see mj write: day 10 {a photo taken of you over 10 years ago}

okay, so this photo was taken of me more than TWENTY years ago, but who's counting?

the back of the picture says it was taken on christmas eve 1987, but i think the back of the picture lies because if it were christmas eve, we'd be in brand new, most likely matching jammies. but i'm pretty sure it was 1987.

i love this picture and everything about it. i love the knick knacks hanging on the wall in the background: the kinnersley crest, the hand-painted decorative chess board {nice, mom}, the hanging beeswax cutouts and crosstiched ducks.

i love the couch. oh, the couch! isn't it a beauty? so many fond memories on this couch. we built forts in it, used the couch cushions to jump over hot lava, laid on it when we were sick, cuddled on it to watch the weekly disney movie, had birthday parties surrounding it. isn't it funny how a piece of furniture can be such a part of your life?

i love the subject matter: scott, the oldest, on the left with his excellent glasses and dashing footballasaurus pajamas. i love scott's smile in this picture. so real and genuine. scott was often serious. he had to be. scott had to grow up too quickly and was expected to be serious. so i love that he's smiling and is one of the kids in this picture. kelli, the youngest, next to him. kelli was the family entertainer and could be counted on to make any of us laugh. she never got in trouble for anything. ever. i always took the blame for her. but looking at this picture makes me realize how. aren't her 3 year old cheeks just squishable? dan is next to her. dan was the family clown. he did get in trouble lots, but he basically deserved it all. he used to regift his garfield comic books to me for my birthday. dan only ever read one book {ty: the ty detmer story} when he was younger. i think he used it for book reports in every grade. loving the karate kid jams, dan. and then there's me. of course i'm wearing a nightgown. i loved those things. except they got all twisted up in bed. remind me why i love them again?

i grew up in a great house. we didn't have much in the ways of the world. my dad was sick for most of my early childhood and we had a lot of medical expenses that didn't leave funds left over for much else. but my incredible mom made do and never made me feel like i was lacking. of course i didn't get everything i wanted. but i definitely had all i needed. and, even though i can probably count on one hand the number of days all of my siblings and i got along, we made it. and we're great friends now. and i'd include my mom in that 'great friend' category.

growing up, i couldn't have asked for a better family. {or a better couch.} and this photo is such a great reminder of that.