For whatever reason the little man and I spent a chunk of yesterday afternoon looking through iPhoto. It started with him wanting to see some pictures from the 4th of July, so we did, but then we just kept going and going and going until we were looking at pictures of our dogs from eight years ago.
We used to take a LOT of pictures of our dogs, y’all.
And I’m not saying that we babied our dogs before Alex came along, but, um, look:
And in addition to loving our dogs to pieces (we still love our dogs, by the way – we just don’t obsess over them quite as much as we used to), we may have watched a little too much MTV, because, um…
OH YEAH I DID.
Not only did I go to an *NSYNC concert, but I spent an entire Saturday morning on the computer (dial-up internet, no less) trying to get the BEST. POSSIBLE. SEATS. for the concert.
I loved Justin. My friend Merritt loved Lance. And she would get VERY DEFENSIVE whenever people would imply that Lance might not be as vocally talented as the rest of the *NSYNC boys, to the point that when we would watch the live concert DVD (YEAH WE DID), she would often say things like “Do y’all SEE how hard he’s working? Do you see? He’s giving it everything he has! Everything!”
And WE WERE THIRTY.
But then everything changed.
For the better.
In a million different ways.
But you know what? Even though I wouldn’t trade my current life for anything in the world (hello? motherhood? you are awesome.), I still love looking back on that pre-young’un time of our lives. We had so much fun. We weathered some big ole (BIG! OLE!) storms, for sure, but we traveled, we went to movies, we played videogames into the wee hours of the morning (“Fusion Frenzy,” anyone?), we never missed televised SEC football games, and we didn’t think twice about spending an entire Saturday afternoon on the couch while we watched a “Real World” marathon.
Before “Real World” got all trashy and stuff, of course. Because I’m telling you, after the second New York season that puppy went downhill fast.
So what about you? Whether you’re married with kids or married without kids, what are some of your favorite early marriage memories?
And if you’re not married, what are some things you love to do as you bask in your glorious freedom?
Besides watching television shows that don’t have puppets and going out to dinner at restaurants that don’t serve chicken nuggets and sleeping as late as you please on Saturdays?
Not that I miss sleeping late, of course. But OH, the memories. Sweet, sweet memories. Precious memories of All The Sleep.
See y’all in the comments.
First I have to say that Alex was a
Not sure what happened there. What I wanted to say is that Alex was a beautiful baby!! Just beautiful.
As for what we did, most Saturdays we would search through the movies and find the best matinee, because we were cheap. We’d always sneak in snacks from Target or the grocery store (cheap again.) We stopped all of the sneaking when we had to be actual examples for someone else. :>)
As an aside- My husband started calling the matinee a Manatee and it has stuck ever since.
Early marriage? We liked to go hiking (which we still do, just not as often.) We would escape for a weekend away. (We don’t so much anymore.) I would go and volunteer with my husband at work. (He’s a park naturalist.) He worked for the National Park and we had a pot luck several times a month. (The CVNP loves their pot lucks!) We shared a car for a year and a half, so we spent a lot of time driving and talking.
I miss that. The driving was a lot, but we made it work. Gas was also a lot cheaper then.
We wouldn’t trade K- for anything in the world. She is our little adopted miracle, but times were different then. They are different now. We like it. I like that I sat at the car window place, played Polly Pockets with the funny rubber clothes and insanely tiny shoes with weird voices and hilarious stories. I love that my kid is my little shadow almost EVERYWHERE I go. I think it’s funny that I was all public bathroom phobic and now, I trot in with kid in tow all on a mission. I’ve toured them all in the Akron/Canton area. You know what? None of those germies chased me around in there, either.
As life has changed, this little 4 1/2 yeaer old has taught us a lot. That, my friend, is a very good thing.
Late night movies. no baby sitters. that’s all I miss, but hey, i can watch a late night movie in my bed with kids asleep down the hall. Someday I’ll get my “freedom” back and I’m sure I’ll shed many a tear over it too.
We played golf together once a week with two other couples. Best ball, of course. We just walked nine holes and caught up. Lots of fun.
Don’t miss golf, but kinda of miss hitting the movie theatre once a week. So, I just hit free movie with three kids to get my theatre fix! :)
Alex is an adorable baby! I just want to love on those cheeks!
My husband and I were just talking about this. It’s not that we did anything really exciting, but he could play video games and I could scrapbook.
We went on dates like 3 times a week and got to see movies in the actual theatre.
Plus I had a lot more shoes then too.
Now I find just as much pleasure in buying shoes for Zoe.
I totally have to give you a shout out with your love of *NSYNC. I was never a big NKOTB/New Edition/Boys II Men fan. However, I do love me some *NSYNC. I’m completely and utterly jealous that you saw them in concert.
I used to work with a girl that dated Chris Kirkpatrick. I’ve got some really sweet stories of him. Not to mention a Joey Fatone bobblehead.
Well, besides the culinary wonders of grilled cheese and Ramen (’cause that’s all we could afford, we were 18), I miss time truly ALONE with my hubby…doing nothing in particular, we were just together…just us!
This is weird. Not you but this: This morning I was listening to my i-pod and after breaking it down with Kirk Franklin and Travis etc.. I scrolled across and found the BigBoo Cast from Sept. 07 and you were talking about N’SYNC and your friend Merritt and I laughed my head off listening to that. Plus, Melanie’s dogs fighting, pirate costumes, etc… and here is a post about that. Too funny!!
