My Preschool Years

Here is Chapter 2 in my Mommy's Piggy Tales project:

I began my preschool years living in Pensacola, FL where I was born. My mom was a stay-at-home-mom and my Dad worked at a local funeral home. I remember our house, the cars, and birthday parties. My mom was known for throwing the best ones ;-) I attended Kinder Care Learning Center 3 mornings a week and loved my class. I remember going to McDonald's for birthday parties with my classmates, playing on the playground, the Sit-n-Spin, and doing craft projects. Our counting time in the mornings on the carpet with the teachers was my favorite. I was a very shy child who didn't make friends very easily. My shy personality was often mistaken for being snobbish. I remember the tornado that hit while we were at Kinder Care probably around 1980-81. I can't remember the exact year. I just remember it getting VERY dark outside and us all having to go under our tables. I was 3 or 4 years old.

We lived in a small home on Tomlinson Rd. My room was decorated in a "Bambi" theme. I still have my Bambi curtains! We had a beagle named Snoopy, a cat named Whiskers, a Pointer named Speckles, and a German Shorthaired Pointer named Shadrack. I loved all the animals and loved to chase the bigger dogs around the backyard. I remember hunting Easter eggs out back as a preschooler and Speckles trying to chase me. My mom and I spent countless hours in the backyard on my swingset too. We swang, slid on the slide, and she pulled me around in my Radio Flyer wagon.

Here I am at 21 months old with Snoopy. She was SUCH a loyal dog and we loved her dearly.

This is me at 2 1/2 years old. Wasn't I cute? My mom always kept up with my portraits and I am so thankful to this day. She always had them taken professionally on time in a little studio in the middle of University Mall in Pensacola. They always ran great deals so she was able to get wonderful portraits at a great price.

6 days after I turned 3, I got a bonus birthday present...my little sister! Cristy Ann joined our family on March 30, 1980. I can't believe I have NO baby pics of her at my house!! My mom said I was a great big help to her when Cristy arrived. I am so glad I have my sister!
When I was 3, we took a trip to Orlando to visit my grandparents. Here I am with my Grandpa in his garden. He always had a huge garden in his backyard and I have great memories of digging up potatoes, picking green beans and peas, and picking tomatoes. My Grandma could COOK too. She made the best pot roast (that she never thought was any good) and used all the fresh veggies from the garden. YUM!

At 3 years old, my parents enrolled me in ballet lessons. There was a van from the dance studio that came to Kinder Care to pick up all the ballet students. Here I am with my Mom in my "Miss Molly Cottontail" recital costume. All I remember is that the tulle from the neckpiece made me all scratchy!

3 1/2 years old. I have a perfect memory of when this photo was taken. I can remember sitting right there on the photo background at Kinder Care and the photographer asking me to hold that Raggedy Ann block. My mom was always trying to get me to smile a toothy smile, but I was always too shy. This was all the smile she could get from me. I must say, Mom always dressed me where I matched perfectly and did my hair so well. Thanks Mom!

Kindergarten- 1982

In late 1981, we moved from Pensacola to Orlando, FL. My dad got a new job at another funeral home so off we went. We actually lived in a 1-bedroom apartment in the funeral home for a few months while our house was being built. The best memories I have there are hunting Easter eggs in the casket selection room (because you can't hide eggs in a parking lot), jumping over the electric eye doorbell trying not to make it ring, pillow fights with Dad in the living room, getting my first bike that Christmas and learning to ride it in the parking lot, my Dad building a balance beam and putting it in the field behind the parking lot, getting Cristy out of the crib and feeding her breakfast while my parents slept in, and having my 5th birthday party-Strawberry Shortcake style! We moved into our home on Shady Pine Ave. in 1982, after I started kindergarten.

My family- 1982