Aunt Mary and Aunt Kathy

I love this picture of My dad's youngest sister's, Mary (yellow shirt) and Kathy (plaid shirt) with my two older sisters (Rebecca front and Teresa back) and I (middle). I love how my sister's are wearing matching outfits.

We are sitting on my parent's car in our carport. When I was a teenager the carport was turned into another bedroom and a bigger shed (for my father). I believe my Grandpa Poulsen and our neighbor Mr. Norris and his son Stewart, helped my dad do the addition to our house.

My aunt Mary and aunt Kathy were not much older than us three older girls and they felt more like our cousins. They lived in Arizona and we lived in Utah, so we only seen each other once and/or twice a year (summer and sometimes Christmas).

I loved spending time with my two aunts, who have been such great examples to me. When I was a teenager, I remember Aunt Mary always saying; "Beauty is as Beauty does." I even have a letter from Aunt Mary with that saying in it. It wasn't until I was much older and found out Grandma Poulsen used to always tell her children the same thing.

I always thought my Aunt Kathy was older than Aunt Mary, because she was taller. It just seemed right that the taller aunt was the older aunt. I'm sure other's assumed the same thing. Poor Mary, growing up and always having people think she was the baby. I bet now that she is older she doesn't mind people thinking she is the baby!

The Sister's I Remember the Most!

I have 5 sisters, but the sisters I remember the most in relation to my childhood are my two oldest sisters. Teresa (on my right) who is 5 years older and Rebecca (on my left) who is 3 years older than I.

I love this picture of us 3 girls sitting in our front room. I am holding 2 dolls. The small doll is mine, but I cannot remember her name, and the big doll is my sister Teresa's named Miss Beasley. We didn't have a lot of dolls, like girls now days have. And we didn't think anything about it. I think that was just how it was in those days. I know we had more toys than our parents, so it probably still seemed like a lot of toys to us!

I shared a room with my 2 older sisters, after our aunt Judy moved in. Rebecca and I shared a bunk bed. I slept on the bottom and Rebecca slept on the top of the bunk. Teresa's bed meet our bunk bed in the corner of the room, as if to make a letter L. I remember we use to tickle each other's backs at night. I would tickle Teresa's back or she would tickle mine and some how Rebecca and Teresa would work it out to tickle each others backs. They both must have gotten a sore arm from reaching either up or down! I think I had the better end of that deal, for sure!

My Mom's comments: The doll was Teresa's favorite. It was the only time she got excited over a present she got. She was a lot like dad, quiet over presents.

Another Baby Girl!

I was born in the Spring of 1966. I was the third child, another girl. I'm sure my parents were proud, but I'm sure their was a little disappointment when it was another girl! Eventually my parents would go on to have a total of six girls and no boys! Apparently God wanted my parents to have girls, lots of girls!

I was the first child to be born with dark hair. My two older sisters were born with blond hair. My dad's hair was black and my mom's hair was dark brown, however, my mom tells me that they both had blond hair when they were children. My hair was and always has been thick, which I am happy about.

Even though my parents would have three other babies after me, they always remind me of how I was the "baby" in the family for six years. Does that mean I was spoiled for six years?

One story from my birth, which sticks in my mind, is one my mother always tells me: My mother was giving birth and the nurse said, "Wow, look at all that hair!" Needless to say, my mom thought the nurse had forgotten to shave her down there, and had no idea it was the hair on her baby girl's head the nurse was talking about!

My parents named me Yvonne. My mom said she used to sell Avon and some people thought I was named after Avon or something crazy like that, which is totally incorrect. I love the name my parents choose for me, and couldn't think of any other name that would fit me!

My Mom's comments: You are named after a girl we knew, in Idaho with that name. I liked it. I had never heard of it before her. People just nick named you Avon because I sold it. It matched Yvonne. They called you big eyes more often.

They did not shave me! The nurses comment was because you had so much hair. I did try to sit up to see but couldn't. Your Dad almost missed seeing you born. I asked how would I know when you were coming? The nurse said oh you'll know. You will be pushing. I said I have been pushing for awhile . She checked & panicked. You were coming out. The Dr. said he'd go to lunch. That is why Dad almost missed it. We'll he had to go get clothes on to be with us to see you born. Not like now. You were born in Bountiful because it was the only one that Dad's could be there, at that time.

I did not have dark brown hair. I had sandy blond hair with lots of sun streaks. People pay good money for that now. I was blond as a child & growing up. But some of us blonds by our late teen years go dishwater blond. A name for dirty looking blond. I got darker with age.

Dad handled girls, it was Grandpa Poulsen that presured him on where was the boy for the family name & being his oldest son.

My Dad's comments: Your mother cried because you had so much hair all over your body. I told her not to worry because it would soon fall out, and it did.