I am single again mom of an 18 and 20 year old so my life is changing. I travel a lot more than I did when they were young. Basically, freedom is good. LOL I know what you young moms are going thru but it really is the best time because eventually you will face the teenage years. hehe
Love,
Patty
My favorite pre-kid memories are of finishing college together as we lived in a detached garage-turned typewriter repair shop-turned apartment. We had no money and he actually would hand me a twenty-dollar bill for the week’s groceries…and it covered them!
We were up late one night studying and went for a walk to stretch our legs. It was the middle of the night and it was snowing. Ours were the first footprints on campus and it was snowing so heavily that it absorbed all the sound. It was as if we had the whole town to ourselves. So many fun memories.
Now, both of our kids are in college and we celebrate 25 years this month. And it’s STILL so fun and we’re recapturing some of that wonder of the early years.
Oh yeah, and sleeping in on Saturdays is FABULOUS!
We did pretty much the same stuff we do now. We walk the dog every night together, go out every once in a while for a cheap dinner and spend the evenings snuggled up on the couch. The kids, while they’ve changed our lives completely, did not change how much we enjoy each other’s company. Sure, we go out less. It’s really tough to shop at Lowes when they fall out of shopping carts and get concussions (loooong story). And I did take waaaay too many pictures of my dog. Still do.
We used to eat pizza at the coffee table every Thursday night to watch Seinfeld and Friends and ER. We also used to go see the 9:00 movie…haven’t done that in 11 years!
WHAT? You’re a brunette? Or did they just put that darling baby next to a laboring model?
I wish I could remember the way we were. However, 25 years of the way we’ve been has preempted any thoughts. However, I did enjoy seeing that picture of your dogs on the bed with covers! Oh ho, I’ve carefully put a blanket over sleeping kids, but never resting dogs.
You’re a classic. Always have been. Always will be.
My hair got super dark when I was pregnant.It was the wildest thing. But it went back to normal after I stopped nursing. And after I got a fresh set of highlights. :-)
We’ve been married 4 years now and no babies….. so we’re still enjoying our early married years!
Lying on the couch at night with a drink and watching a movie is by far my favorite way to spend an evening… I’m going to miss that when babies come along!
I wouldn’t trade my kids for anything in the world. That said, I do miss the time to spend with just my husband, though we have known each other our whole lives, and can pretty much think for each other… believe it or not, I also miss flying (for work) some! The travel opportunity was great, and my husband and I could go anywhere in the world, which isn’t as easy with little ones.
Not married here — my boyfriend and I go to the drive-in at least once a week during the summer. We love to get goodies from Sonic on the way there and sit outside of the car soaking up the summer air. :)
Oh my word, look at the cheeks on that baby!
Sorry, I can’t answer your question because I’m too busy fighting off this urge to snorgle some baby face. What a cutie!
Oh…well, our post-married/pre-baby days were all of about 10 months, but…oh, the movies! The curling up on the couch together (when we both still fit, laying down, on the same couch!). And the dates! The going out to dinner WITHOUT a high chair…And the traveling. Driving to Oregon to visit friends, just ’cause…and living out of ONE BACKPACK for the weekend!
There are no married-without-kids-memories here. Which takes me all the way back to my 20’s, single.
Those are not memories for a family-friendly blog, my friend!
We used to go out for supper at 9:00…every night. Now, it’s frozen pizza’s and putting boys to bed :)
I still love a good TV marathon though…now it’s sponge bob.
First, we baby our pets. Our cat Cinnamon rules the roost most days when the two of us are home alone. :)
I loved how we would go to the movies, then to dinner and then for coffee. And sit and talk and talk and talk. But then again, a lot of those talks included our dreams of what parenthood would be like.
I miss being able to catch up on the laundry. …..those were the days!
We don’t have any kids, so I don’t have any pre-kid memories, but we used to take a lot more spontaneous weekend trips when we were first married. We would pack a bag, jump in the car after work on a Friday and just head out wherever we felt like going. I miss it, but I’d much rather save our extra money and retire early – then we can really do some traveling!
We spent a lot of time in our Jeep, off-roading, driving it to the beach, and singing at the top of our LUNGS in the car together. We’d also go on driving dates where we’d find a new road we’d never traveled and just drive and talk for hours. Of course that was back when gas was $1.00 a gallon! And my favorite… weekends with no time. I’d cover all the clocks in the house and we’d spend the weekend watching movies, cooking together, going for walks, etc. and not caring what time we did it. Fond memories, fo sho! But I wouldn’t trade my dear ones for anything now!
We used to drive an hour away for dinner on a weeknight, spur of the moment. Or decide to go away for the weekend at 2 on Friday. I think the only thing I miss is spur of the moment. Now that my girls are 3 & 5, I think we’re entering into being a little more spontaneous again. I’m totally with you on Real World. I started watching from Eric, Julie, Norm, Kevin, Becky, Heather and Andre, but right around NY x 2, it got to be a little much for me. Now I just Tivo the RW/RR challenges to watch after the munchkins go to bed.
