the rickety horse

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we have this little rocking horse at our house that my grandparents bought when my mom was little. they have kept it ever since and all their children, grandchildren, and now {most} of their great-grandchildren have all played on it.

it has been so fun to see Elijah riding it in his room and remembering my own make-believe adventures i had on it when i was a little girl.
i remember exactly how it bounced, how it rocked, and how it sprung back and forth.
i remember how it creaked, squeaked and rattled as you rode faster.
i remember how the handles slid back and forth from years of kids holding onto it for dear life.
i remember how my knees came right up to my chest when i put them on the wooden stirrups but didn’t care cause i just wanted to prove i could ride it faster than my cousins.
i remember all of it as if i was a little girl all over again.

i’m sure all of my siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles have the same memories of the horse as well. and it makes me more than happy to see my own son making his own fun {and possibly painful… i mean look at how he rides!} memories on that little horse!
i love hearing the squeaking of the horse from the other room
and then Elijah running over to me to tell me,
“I go fast!!”

i have come to realize that one of the best parts of parenthood is seeing your child carry on your own childhood traditions & memories.
like playing with an old, rickety horse,
or singing a nursery rhyme your grandpa taught you,
or reading the books you grew up loving.

it completely melts my heart when Elijah learns to love the same things i once loved.
and it makes it all so much sweeter to be able to relive those childhood memories right alongside my own son.

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9 comments:

Unknown said...

adorable !

Unknown said...

So sweet! We had that exact same one - well my grandparents did anyways. My aunt and I finally broke it with our abuse LOL. That was right around the time we scored real horses to ride fast though. Yours is in great condition!

A Proverbs 31 Wife said...

Ack! I saw that photo and had to squeal a bit, we had a horse just like that growing up!
But we were pretty rough on it, bouncing up and down so hard that the back cracked and then if we weren't careful it would pinch our bum when we tried to get off.

Danielle said...

Awww! He is so adorable! I love that your family saved this and he can enjoy something through generations!SO cute!

Alyssa said...

So cute!! He is such a fun little boy! (: And that is one sturdy horse!

LaBelleMadeleine said...

sweet sweet post!!! ♥

Kelly said...

He is sooo cute!! My grandpa bought our kids an old horse VERY similar to the one we had as kids. He found it at a yard sale and he and his wife were so excited to give it to our kids. I swear those kinds of memories are PRICELESS aren't they?

Unknown said...

Aw fun!!! How neat to have a toy that has been passed down! :)

Unknown said...

Aww, so sweet! I love passing down things to my daughter too, like going to the same farm I did as a kid to pick out a pumpkin. :)