during our childhood, i probably wouldn’t have described my sister rebecca as the “rustic” type. don’t get me wrong, she was never a girly girl. but she didn’t exactly exude the tomboy temperament i associate with farm women either.
to be fair, my impression may have been based on the way she and my sister rachael (they’re twins) used to dress me up in doll clothes. although i finally grew old enough to put my foot down about the lace and lipstick, i quickly realized i’d never win them over to my macho taste in toys. instead, i compromised and introduced my egon spangler action figure into barbie play. (i achieved some success here by having egon perform wedding ceremonies for barbie and ken dolls who, as we all know, can all too often be found lying around without clothes.)
the point is, sometimes people surprise you. (not barbies. i mean real people.) my sisters now pour all their energy into their growing families. and i couldn’t be more proud at how much they’ve toughened up.
eileen and i spent the weekend with rebecca on the south carolina farm where she and her husband michael now live and direct a home for boys. they have a few boys — and girls — of their own. five in fact! all seven years old and younger!! they’re a pretty tough crowd. but for the record, they have a soft side, too. need convincing? consider the film they required me to watch with them, in its entirety: “barbie fairy princesses.” some things never change.
do you have any idea how cool “build-a-bear” is? let me tell you. really cool.
our mom took the grandkids here for a special treat. they all got to build a bear, or build a bunny, or a cheetah, or a dinosaur.
now let’s play a game.
Q: just looking at these photos, can you guess how my two nephews dressed their animals? take a wild guess then look below.
A: how ever did you guess? yes, as a fisherman, and as a racecar driver, respectively. the girls dressed theirs as fairies. no surprise.
Nice work Phillip! I think the pics of the girls in the wildflowers are very captivating as well as the black and whites below of the couple. Kudos for some excellent photography! We need to catch up soon! Tell everyone hello and give my love.
-Marie
PS. I am coming home the 3rd and 4th week of November. I will stop in and say hey!
Ok, so TMI about the Barbie and action figure “nuptials,” =0) but loved the pictures! My all-time fave was of the little blonde in the wldflowers looking down. I don’t think I realized how much talent you really have! =0) Nor did I realize that your sister has so many children! =0) They’re all beautiful….I know you are a very proud uncle!
HA!!! the pics are GREAT… wish i could have been there!!! HOWEVER, I definately think you have a VERY skewed memory of our childhood… Yes, I played barbies, but they were ususally mommies, and the ken´s MAY have been daddies, but the only time they were without clothes was when my kid brother stole them, along with the heads and arms!!! ha!! AND, the majority of my childhood memories involve the “rustic” Crawford farm, raising chickens, making trails and playing amazon princess in the woods (or orhanage, which turned out to be quite good practice!) Ok.. so forgive the teenage years, lipstick and BIG bangs, NKOTB, and all that, it was a short phase.. and over without too much permanent damage!! so, try to represent your poor sisters a little better!!!! love love love you, hope to see you soon, and again, the pics are great…. adois, hermano!!
Marie,
Thank you! We can’t wait to see you next month.
Jessica,
Yes, I’ve burst my share of buttons over these kiddos. How’s your own baby doing? It’s been way too long.
Rachael,
I must beg to differ. I shudder at the very idea of naked barbie dolls. And I would never decapitate nor dismember any toy. As you know, I’m suffer from extreme OCD. Even my GI Joes are in mint condition, with all their accessories in tact. (I know. A normal kid would have blown them up or something.) 😛
Okay, so maybe everyone gets a little “creative memories” now and then! I appreciate the humor both sets of childhood memories! Athough it made me feel old when some friends of mine asked if “NKOTB” was internet slang! (to those of you who are still wondering, that’s “New Kids on the Block!)
Phillip, the sentiment of your writing is very sweet! I am also very proud of you! I know most people may think that acting or photography are very cool pastimes, but I personally respect and admire men who are hard workers at whatever they do to support their families! You give 100percent, whether it be in taking these great photos or in less glamorous work, like at the pool store! Your strong work ethic and sense of responsibility are what make me proudest!!!
Thanks for posting the photos of the kids! My only complaint is that I want to see all the other ones as well! I bet some of the “out-takes” were great! I’ll have to check them out next time we come over (which I hope will be soon!)
Love to both you and Eileen from all of us!
Rebecca
Okay- You know I have to chime in. I believe all THREE of you have valid points in your memories… yes- there may have been once or twice that your sisters (goodness knows I wouldn’t have been involved) may have dressed you up, and okay- we forced you to be in a lot of our totally random plays. But think about how life would be different if we hadn’t. Would you have ever discovered your love of acting? Would MB actually have gotten to use her real name growing up instead of one that popped into an active 10 year old’s imagination? I think not. 🙂
So yes, you are right. BUT- R & R are right too… we were busy playing with chickens and goats part of the time, which probably saved you from having to learn the finer points of cheerleading! (btw- the pics of Abby remind me soooo much of them!)
These are all great. I’m so proud of you two!
Christy
Rebecca,
Thanks for the great encouragement. I can’t wait to share more photos with you when you come. For Thanksgiving, I hear!? I’ll do you better than waiting, though. We’ll put a gallery online for you. Till then,
Love,
Phillip
P.S. Don’t feel old. TNKOTB are back and current. Anyone for a concert?
Christy,
She’s right. He’s right. They can’t BOTH be right! (compliments of “Fiddler on the Roof”) Of course, you also are right. 😉
Yes, that’s true. My biological sisters and my honorary sister were more hard-core than I’ve given credit for. Not just anyone would choose a playmate that poops on her. (I mean the chickens, not me.)
[…] six! no lack of playmates in this family. (you can see how much the other kiddos have grown since this shoot.) and we certainly had a great time playing with all our nephews and nieces during this family […]