Okay…I don’t feel NEAR so bad about my teenage ‘NKOTB’ facination! I mean,..I did go to FIVE (or was it Seven?) concerts over the years…but none since I was in high school! :)
I have three kids 7,7 and 6 and two furry babies who are 11 and almost 7. I TOTALLY get where you are coming from with the dog pics. We have a MOUNTAIN of those ourselves on the hard drive… but that all came to a screeching hault when the three sibs came into our lives two years ago.
I have fond pre-kid memories of David and I staying up one time for like three days strait when we first discovered SIMS. After the first 12 hours or so we would take turns…one would play and one would sleep on the futon next to the computer desk…we had to give the SIMS up cold turkey I’m afraid! LOL!
Traci
http://mom2threeadoptedsibs.blogspot.com/
Oh! I LOVE Memory Lane!
In our early days, Wade was in medical school in Houston, so we would roam the Galleria FOR HOURS. HOURS. Or we would just show up at a movie theater (I mean just SHOW UP–with NO PLAN), see what was showing, and pick a movie to see. I don’t think there was a movie between 1995-1998 that we missed. And we ate Twizzlers during these movies with reckless abandon, because we were skinny, you see. And YOUNG. And in LOVE.
And we ate out CONSTANTLY. I can’t think of many restaurants in Houston we didn’t try. But we had our favorites, of course. Namely, The Cheesecake Factory. We loved it so much, in fact, that at one point we reached our limit on our credit card. “That’s impossible!” an infuriated Wade declared, and promptly called the credit card company to report that someone MUST have stolen our card. Then the customer servce rep read off the last several charges:
7/10/97 The Cheesecake Factory…$45.89
7/13/97 The Cheesecake Factory…$38.00
7/19/97 The Cheesecake Factory…$43.90
and on and on it went…after the 10th Cheesecake Factory entry, Wade stopped the poor customer service rep, assured him there was no problem after all, thanked him humbly and got off of the phone.
AAHHH, young love.
Now that Alex is the cutest, most darlin’ baby I have ever seen! Mmmm–got to get my fill of looking at folks’ baby pictures! (Today is Tabor’s 5th birthday, so I’m feeling sentimental).
Favorite memories in early marriage–we were in college and hosted tons of creative get-togethers with our friends at our home–some that included Texas A&M scavenger hunts and going to Target after hours with our friend, Trace, who worked there. I think back on some of our crazy and I do miss being like that–now that I’m the responsible mom and all :)
Deep down I just know that crazy and carefree person is still there, buried under her laundry. Mmm-hmm.
So sorry…I have to add one more thing. We would also go to Fuddruckers on Saturdays for lunch because we knew it’d be filled with kids, and we loved kid-watching and wondering together what it’d be like one day when we became parents. I still remember the little dance that I swear EVERY kid would do at the cookie counter–Wade dubbed it “the cookie jig,” and now we tease our kids when we see them doing it.
We were together for 4 years before we had our 1st. We were boring! LOL We went to the mall every weekend and out with friends once in a great while. But mostly, we spent the weekends with our parents.
We use to go to Hawaii for vacation. We’d pinch pennies and save up money for the trips any way we could. I remember we ate a lot of hot dogs and mac & cheese. You know there’s still a lot of hot dogs and mac & cheese in the house, but now that’s because they’re two of the few foods my son will actually eat. I miss Hawaii, but I’d take a day in the pool in the back yard with my son over a day at the beach in Hawaii anytime.
First of all, I think I’m becoming addicted to your blog! :P
Oh … I miss watching DVD seasons of 24 all night long b/c it was so good we had to see “just one more” episode. I miss deciding on a Friday night that we needed to go out of town, so we went. I miss sleeping every Sunday after church and then driving to 7-11 for huge cokes and ho-ho’s. I miss just always being together, always focused on eachother.
But I LOVE the sounds of “good morning mama” in the morning. And I love the 4 of us sitting together as a family. And I LOVE this season of life!
OK, I’ll go there because you ladies are skeered to. I ain’t skeered…and I have a trucker hat that says it to prove it (Seriously. Someone in Alabama gave it to me. Seriously.)
Before kids, we had sex when we wanted to, where we wanted to and without locking a door. Sometimes this happened WHEN THE SUN WAS UP. And sometimes it happened MORE THAN ONCE in the same week. No lie. And sometimes this happened on the Lord’s Day, after church, a time now spent playing Candyland or Bingo and doing laundry or visiting The Home Depot – but never naked.
We also slept. Sometimes we slept past 8AM. Uh huh. It’s true. Once, I recall this vividly, we woke up at the crack of noon. It was a Saturday and we did not have the flu or even the slightest bit of a fever. That has not happened in seven years. Instead, what happens now is my youngest walks into our bedroom at dawn thirty and says “I want chock-it meewik and waffas,” which of course translates to “I want chocolate milk and waffles.” And the day begins.
But I like these days. Takes more planning and doors must be locked and my body is begging me for more than six hours of sleep sometimes but kids have shown me how selfish I am and forced me to get over it and live for someone besides me. And for that I – and my own mamma – are very grateful.
And I always thought Lance was dead weight.
First of all, I too enjoyed “Real World”, and it is so disgusting now. Remember Julie and that guy (do tell if you know his name; it’s driving me crazy)getting in each other’s faces & screaming?? I always wished Julie and Eric would get married.
