people look good and just have to live with the dorkiness of that smile that Noah is sending out to the viewer. It is not that bad, but he didn't like it at the time. Quite a happy family. I'm so very blessed.