FIVE

Five!

REALLY?

You are so big
and you are growing so fast!

Hendrix, how can you be 5??

ALREADY???

Do you know that you like some of the same things that many people in your family like, and you have many special talents like other people in your family?

I remember making teeny tiny baby slippers for you when you were born and putting flower beads all over a special white dress and hat I fixed up just for you. 

 I suppose your feet are much bigger now ...

When I was a baby I had 4 big brothers. You are lucky to have 3 brothers. Having older brothers is fun.

Everybody comes to earth as a baby.

My mom, Elna Jean Campbell Forsyth, was a baby 80 years ago!
She is your mommy's grandma.

When you were born I thought you looked like her and like me.

She is very kind and gentle. She is a very hard worker and helps lots of people.

She made new dresses for me and for my sisters for every special day. She also made shirts and pants and suits.  She helped me learn to sew and cook - she is a very good cook.  I have 7 brothers and 3 sisters. How much food would you need to fix to feed so many kids? She had to make 10 loaves of bread 3 times each week.

When her mother, Elna Bohne Campbell (that is my grandma), was a young girl cameras were a new fangled invention. Getting your picture was a big deal. If you moved the camera couldn't take your picture. It was very hard to get pictures of babies and children. The picture would look sort of blurry.

girl on left believed to be Elna Jean Campbell
girl on right is Roberta Campbell Uncle Ted's daughter

We only have a few pictures of my mom and my grandmas.

Laura Elizabeth Carpenter

We have a picture of my Grandma's mother, Laura Elizabeth Carpenter Bohne. She is my mom's grandma. She liked to help people. She was a nurse/midwife and helped many, many mommy's when they had babies. I saw a little red book once that had all the names of the mommy's and their babies written in it. I hope I can help people like my mom and her grandma.

A long time ago - about 50 years ago - I was 5 years old.

Linda about age 5

I wished and wished I could read.    I started school when I was 5.

winter 1961 Linda, Rex, Tim, Shane, Mom, Necia, Gene, Scott, Randy, Dad behind holding Becky

The next month I turned 6.  I was so happy.  I loved my teacher and I learned to read. It is one of my favorite things to do. I also like to draw pictures.

My mom likes to write stories and paint pictures.

She loves to read stories too. When she was a girl she would sneak a light behind blankets at night so she could read when she was supposed to be asleep. Her sisters would tell and she would get into trouble.

It has only been 30 years since your mommy was a baby.  She had lots of cousins that were babies too.

sitting Jace,
L to R - oldest to youngest - Laura, Nena, Shauna, Jami

When Aunt Bonnie, my youngest sister, got married your mommy and her girl cousins all had matching dresses.

Nena , Jami, Shauna, Laura

Sometimes you have fun playing with your bothers and cousins too. Do you remember making shirts?

It was very, very hard for your mommy to learn the alphabet and read but she loves stories too.  She worked and worked and worked until she was a good reader. She always begged Papa to tell her stories and dance with her. She loves dancing and she can draw and paint and make wonderful things.

 1985 Mommy far right front row age 5. Grandma behind her to the right. 

When she was about your age she made lots of cool things for her dolls and toy horses. Ask her to tell you about the pony cart she made out of an egg carton.

Can you see Papa-pa in this picture?

I know you like to swim. I think you are part fish.  When your mommy was a baby (14 -18 months old) I had to hold onto her or else she would run and jump into any water she saw and try to swim.

Do you still like to travel?

When you went to see my dad and mom you had to drive in the car for 12 hours - that is half a day! You just smiled and played.
I like to go places too.

Do you still like to dance?
I love to dance.
When you dance with Papa-pa it makes you giggle!
Papa-pa loves to dance.
When he was in college he could dance like the Prince in the Nutcracker. He has a nutcracker that is almost as tall as you are!

We like when you come to play at our house.
It is very fun. Remember when you were almost as tall as the sunflowers and the peach tree?

When your mommy got married to your daddy in the temple she looked like a princess. The temple is a very special place.  I hope we can go there together some day.

Hendrix we love you very much.

We hope you have a very fun fifth birthday.