Old... older... even older...

Family is so important, and memories -- especially ones from days long ago -- are so cherished. But along with the memories, and the pictures, it's so cool when you can hand down items that have been in your family for generations. That have history too them. A piece of your past, and eventually a piece of your future.

In the old category, today Kyle got to break into a tub of Legos that belonged to Andrew, Beth and I growing up. I was a little sad to break apart the creations that were still stuck together; they were my creations from so many years ago. But, apart they are. And now they are becoming the creations of Kyle. He had so much fun playing with them today and hated to put them away. He has a Lego car in bed with him right now. He already talked about what he is going to build tomorrow. In the older category is this bassinet. It was bought for my dad to sleep in as a newborn. My dad was born in 1934, so the bassinet has been around quite awhile. My dad slept in it, my aunts, my siblings and I, my cousins, and my cousins' children. When I was expecting Kyle I gave it a new paint job and bought new bedding. It was set up for both Kyle and Erin. My nephew Jack used it, and now 10-day-old Brett is sleeping in it. Two of my cousin Kathy's sons got married this summer, so in the coming years I would expect that a whole new generation will begin using the bassinet.And in the even older category is an apron that my Aunt Joan brought this summer. It belonged to my great-grandmother, Margaret Smyth. She was my dad's grandmother. I would need to check, but I think she was born in the 1880s. She was born in Ireland, and moved here with my grandmother in the early 1900s.