These are pictures of my children. They are my pride and joy. Marilyn,Jim,Mike and Karen. .They have grown up to be really nice children and a tribute to me.
Marilyn started life as a little 6 pound 2 ounce baby girl.Her father and I were so happy with her but when she got her days and nights mixed up I was beginning to think better. She soon got sorted out and then we settled down to the routine of raising a little girl. Her father called her 'Tinkerbell' for a long time and then he thought maybe she wouldn't like that as a nickname later.
Marilyn got her first tooth at 5 months,started walking at 10 months,talked a lot at 2yrs.old and finally got some hair. She was blonde and blue eyed.
She was a sweet and good child and as she grew up,she took on a definite personality.She was very compassionate toward animals and eventually,wanted a horse.She finally got one for her 14th birthday.She joined the 4-H club and started doing all kinds of things with them.Parades,fairs,trailrides,etc.
This is Marilyn and Everett when they were teenagers and they soon became engaged and married and now have two children and four grandchildren. Here is a picture of Marilyn,Everett,and me,when we went out to breakfast one day while I was there last November for Thanksgiving.
Jim came along about 2 years after she was born. He was a big 8 pounds 2 ounces.A real cuddly baby.At 6 weeks he wore a size 1 jeans,and at 4 months he wore a size 1 shoe.At 2 years old he was wearing a size 4 shoe.Jimmy,as we called him then,was a cute and sweet baby.
As he grew older,we wondered how long he would keep growing. He loved to wrestle with his older sister,but she was so much smaller then him,we had to keep an eye on them so he wouldn't accidently hurt her.
Jimmy really liked running around in the car with his dad.As he got older,they became very good 'pals'.
Jim joined the boy scouts and he and his dad would go to their meetings together and camping outings and all the other activities boy scouts do.
Jim has been married twice and has one daughter and a stepson.
The picture above is one of Jamie when she was a very young girl.About 10-12 years old. Below is a picture of Jim and his ex-wife,stepson and me.
Bill and I were married for 171/2 years. We ended up getting a divorce when Jim and Marilyn were 15 and 17 years old.
In 1968 I remarried.
Darold and I were married 25 years.
We adopted 2 children. Brother and sister.Mike was 21/2 and Karen was 14 months.
Here they are when Mike came home on leave from the Marines after he had served in"Desert Storm."
Mike was about 12 years old here in this school picture,Reedsport,Oregon.
Michael was a very shy little boy and very upset at being taken from his foster parents. I was hoping that we could help him to get over that but now,as I look back, I wonder if there wasn't more to his problem.
He had trouble with wetting his pants and the bed for several years. Michael never seemed to be as free with his affections as he should have been. According to his foster parents, he liked to have hugs, but he didn't get them from my husband.I was very free with my hugs and kisses but I think he really would have liked having them from his"dad" too.
Michael has grown up, graduated from High School, gone into the Marines, where he served in Desert Storm, and now is married. He and his wife have a baby son.
They were married in June,1998.
This is Mike and Christy's wedding picture.
Here is a picture of Karen when she was ready to go to a Christmas Eve party at her Dads house.
Karen's birthday party in Reedsport,Oregon.She was about 9 years old and was having problems with a milk allergy at that time.
Karen took to her new "dad" right away. They said she never went to any man before but she went to "daddy" right away.
She was a very rebellious little girl and she still is. She used to scream and scream till I finally figured out what she wanted. A drink of water,or a certain book(usually one about cars) or a christmas catalog.
She walked at 16 months. And then she would go get a beach ball and bring it to me.
We found out she was allergic to milk when she was 9 years old. She had the symptoms from babyhood but we didn't know(and the Dr. didn't either) what was the matter. Finally I took her to an allergist and he suggested(after a lot of tests), that she may be allergic to milk.
After several months of a milkless diet,we knew she was.
We took her to a "healing evangelist",a couple months later and,after he prayed for her,she hasn't had any more problems.That was about 17 years ago,now.
Karen is a grown woman now with a fine husband that loves her and takes care of her. They share the housework and cooking.
This is their wedding picture.
They were married in August,1997