Ladybugs & Stinkbugs

My sister-n-law is doing something really creative for her girls when they lose a tooth. When I saw this, I thought, "What a way to make some lasting memories with your kids!" I love things that will help kids remember their childhood. I have so many blank spots when it comes to looking back on mine, but the things I remember are the things that my parents took the time to make special - or things they did over and over again - or, of course, things I really didn't like! Some of my favorite childhood memories:

Christmas! Of course. Mostly I remember my mom hiding presents, and Landra looking for them. I also remember it always seemed like my sister got something a little cooler than the thing I had gotten the year before. =) I remember a radio with a television tuner in it. Oh, and then there was the year I got a typewriter - that was awesome!

Video Games Back them it was Nintendo. I think Atari existed, but family didn't know what that was. It was Super Mario brothers and Zelda, and maybe Jeopardy. I remember my mom and dad playing with us in the living room - it was a blast for us, but Mom hated it. I would get SO FRUSTRATED when I couldn't get Ms. Princess out of the Scary Castle and away from the Bad Guy. It's the important things, right?

Going Out to Eat I confess. This is one of my favorite things to do. (I know, I've heard all about the money you can save eating at home, but, frankly, I don't buy it. Well, maybe I do "buy" it. That's what we're talking about, right?) I think the reason I like eating out so much is because it was always such an adventure when we were young. I remember Shoney's strawberry pie, Dad getting upset when we spilled drinks (and banning us from using straws until we were married), and, of course, the "Dr. Pepper" incident.

I have to tell this story. Forgive me, Landra!

We were eating at Luby's with some friends, having a Very Serious Discussion. I think we were trying to figure out all there was to know about the End Times and Christ's return. (Of course, since the Bible doesn't tell us All There is to Know, we were having to invent a few things along the way!) I was an older teenager, and, as usual, more interested in the fascinating Biblical discussions that were going on than my sister was. Unknown to the rest of us, as we were in the middle of intense debate, she was in deep thought. While we were talking about the Tribulation, and the pain and agony that unbelievers would experience during the worst time in history, she was staring at her Dr. Pepper and drinking out of her straw. As we moved on to the Rapture, she slowly took her straw out of her drink, turned it upside down, and began to drink again. By the time we were talking about the Great White Throne judgment, she had, again, taken her straw out, turned it upside down, and continued to drink.

As we all sat back, satisfied that we had "accurately handled" the subject matter, Landra sat up and opened her mouth to speak. We all looked at her, waiting to hear to words of wisdom she had been holding in during our entire conversation. She had the answers to the questions that had been plaguing us! Maybe she could tell us whether the Tribulation would happen after the Rapture, or before, or during! What truth had God revealed to her during our discussion?

She looked at us all very intently and said, "Did you know Dr. Pepper tastes different from one end of the straw than it does from the other?"

Pause.

Laughter.

Not just giggly-laughter. The kind of laughter where you are holding your side, you are crying, and you can't take a breath because you are laughing so hard. This comment jolted us from our "other-worldly" discussions and slammed us down into reality - where Landra had been sitting for the last 30 minutes.

She looked at us with a confused expression, and said, "What? It does!!!" Which, of course, only served to make us laugh harder!

These are the kinds of memories that I will remember forever. They are also the moments that bind people together. Anyone who was there will remember that incident, and many who weren't there feel like they were because we've told that story so many times!

What are your favorite memories? What did your parents do, or what are you doing for your kids, that capture these moments like a snapshot in your mind, and allow you to replay them and remember them for the rest of your life?