Anyway… before kids, we had some BFFs that we would hang out with every single weekend, having dinner and then going to one of our homes for card games. We still hang out with them and occasionally get the cards out… now our kids are old enought to want to learn and play, too. Fun times.
Being a newly-wed is one time of my life I am SO looking forward to, for all the reasons you mentioned. :) Just spending some time with the one I love. Once I find him, that is. ;)
I love just getting in the car and driving to a store for no reason, wandering aimlessly because I have nowhere to be. I love eating meals at random times because I don’t have to worry about when someone else is hungry. Things like that. Simple. :)
Our favorite early marriage, B.C. (Before Children) activity was to wake up on Saturday, get the New York Times and some bagels and go back to bed. We would read the paper, exchanging sections and spreading the whole guts of the paper across the sheets and covers until we read the whole thing.
We have recently brought back the paper and bagel ritual (now on Sunday mornings since we go to the contemporary service at church in the evening) and included our kiddos. Our girls are young (4 and almost 2), so we eat at the kitchen table and they make jokes and look at picture books while we steal a glance at a paragraph or two in between clean-ups and more milk please requests. It’s great!
I loved being able to read a book without interruptions. I miss those days when I’m caught up in a books and the kiddos want something from me…like food.
I miss driving around all afternoon on a Sunday afternoon. Not only because we were kid-free but because gas was A DOLLAR A GALLON. I cannot even fathom…
Before we had kids we shared everything that we did and were always together. I wouldn’t trade our lives now for anything, but I do miss that alone time. I didn’t realize how much until recently when the kids spent a weekend with Grandma. We sat up that first night until 1 am just talking. We actually had an adult conversation without any interruptions. I miss those days, but I’m sure that I will miss these even more when the kids are grown.
*NSYNC!! I loved them! JC was my favorite. I barely remember what I was doing before the kids but there was a lot of drinking and partying going on
I have to agree with you on the Real World comment. First season was the best… remember country boy Jon? Can you believe they are going into their 20th season? I am SO old!
First of all, Shaun is cracking me up.
Secondly, I sometimes miss the quiet. I also miss going into my closet and finding my shoes exactly the way I left them as opposed to being strewn all over the floor.
But I wouldn’t trade it.
Oh, I loved this post. I can remember being so frightened right before we had our little girl about our lives completely changing. We would go to our city’s AAA baseball team’s games, spend Sunday afternoons at the movies, go out to dinner in family UNfriendly restaurants.
Somehow, even though I look back at those times with fond memories, nothing about those times seem to matter because our baby wasn’t in our lives yet. She’s changed our world in only the best possible ways.
Cards! I miss cards, too. We would stay up half the night playing canasta or spades with friends.
And Shaw-awn, I laughed out loud when I read your comment. I wanted to call you but you never turn on your phone. It’s a handy feature, the power button.
Now I’m thinking of having t-shirts made that say “Shaw-awn ain’t skeered.” HOTCAKES. They’d sell like HOTCAKES.
What in the name of queso is that on your forehead when you are cuddling with your newborn?
Let’s see … before kids we were only married for a minute, so I would say the best part was that we could pick up and go somewhere without thinking about someone else’s potty habits.
Love the pictures! it’s so amazing how alex still looks so much like that, and so much like you.
ah, yes, all the sleeping. and all the tv watching. i never had to worry about kids being i the room. now i hesitate to watch anything because of the outrageous commercials!
i used to go fishing! fishing with 3 kids makes me a tad nervous now.
I miss being able to go out on a moment’s notice. I miss the hippie town we used to live in where we could walk to the farmer’s market every Wednesday, there were great bars, and restaurants, a giant street fair every year. And the sleep, though that’s getting better as my son gets older.
I would brag about how good I was at tennis in high school and he would ask me to prove it. So, I’d take him to the courts and try to impress with a few ace serves, but he was cross-court yawning. Yea, we don’t play anymore. Now we’re contending for who can pitch the ball to the kids faster. Oh, the fierce competition! I would also cook him dinners that took hours to prepare, but now he cooks for the family. Wow, how life has changed!
Shaun, thanks for that – too funny.
And your boy, beautiful baby.
Pre-kids, 9 years ago. I can almost recall traveling, and lots of sleeping, and socializing with adults – frequently, with no interuptions, oh yeah, and completing thoughts.
Immediately after our daughter was born, I missed not being able to go to sleep at the same time as my husband (because, you know, we had rotating shifts, which meant that one person had to be getting some sleep while the other was up with our beautiful, screaming child!). I thought the day would never come where we would climb (or collapse) into bed at the same time. But, I’m excited to report that those early days went by quickly.
Also, I definitely miss going to the movies (we used to be one of those couples who had seen the latest and greatest flicks, but, alas, those are days of yore). I miss being able to just jump in the car and run to Target or the grocery store without having to think through every possible scenario relating to our daughter (do I need to pack one bottle or two? do I need to pack snacks and/or baby food? is it cold outside – will she need a blanket or a jacket?). I miss travelling with a lighter load (for our recent trip to visit family over the 4th, I don’t think our Ford Escape could have held one more item). And I miss just hanging out with our friends and not having to leave early to get the little one in bed.
