the one page blog

This blog is only one page - the post below is a pictorial trip through time, from the marriage in 1947 to the 6th child born in 1962. There will be no further posts here.

These precious children grew up, married and gave us 12 grandchildren. Three of those Grandchildren have now given us great grandchildren. Those stories are told on Grandma's Musings.
On that blog, there are links to my other blogs listed in the sidebar under "Categories".
Thanks for visiting.

How our Family Evolved

This will be a long post. I'll try to present a chronological history of Grandma's family, beginning with the newlyweds on the left. When we married in 1947, we thought a dozen children would be lots of fun, so that was our plan. After the first one came along in 1951, we had second thoughts about that.

The baby had colic for 9 months. Well - actually, she just didn't like the baby formula her Doctor recommended, but we didn't figure that out. My mother-in-law told us that was the problem, but we thought surely the Doctor knew more than "Mom". Eventually, we learned to listen to her first and the Dr. second. All I knew was I didn't want to repeat the colic routine over and over and the dream of 12 children faded quickly.

Now, however, in my old age, I wish we'd had those additional 6 or more. These children have become our best friends, and I've come to believe you can never have too many children. Think of all the love that would bring. My mother once told me that each child comes with it's own bread basket. I can say that God has always provided - no luxuries - but all that we really needed.
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1951 -
Our firstborn child is a daughter.

______Birth Photo__ ____________ 1st Birthday
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1953 -
Our second born in January is another daughter. At the time, I was indifferent whether I had girls or boys, but now in my old age, I can tell you if you have boys - that's fine - they're great. But if you don't have a daughter, go out and adopt one. A daughter is essential.


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1954 -
Eighteen months later, our thirdborn is a son. He was born on September 7th, his Daddy's birthday. His great-great-grandfather, David Jones was also born on September 7th in 1818.

My own brother was born on our Daddy's birthday, so we were all quite awed by all the coincidences.
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1955 -
How fast they grow!!! What a difference one year can make in growth of these young sprouts.

They were quite a handful, but we lived in a much less stressful era. The neighborhood was full of children so they had a lot of playmates

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Another Son was born in 1956.
Seems like a perfect family now - 2 girls and 2 boys. And it fulfills the Biblical injunction to be fruitful and multiply.

On cold, snowy days, there's no problem with boredom. The children have each other and can play together.
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1957 -
This snapshot was taken on the occasion of Johnnie's first birthday. He seems to be enjoying all the attention.

Already the girls are asking me for a baby sister, but I'm in no hurry and the house is too small. Four years ago, we had a spare bedroom, but the boys are using that now.
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1958-
Peggy is now 7, Susie is 5, Terry is 4 and Johnnie is 2.

The day after Christmas, Peggy came down with chicken pox. One by one the others broke out. It was March before they all cleared up. Then we began a round of Measles. Meanwhile, the girls got their wish for another baby, due in August 1959.
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1959 was a year of many changes.

My husband accepted a new job opportuniity in Chicago, so we moved from Nebraska to Illinois. We took possession of our new home on July 4th. Kathy was born July 28th.
The girls love their baby sister, and they are both good helpers. The neighborhood is full of children - small families and large. Across the street is a family of 10. It was the era of the Baby Boom.
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1960 -
Christmas time with 5 excited, giggling kids.





Kathy is 17 months, and she makes every day fun! You can see from the photo how much the older children love her.
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1961 -
This year Santa came in a
sleigh drawn by real reindeer. Each year he came to our neighborhood in the weeks
before Christmas. One year he arrived in a helicoptor, but the sleigh caused the most excitement.

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1962-
We have another son. In this photos, I've just come home from the hospital and the children get their first viewing of their baby brother.
I'm 34 now, and we're both thinking 3 daughters and 3 sons is just perfect. I just pray for the strength and patience for the coming teen years. Peggy is eleven, and then there's little Kathy who is 3 going on 13!
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On Christmas Eve we took this photo of all six children. Over the years, this has become my very favorite photo of all time



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