Does That Date Me? Kodak Moments? Does Anyone Else Say That Anymore?
Wanting to write about growing lavender, I spent the last couple of hours looking for relevant photos on my laptop. Which connects to our home network, which is huge and powerful and sort of mysterious–(my brilliant, techy husband designed it). Among many other things, The Net houses digital copies of most of our Kodak moments. And I get lost in it. At least as lost as I would in actual boxes of old photos. Which (getting lost in boxes) was part and parcel of the whole Kodak Moment thing, as I remember it.
What I found, instead of beautiful pictures of lavender fields (I actually had a lavender field, once), were these random pictures of my kids and their cousins, and I had to make them mine once more. Own them again. I grabbed them (digitally speaking), slid them onto my desktop with my little mousepad (two finger drag), zoomed in to see better with Picasa (the quality isn’t great—they were taken almost fifteen years ago with a primitive digital camera) and chortled with sheer delight and tangy nostalgia. Chortling is at least as therapeutic as lavender’s aromatherapy. Chortles (as silly as they sound) well up in vivid, sweet intensity, with just a hint of a lump in my throat. Sort of cathartic.
I mean really. Look at them, innocent little bathing beauties. I guarantee that shampoo bottle behind them is empty. This was how we managed bath-time during extended family soirees… en masse. Here plashes two of my daughters (now 21 and 19), a couple of cousins (17? and 21), and their little aunt (21). They wouldn’t all fit anymore. One is married. One is leaving on a mission in two weeks. They’re all busy with their futures, but here, like most children, they were simply in the moment.
I remember their drowsy-to-animated waking up. Mornings were usually sunshiny.
And then this.
Sharp inhale…My breastfeeding days are past. But I so remember the contentment, mine and baby’s. I’ve heard that child experts say it’s not a good idea to nurse babies to sleep. Well, shoot. It doesn’t matter now…She’s thirteen! I’m lucky when she lets me kiss her elbow (she likes her space).
And I will always, always love candids best. The shots taken before (or after) the staged ones. So telling. I think big group pictures must be sheer torture for toddlers…most of them cried all the way through the photo session.
(The little guy in front? He’s fifteen now.)
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Nostalgic and joyful at once, loved the whole note, kodak memories, never heared it 🙂
Thank you Fred.
also, your phrase… I had a lavender field once, immediately made me think of… “I had a farm in Africa” Not our beloved Beryl, it’s from a movie based on a book… Out of Africa. As almost always, the book is better.
I know, right? I’m totally Meryl Streeping.
love this. So, sweet and makes me… want to hold these quiet, crazy, chaotic, beautiful, sweet, loud, rainy, sunny moments with my children to my heart… relish it. They grow so quickly. Abba, got it right… slipping through my fingers everyday, I try to capture every moment. Love you.
Thank you Andie!
I love getting lost in old photos! Such cute kiddies in the bath together 🙂 And I totally remember “Kodak moment”! And I’m 23. I don’t think it dates you 🙂
Jessi
haircutandgeneralattitude.blogspot.com
Thank you Jessi!
Too lovely memories . I love to check my kodak album ( I have paperback ones) to check the memories I once made with all of my loved ones 🙂
Ah albums. I could get lost in them. Thank you Noor.
I think you had a wonderful stroll down memory lane….filled with delightful Kodak moments.
Diane | An Extraordinary Day recently posted…Lunaria as a Cut Flower :: Week at a Glance 5/18
I did! Thank you for visiting, Diane.
Love this!! So funny how, at the time, the crying faces were discarded & now as they have grown, the little tears are the most precious! Glimpses in to personalities & memories– just gorgeous & sweet–
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You make me want to go photo digging. I love the pictures. When they were little and older women told me to enjoy them because they grow up so fast I don’t think I really believed it would go so fast. It seemed like the diaper stage would never end. Now, the diaper stage is a foggy memory. Sigh. Will anyone believe me when i tell them that kids really do grow up too fast?