I love this post! My favorite, and I am not afraid to say it, is laying around nekkid in bed watching movies. Good times:)
I am new at this whole motherhood phenomenon. Four months ago, I do remember sleep, glorious sleep. I also remember special “marital” time without a lot of pre-planning :)
I miss going out to eat at my leisure, listening to live music until 2 am in a cool setting,and hanging out with friends whenever.I miss sleeping in past 8 am & not getting woken up from a dead sleep by someone yelling at me because “MY MOSQUITO BITES ARE ITCHEY!” or “I NEED PEPTOBISMOL!” or “THE COYOTES ARE BARKING IN THE PASTURE & IT SCARES ME!”I miss privacy in the bathroom (and in the bedroom(-;).I miss my make-up, shoes, clothing, & hair products being solely mine and being located where they are supposed to be stored when not in use.
But those are all such small minute parts of my life that add up to nothing next to the gift of children & motherhood.
Umm…is that a strip of film on your forehead in that pic of cuddling your sweet newborn? (What a cute baby he was!)
We used to go backpacking, before kids. And anniversaries weren’t such a big deal, when any night you could go out w/o childcare all by yourselves. Now they’re old enough to go backpacking but we usually live in Africa so we got rid of the equipment, and I really miss it. But I like how we celebrate anniversaries now; they’re a much bigger deal.
I KNOW you forgot to mention Road Rules. Because I KNOW my BooMama wouldn’t be puttin’ on airs and actin’ all like she’s too high and mighty for Road Rules.
And what ever DID happen to Jon the country singer/proud virgin? I just googled him (I know…sad) and couln’t find him anywhere!
Being able to stay up late on Friday night, knowing I could sleep all day Saturday if I wanted too — that is something I definitely miss. But certainly wouldn’t trade it. My two boys are more than worth it.
Let’s see, I was pregnant on our 1st anniversary, so we didn’t have a lot of early marriage years. But we often console ourselves with the fact that we will be young empty nesters and dream of all the things we’ll do when the kids are gone. Mostly we say we’ll get up and drink coffee for hours together while we watch the Today show. After all it’s on all morning. We’ll talk about how much we love Al and how much Anne needs a new hair do. (But then she cut it off for Locks of Love and it does look much better, but still…)
Awww, Alex is a precious baby! Please forgive my ignorance; I have not had a c-section before…but I am also wondering what that is on your forehead!
I don’t think I’m qualified to answer this question being that I got pregnant on my honeymoon. My husband’s “welcome to marriage” was to hold my hair back while I threw up. To boil 3 large pots of water so I could take a bath (no the hot water heater would not last long enough to fill the tub!) And to leave me breakfast and lunch on the coffee table in the event that I could eat. SO, I’m pretty sure we don’t miss much about our particular set of pre-children days :)
When Chris and I lived in San Antonio in the mid 90’s, we’d go to La Madeleine often. Because, you see, they offered all sorts of breads and jellies that were FREE OF CHARGE, bless the Lord, with your purchase. So, we’d spend a couple of bucks for coffee and then eat all the breads and jellies we desired.
For dinner. Or lunch.
Oh yes we did.
OH the fat kissable cheeks of your baby! AWESOME!!
I don’t even remember what we did before kids. I think I lay on the couch and read books a lot.
Oo oo oo!!! I love this topic. We used to eat out ALL. THE. TIME. We’d even leave the house at 930pm to go get coffee and stay out till midnight or later–on a workday night, no less. We goofed off a LOT around the house-practical jokes and mega wrestling matches. The thing I miss the most is the spontaneous intimate moments (hello!) ANY time of the day, ANYwhere in the house (hello!).
Ok
Dogs – cute
NSYNC – HILARIOUS!
BABY Alex – precious oh so precious the pics took my breath away
I love baby pics b/c at that moment there is the little one that God has been forming for so long right before your eyes !
Love at first sight!
Oh and I totally miss sleeping in on Saturdays but those little giggles coming from the kitchen are so worth it :)
God bless
Kim
Thanks for including us single folk!
While I’m looking forward to marriage and motherhood, I do have to say that singledom is fantastic.
I have the ability to pick up and go wherever I want whenever I want. My singleness also allows me to travel for my job. This month alone I will get to go to Ontario, Chicago, and New Orleans!
If Alex would have been mine, I would have squeezed the fire out of that bundle of preciousness. :) And, what did we do “back in the day” and what did we talk about “back in the day?” Kids rule the roost here.
YES the sleep- oh, i miss it. of course with my first child, i went into labor just as i was going to bed and missed a whole night of sleep- i didn’t realize it then but my what an omen that was! now with three children, i do have moments of “what did my husband and i DO before children???” well, yes, like you guys, we have picture albums of JUST our 2 cats and dog. (look! the cats are eating!) i don’t even have all my children’s pictures in albums!!! i remember a lot of TV watching- lots of survivor- “wow! what an original show” my husband and i would go on and on about it…lots of episodes of alias and episodes of friends. we traveled with so much freedom and so much less stuff- i can’t remember the last time i actually took music for myself to enjoy with headphones since- headphones? they kinda prevent you from hearing your children and when traveling with kids i require ALL my senses :) and of course, before kids, there was the work- lots of working. lots of adult conversations, hardly any baby or kid interaction. thanks for the fun post, boomama!
