Heather Spurlock

Those were the days…

For Christmas my dad made DVD’s from old family 8 millimeter home movies. They movies were when I was a little girl back in the 60′s. I was the oldest of seven children born very quickly. My parents claimed they had seven kids in five years. I have never been known for my math skills, when you do the math is really is 6  years.

What I remember from childhood are many things The day that my youngest sister April, was brought home from the hospital. Birthdays celebrating four girls birthdays in September and sharing parties. I was born first, the next year the twins, Susan and Karen, and last was Becky. I was part of the family productions that my parents orchestrated for the backyard. Where we sang with ukulele’s, danced, mom wrote everything in rhyme and dad did magic. We moved to Monza drive to our big new house. Our first night I slept in my own room with a sleeping bag on the floor. I felt this was the biggest house I had ever seen. We went out for dinner to Chuck-a-rama to celebrate (a very uncommon event at the Horman’s). These are just some of my memories.

When I think about these events I feel I know how I was raised, until I view the home movies I received as a gift. It was a glimpse of a time that I don’t remember. Seeing from my parents eyes who I was, and my six siblings. I saw vacations I don’t remember, Christmases with wonderment in our eyes, and how beautiful my siblings were as young children. Vacations to Yellowstone and boating on Grandpa Horman’s boat. Karen always catching a fish even if no one else could. I was moved to tears as I saw how enchanting the chemistry was with the September girls. My sisters were beautiful and sweet. Karen had a pixie face and always smiling. Becky was happy and my niece Brooklyn (April’s daughter) looked just like her today at the same age. Susan had engaging dark eyes that  seemed to have  knowledge behind them. We played together, laughed, and always helped the younger kids. I thought, I wish I new those little girls.

There were things that showed the era that pulled my funny-bone. My brother and sister Briggs and Shelley (twins) were playing in the toy box. The lid on the toy box had the name on it that said “Gay Time”. My mom, Hermine climbing into a boat with a dress on which she also wore while fishing. My dad also included clips of his single life, boating with some local woman. There were woman swimming in the lake with swimming caps on. My personnel favorite was a lady climbing in the boat and turning her head and flashed the sporty look of nose plugs. These moments are captured on film for documenting the 60′s in the life of the Horman’s. Which I am grateful.

It wished I had known back then those cute little girls with curled hair and the young parents that slept well from exhaustion. It makes me think, if I have taken enough videos to catch the movie magic of my six sons or have I focused on still photographs? It makes me wonder where is my video camera? So that I can have them say, “those were the days”. I think the camera might be by the beta tapes we filmed of our first three sons.