I don't know how I came to have this photo of Auntie Kat (on the left) and me (on the right) from Halloween 1973. We don't have a lot of photos from Halloween's past that I am aware of. It just wasn't something we made the time for, I guess. It's surprising really, when you consider we have pictures of roasted turkeys and dinner tables going back into time out of mind, haha.

Here's Melody at about the same age as me in the picture above, ready to tackle the neighborhood and collect her candy.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, FROM 1973, 2012 AND ONWARD!

I have often thought about how important car seats are for keeping kids safe in the crazy traffic here in Southern California. There are all sorts of laws in place today mandating the use of carseats and Consumer Reports tests them annually to find the safest ones on the market. But there was a time when a car seat was a novelty, and not designed for safety at all. Originally they were designed just to keep kids in place - the earliest child restraint was a bag that tied the child to the seat back!

Not until 1978 Tennessee become the first state in the nation to implement car seat laws for children (go Vols!). If you ever wondered what an early car seat looked like, I found this great photo in an antique shop, dated 1950. Wow!

Now with fairy magic! Heaven help you if you break the law or don't know the right dance moves. How does this have anything to do with dinosaurs? Just ask a five-year-old!

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While Auntie Tara and her family were visiting a few weeks back, we took Melody and Cassidy to have their portraits done. These girls are so beautiful! When Melody saw the photos tonight she burst into tears, "I miss Cassidy!!!" I know how you feel, sweets, I miss Auntie Tara too. xoxo

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