I do miss just having late nights with our friends…movies, cards, whatever we felt like. I remember being 8 mos pregnant with our daughter, and my husband and I went to see “Walk the Line” at the movie theater, and I sat there and cried because I thought it would be the last date we would ever have in life. And then we saw the Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe two weeks later and I did it again. Hint….we still go on dates, fun ones, just not as often and it takes more planning and calls to Memaw and Papa.
I, too, found Real World Marathons completely addictive, and can still easily get sucked into a Saturday of American’s Next Top Model if I’m not careful.
And, hello, HUGE N*Sync fan, and tell your friend that Lance was my favorite, too. It wasn’t that he couldn’t sing, it was that he was the bass, and they always get the short end o’ the stick (Danny from NKOTB…same deal). I have a knack for the Lance Bass-type…I also had a huge crush on Chad Allen when he was on Our House. Who woulda thunk?
And I totally agree with the person that commented on considering the potty habits before leaving the house. We are in PT right now, and you always, always have to remember two or ten extra outfits…just in case.
Ah yes, the pre-baby days. I always get that warm feeling thinking about our first days together.
We were spontaneous.
We had fun.
We were broke. I mean, eating-Kraft-dinner-&-bananas-because-it-was-cheap broke.
We drove old vehicles, had old furniture.
We really had nothing. But we didn’t know it. We thought we were rich.
We were in love.
We still are very much in love…with each other & our children. But things are different with responsibilities and hearts to care for.
look at the cheeks on that babe!! so stinkin cute :)
Early marriage memories:
Watching Pee Wee’s Playhouse and other cartoons on Saturday mornings(before we ever had kids).
Late night pizzas my hubby would bring home from his second job as a Pizza Hut delivery man.
Sleeping late. Ahhhhhh!
Playing on a co-ed softball team together.
Going dancing (before we joined a baptist church. ;-) We still dance around the kitchen together!
First off, I need to comment on how adorable Alex was as a baby. Don’t get me wrong, the child is still gorgeous, but oh my word those cheeks! Just precious!
Of course I miss the sleeping in before children. And every now and then I get the chance to sleep in when the little man is spending the night with a grandparent. But I never do it because I feel too guilty. “I should be up doing something. I should go pick him up. I should…”. I guess I miss just being a bum sometimes and NOT feeling guilty about it.
We used to go see movies all the time too. I miss that quite a bit. But alas, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Pre-kids we went to the mall and window shopped and held hands and stopped at the pretzel shop and ate pretzels, drank coke, then walked down to the Chick-fil-a and ate $1 sandwiches! This was our date night….we were broke.
Dancing. Trips to exciting places like… Chicago or St. Louis (which isn’t really). Sleep was never an issue for me, but being able to go to the bathroom without someone asking a question on the other side of the door was nice… now even Mr. Right contributes to that insanity.
Lots of game nights with friends and eating ice cream out in the open.
Oh, and I used to be thin… really thin. Now I’ve got hips, a tummy and saddlebags that are not good for carting around anything. Sigh.
All that being said, I wouldn’t go back to those kidless days for nothing. Well not until I start paying college tuitions. Then I might be glad to kidless again.
When we were first married, and both working full time, we could spontaneously decide to go out for a nice dinner and not watch every penny. Now, four kids later, and now three tuition payments, sports costs, piano lessons, etc… dinners are in and pennies are counted and stacked and rolled and NEEDED.
I would not trade a thing… I love waking up to my third born’s face staring straight at mine.
But, I miss SLEEP and I miss waking up, grabbing a book and spending a Saturday doing nothing but reading and hanging out.
Someday, I will have THAT back and then, I will be missing THIS. : )
Oh my gracious! I have never seen such pinchable cheeks on a newborn baby. What a doll!
I miss having two full time incomes, but it’s well worth being broke to be home with my babies.
I miss the two of us being able to sleep in together instead of one of us pushing the other one out of bed to go deal with the hungry children.
I miss going to hockey games. Yes, that’s right, a Georgia girl at hockey games in Florida. Who woulda thunk it?
I miss going out to dinner any time we wanted and not worrying about how much it was costing us or what was on the kids’ menu or having to cut up anyone else’s food.
And I think most of all, I miss being able to use the bathroom ALL. BY. MYSELF.
Heee!! I love it!! What a fun trip down memory lane!!
And if Shaun hadn’t a said it I woulda! Because that is the one big thing I miss since having kids! The oraganizing and the planning and the shots of Jack Daniels in the sippee cups to make sure everyone stays asleep who’s supposed to be! Just kidding of course, but don’t think there aren’t times I wish could do it! :) But there have been days when naps have been withheld in order to ensure that 2 little girls are dead asleep so we can have our time before we’re dead asleep on the couch!
We were married 4 1/2 years before our first was born and those were blissful years of being fairly well versed in movies and popular culture in general, not having any idea which restaurants do and do NOT have macaroni and cheese on the kids menu, not knowing a single character on SpongeBob aside from the sponge himself and not knowing off the top of my head what the numbers are for Disney channel and Noggin.
