MOUNTAINS OF MEMORIES: DAY 4

Me: "Hi, Tuck! I'm so happy to see you. Mama missed you so much while I was in the hospital. Get over here and gimme a hug."
Tuck: "Okay, Mama. (insert quick hug) That e-nuf. Where my bee-bee? I rock her now?"

Mags completed Tuck and Tuck completed Mags. From the first moment he held her, it was like she was always there. They were the best of friends. He asked for her constantly. She responded to him more than anyone else. The second she would hear his voice, all was right in her little, overstimulated, newborn world. He was the Mags Whisperer. And still is. 

Do they fight? Of course. Do they get sick of each other? Definitely. But, their bond is one that I am in awe of constantly. No matter the time, space, or situation, those two are there for one another. I have a strong feeling it will remain that way for all time. 

And their story all started in our first home. 

Oh, the stories those walls could tell!  

MOUNTAINS OF MEMORIES:DAY 3

Tuck (age 2): "Yook it, Mama! It a barn...right dere!"
Me and Chris: "Wow. You're right, Tuck. It does look like a barn."

BOOM! That's how the name of our garage was born. "The Barn." And just like the structure, we built our memories in that 700 square foot room. Its walls echoed with screams of laughter and was inundated with rays of sunshine. It was a place where pirates were born, ocean of carpet were sailed, ships were docked and our imaginations were charged. 

In that room, a brother and sister learned to play together. A bond was created. We set the stage for more fun to be had. Oh, Barn. We'll miss you the most. 

MOUNTAINS OF MEMORIES:DAY 2

Tuck: "Awww. Look at my fish mobile, Mama. What happened to that?"
Me: "I took it down the day I came in to get you from your nap and found you swinging from it."

We prepped. We painted. We paced. We pushed. And pushed. And pushed. And pushed. Tuck came in his own good time ... in "Tuck Time." We were a family in an instant. There were tears of happiness, tears of frustration, tears of fears ... and tears of colic.

The constant hum of the vacuum was our only hope against the rage of the cry. It soothed the beast within the tiny baby. That, and his daddy's thumb. But only Daddy's. Not Mama's. Not Meme's. Not even the UPS Delivery Man's (there were no limits to what I would do to stop the incessant crying).  

Within those walls we rocked, sang, bounced and laughed. Within those wall we were safe, warm, happy and loved. 

Within those walls...we were...a little family.

MOUNTAINS OF MEMORIES: DAY 1

Mags: "Look at you and Daddy in that picture. You guys look so...so...wow. Were you really that young? I mean, Mama, you look so good. Look at that! You have no crinkles around your eyes and these dark things (pointing to the dark suitcases under my eyes) aren't there either."

Me: "You mean my eye bags? They come with children. No extra charge."

It was a simple house. "Live within your means" was our driving force when we looked. Eight to ten houses were on our ambitious agenda the day we found it. If you asked either one of us, we could tell you the EXACT moment we knew. For me, it was the bathroom. I was coming out of the downstairs half-bath as Chris came around the corner. We saw each other and simultaneously mouthed, 

"This is it."  

And so it began.

For 11 years, 5 months and 9 days

Photo credit: C.Alexander, September 2003