Our House on Center St.

We took a walk down memory lane the other day. We were in Des Plaines, Illinois, and we passed by Center Street and stopped at this house. Yes, this Is Our Center Street house, although it looks much better now. The awful green awnings have been taken off, new windows have been put in, and a new door, and new landscaping. I might not have recognized it. But I know this house. I lived there from second grade through fifth grade. I remember being sad to leave it, although there were nine of us now, and still only one bathroom :-)  there're only two bedrooms in the house, and I cherish the time that I got to share a room with my sister Hannah behind the basement stairs in our unfinished basement, and my mom made curtains for us to be our door.  We would giggle for hours, when we are supposed to be sleeping. 

I remember Christmases in this house, I remember the Christmas that my mom made tents for Barbies. Those were some of the best Christmas presents ever! And the time when our family was having a hard time financially, and someone showed up on our door with the Christmas tree and money for presents, they rang the doorbell and ran away, so we still don't know who it was. But we are still so grateful.

I remember when my grandma, Bonnie Hubbard put a loaf of bread in the microwave to defrost it, and forgot to take the metal twist tie off. I remember it catching on fire inside the microwave in the kitchen filling with smoke :-)

I remember how my dad would send us outside on the lawn, with big kids involved, and he told us that he would pay as a penny for every dandelion that we picked. We picked hundreds of dandelions! And I am sure my dad thought it was money well spent, because it bought him some time, despite the fact that the dandelions would still grow back.

I remember our Beatles club that my three sisters and I, the 4 oldest kids had in our basement. Hannah always got to be Paul, the coveted Beatle; she is the oldest :-) Claire was George, Martha was John. I don't know why I was always Ringo… probably because I wanted to be Paul but he was already taken.

I remember playing duck in the basement   On our Nintendo set, want to my sisters play Mario Brothers, because I wasn't very good either and I like to watch better anyway. And rollerskating on the unfinished floor around the poles.

And unfortunate memory is the time that I framed my sister Claire, by spelling her name and shaving cream on my parents bedroom door. I couldn't take it when she was getting a terrible spanking! I came out and yelled "no it was me!!" I got a real spanking then. And then there is the time that my sister Hannah was babysitting us while my parents went to the grocery store, and Jacob and I were supposed to set the table. I think he was four years old. He threw a fork at me, and I threw a butter knife back, trying not to hit him. But, I had a terrible aim and I had him smack in the middle of his fore head. He had blood all over his face, and we were all panicking. Hannah called Jill Kemper from our ward to ask for help, and I don't remember how everything was resolved. I remember that Jacob did not need stitches, and that I had to stand in the corner all day, and I probably got  a horrible spanking. It was not funny then, but it is pretty funny now. Every family has those stories.

I remember the swingset in the backyard that my parents brought for us all the way from Ohio, and I remember our bikes being stolen out of our driveway when we went inside to get some Popsicles.

When I was older, I wanted my own room, so my mom took shower curtains and put them up around the unfinished basement and put a bed down there for me, so that I could have my own space :-) I remember one day when I woke up and put my feet into almost a foot of water. Our basement had flooded, and it was a miracle that I didn't get electrocuted. I remember that kind church members came and helped us get the water out of the basement and clean it up.

I remember dressing up for Halloween in that house on Center Street, carving pumpkins, and going trick-or-treating.

I remember loving going to South school. I loves the giant cottonwood tree out on the playground. I was so sad to leave that school.

I remember starting the cello in that house, and how we would all get out our musical instruments and play. I remember listening to  my mom play the piano, and my dad play the guitar and we would dance. 

I remember when Trey and Ashley first came to our family. I felt like they were my babies. 

There are so many beautiful memories from that house on Center Street, I am glad that I got to see it again and remember.