I miss the games too…we were big Scrabble and Backgammon players back in the day. We haven’t played either in awhile. Too many little pieces for little hands to run off with. There were many a Friday night that involved Chinese food, and games and sleeping in Saturday morning because we’d stayed up very late the night before. And not necessarily trying to get a triple word score ;)
Wouldn’t trade a minute of today for back then though… we look at each other a lot and wonder out loud to each other what made us laugh and what gave us impossible joy before we had our girls.
Oh my gosh–he looks like Alex–I mean, Alex the baby looks like Alex the kid. And are you wearing lipstick??
One thing we did several times before we were married was have all-night movie marathons on New Year’s Eve. Exciting, huh? We tried it once (staying up well past midnight) after Amanda was born, but when you can’t sleep off and on the next day at your leisure, it’s just not the same.
Your baby had the cutest chubby cheeks! Love them!
THings we did Before Baby that can no longer happen: an entire Memorial Day weekend watching the Magnum P.I. marathon; an entire four-day weekend in January watching the first season of 24 on DVD (it’s better in sweat pants and straight through with no commercials and no sleep!); an entire weekend watching season two of Alias (I *heart* Michael Varton!).
Oh sweet tv marathons… how I’ve missed thee.
I LOVE THIS!
But I’m in the “unmarried-no kids group”.
Here is what I love from my “younger years” when I was in college and then graduate school (mid to late 90’s):
Real World marathons (I agree, after NY part II, it snowballed)
Being able to stay up past 10:00 ON A WEEKEND
Being able to eat anything I wanted because I didn’t gain weight. Oh. Until I hit grad school (in the south) and discovered Dutch Potatoe Hotdish. THAT, my friends, is a little slice of heaven.
Living comfortably on $400 a month
Being able to take a trip on a moments notice and not have to ask for PTO or use a vacation day.
Thank you BooMama! This was fun!
Oh, and by the way, you attended N*SYNC, I am going to New Kids on the Block in October. THAT is reliving old times!
oh you all have me cracking up! (I just discovered you recently BooMama through the LPM blog, and I love you like a sister already!)
yes, that place. that shaun went. miss the anytime anywhere. 7 times in one day even once! 25 times even in a week we counted. but then the rabbit died. (no pun intended. but it applies — did your grandmothers ever use that phrase to describle a + pregnancy test?) anyway… now, doors shut, or God help us, if it’s daylight, the kids are outside, you have to be sure you hear all 3 of them the whole time so no one has a scary memory like I had the time I walked in on my parents when I was 7. now that’s a downer, let me tell you! (again, no pun intended)
also, miss the late nights for dessert and coffee with a friend at Chili’s – we’d call each other at 10 pm even and meet there. That brownie sundae with a coffee and a dear friend is one of my favorite memories. But, like the rest of you, wouldn’t trade it for anything what I have now.
to be honest – don’t hate me – all 3 of ours will sleep 12 hours no matter what time they go to bed. since birth almost. so haven’t had to give up the sleep except for the Saturday mornings during little league games. For those of you with pre-elementary aged children, let me warn you: the first day you HAVE to have them at school by 8:00 or they’re tardy… THAT is a sad day. the morning routine is another whole ballgame when the clock is working against you.
and that weekly average? now a semiannual average. which might explain the slower metabolism.
gonna go make a brownie sundae while I ponder that one.
My friends just called to say “guess who we saw today?” I promise they’re not stalkers! ha! Apparently they’re going to take a picture with you tomorrow. Oh you KNOW they’ll be blogging about that! Sorry I missed out!
What? You mean there are shows on tv that AREN’T animated and DON’T have puppets? And that we can actually eat food other than macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets??? Seriously?
Life BC (Before Children)… not sure I remember that far back. I think we did fun stuff like kayaking, hiking, watching movies all night long, and going on trips, but it’s all a bit fuzzy what with all the crying going on around me right now…
It’s hard to remember those early years since they were 33 years ago…but I’ll try!
Things like:
Going out to play putt-putt golf on a weeknight!
Making a run to the Cafe du Monde in New Orleans at 10pm from our home in Metarie just because we wanted beignets.
While I love our big screen HD TV, there’s something very sweet and romantic about watching TV together in front of the 13 inch black and white set I had in college. And, being able to watch all 8 nights of Roots without interruption on said TV. Since our first baby came along before VCR and certainly before TIVO, we never were able to watch a mini-series all the way through once we had kids.
Being able to thoroughly clean the house and have it stay that way for more than a few minutes.
Only having three loads of laundry (whites, colors and towels) a WEEK!
Early married life was great, but I wouldn’t trade the years raising our two girls (now 29 and 22) and I for sure wouldn’t trade our current empty nest years for those early years.
I’ve only been a mom for 7 months, but it has been a HUGE adjustment! I love it, though, but those first couple months were crazy! I guess the thing I miss the most about before we had our baby is all the ‘couple time’ we had, at home in the evenings and all. And we could plan to eat at 7:30 and actually EAT at 7:30 without anyone screaming or needing to be Fed. Right. Then. But now I love watching my hubby play with my son & love on him! :) That could never compare to couple time! :)
In the pre child era, Hubs and I would stay up late and play cards. We loved to play Gin. We would make popcorn and get a coke and just play. We used to go to the movies all the time. Right after work we would meet for dinner and then go see a movie. Now things are so different but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love being a mom and spending time with my family.
