Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Mom and Dad's anniversary

I don't remember mom and dad going out on dates all that much.  I mean, I wouldn't want to leave all seven of us with a poor babysitter, either...but as we got a little older, mom and dad would leave us with Wade in charge.  Somehow, that didn't always sit right with me.  Wade was a bully to me, and though I probably often deserved it by egging him on, he liked to pick on me and not in a fun, ends-in-a-ticklefight sort of way.  I remember mom specifically saying that Wade was the boss of the night and that if Wade asked me to physically drag my own bed into the middle of the street, I would have to do it.   What?!?

So I think it took me by surprise one year when Wade organized the troops to do a little presentation for mom and dad's anniversary.  I have no idea which one it was, though I'm sure Dad journaled about it, so it's probably not a fact lost in time.  It was silly, really.  We had nothing of note to give them.  Instead, we worked out who would say what.  As we presented our word and stepped to the side, one of us said "HAPPY", then "ANNIVERSARY", "TO MOM", "AND DAD!", after which Clay?  or was it Jackson? ran up from down the long hallway into their arms and repeated our brilliantly thought up words, "Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!" 

It may not seem like much, but it was memorable to me.

2 comments:

cozy said...

I remember it well. You were all situated by the door in two rows as we came in. We walked between the rows as you said your words. It
was an amazing greeting and a very successful gift. If you had given us a something from a store, I would have forgotten it by now, but not the dramatic flair of your welcome home. One of your greatest childhood performances, Mandy! And thanks, Wade, for organizing something positive instead of making them drag their mattresses into the street.

Holly said...

Yes, I remember this as well. We thought we were pretty brilliant.
I also remember the "mattress to the street thing" and wrote about it in the "brothers and sisters" entry.