(I know, I know - I can't believe it either - must be one of the few pictures of MB NOT smiling!!!!)
Marilyn, Rita and Santa, Christmas, 1955
Marilyn, Rita and the Clown, 1952
A different clown made an appearance for Christmas, 1956 but the TV remained the same and the tinsel kept getting thicker! On the right, Mary Beth attempts to show Rose the joys of ironing!
------And through it all------Kevin snoozed on and on! (Thank God)
By the time Christmas of 1958 rolled around, there were six kids! Our paternal grandparents (Nanee and PawPaw) had moved to sunny Florida by that time and my mom had mailed the following pictures to them. I include these pictures more for the comments that my mom had written on the back of each picture - PRICELESS! These pictures have been taped into an album since my grandmother put them in there way back when. I have removed them from our family album for scanning purposes only and I suspect most of my family is seeing these comments for the first time here.
Sue - Operation Tree Decoration
"Twas the Night Before Christmas " -
"B.C. but A.S"
(Before Children but After Santa)
Operation Tree Decoration (Continued)
O.T.D. - (Continued)
.7:30 A.M. Christmas Day (This was written rather large on the back of the picture - do you think Mary Beth and I were too anxious??????)
Rose showing pajamas to cameraman (Daddy) - those two inactive characters just came back from 7:00 Mass and had opened their's earlier!
.Rose with "A Pink Washmachine"
(Use your imagination!)
Sue with First Doll & Buggy!
"And She's All Mine"
Christmas, 1965
Marilyn, Mom, Rita, Rose, Mary Beth, Sue, Kevin and Neal
Christmas, 1969
Christmas, 1970 at Aunt Dot and Uncle Harold's - From left to right - Marilyn, Sue, Rita, Rose, Mary Beth, Mom, Neal, Nanee and Kevin
So here's just SOME of the Wiley Christmases! I know some of you will recognize the old TV box, the punching bag clown (which is probably banished by the toy companies today), the black and white photos (what is this new thing called colored film?) and the tinsel that seemed to increase on a yearly basis! Through good times and bad it seemed somebody always had a camera (and contrary to popular belief - it wasn't always Mary Beth)! Merry Christmas Everyone - hope you spend it with those that you love and those that make you laugh!!!
Christmas, 1999 - Kevin, Mary Beth, Sue, Marilyn, Mom, Rita, Rose and Neal