Wow. It looks like baby Alex sprang from your head like Athena from Zeus. Did your OBGYN still handle that?
My favorite early marriage memory would be reading aloud together. We had no tv our first year of marriage, and we read the Narnia books to each other. It was the first time Az had ever read them.
Funny you should mention life without kids because mine just went to spend 3 days at my parents’ house. Or as I call it, 3 days at the spa where they will be pampered & catered to incessantly. Then on Saturday, they will sadly come home to Mommy’s boot camp where all rules will apply again and they will have to make effort to do stuff like feed themselves without my mom there to lift the fork for them.
And why are they going do you ask? So I can complete some home improvement projects which I will proudly display on your Before & After, thankyouverymuch.
What? Married without children? That did not last long. We were not married much over a year before we had our first kiddo so we never lived that blissful life of “married without kids.” We were bestest friends before we were married and have somehow continued to keep that fun and spark 10 years into parenting. Yikes! Did I just say 10 years. Gulp. Can’t be.
I do remember the brief times of being spontaneous. It was fun to just GO. He was in grad school and I was teaching so for cheap fun, we would pull out our sleeper sofa every Friday night, get a fire going, and watch a movie. Of course we lived in the North then so those cold winter nights in our early married days were so cozy. Good memories. Thanks for asking. :)
Watching 90210 and Melrose Place with my new husband. Listening to Toad the Wet Sprocket. Oh my those were the good ole 90’s!
Hmmm…. I had four lovely children in the span of 10 years and being shallow, I miss 90210 in the biggest way, which probably tells you how old I am. And, I live to eat at any restaurant where I only cut my food and they don’t even have a children’s menu. I think that is the ultimate luxury and going to the bathroom and not wiping anyone else but yours truly!!!
But, if I could have anything back, do any of it again, it would be the moments next to the other parent aka my spouse looking at the grace and blessing of an infant. And,it would be the shrieking phone calls to all my relatives and my friends whenever my first and even second child did something for the first time! Thankfully, I learned restraint by child 3 and 4 and only called grandparents. I love those days and when I think that I am done having children and won’t be sleep deprived again, I sometimes cry because that’s what I really want just one more time…..
I remember being newly married and some friends picked us up last minute in a convertible to go on a double date. My neighbor across the street (has 3 young girls) glared, I mean looked at me in disbelief and yelled, I mean said, “Enjoy while you can!” I so get her now.
We used to think the house was dirty when a coffee table book was out of place.
We used to stay out past 7:30 p.m. AND go do things IN THE AFTERNOON. (Does stuff go on in the afternoon? It’s been seven years since I haven’t had to be home for the p.m. nap.)
And every evening it was ALL ABOUT ME ME ME ME ME and sometimes US.
And every morning it was about ME ME ME and waking up when *I* wanted to.
And we didn’t even know how “good” we had it.
Course, it’s good now. In a different MY LIFE IS A TOTAL MESS sort of way.
I remember running out of essential items from the grocery or drug store and making due with some hotel sample out of the bottom of the suitcase. Fresh food in the house? Not so much.
NSync-ha. Ha ha.
Nate’s Mom
New Years Day. 1998. We spent ALL day in bed watching a Real World marathon.
Memories. Pressed between the pages of my mind.
I can’t find the words for the dog-babies and NSYNC, but that pic of you and baby A. is TO DIE FOR.
And if you’ll excuse the pimp-my-post just this once, I wrote a little ditty about you on my bloggy just now.
http://www.xanga.com/mtaviano
And I can’t even remember life before kids… Man, that’s crazy.
Ohh..early marriage. :) We have only been married for 5 years, but we have been parents for 2, so those first three years were lots of fun. We loved sleeping late, making a big breakfast, and being lazy watching TV on the couch. My favorite: being able to go to Wal-Mart or an ice cream place at 11:00 at night. The memories… :)
I can’t remember a single thing we did, of significance anyway! We must have been really good at wasting time. I can think of a million things to do with spare time now that I don’t actually have any! There will come a day again and then I’ll miss all the drama around here, and I’m sure it will be sooner than I want it to be!
Sleep, I miss the sleep….and now the kids sleep, and I blog. *yawn*
Hey BooMama! It was so much fun meeting you today at market! Hopefully I didn’t scare you too much walking up like a crazy person asking if you were “BooMama!” Melissa and I will be by tomorrow to see you and Janie!
Hope you get some rest tonight!
Ah yes, the first dog. That animal was his own blog, if only we’d had one of those “back in the day.” Nothing builds a marriage like having to take the dog out at 5:30 in the morning.
We miss the sleeping in, for sure. We would seriously pay someone to come and get up with our kids and let us sleep in some morning. Pay them WELL.
Love the picture of you meeting Alex. Gorgeous. Both of you.
Sleeping in until 9 am on Saturday’s….the double features on a Saturday afternoon…..the late night dinners for two with plenty of wine and great dessert! I shudder when I think of the money we spent, but oh, good times!
I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I mean watching “Cars” or “Ice Age 2” for the zillionth time??? It just doesn’t get better. :)
Blessings!
Going to Kroger at midnight-just because we could.
Buring a bra on the front sidewalk with some friends-just because we could. (was not a statement)
Going out to eat whenever we decided to.
nope-wouldnt trade motherhood for anything-