We passed a weird milestone on Wednesday. On the surface, it just marked seven months of living in this shouldn’t-call-it-new-anymore house. Then we realized it also marked the point at which Clara has spent more of her life living here than at our first home.
We always knew our first house would just be a foggy blip on Clara’s memory radar, but passing this milestone feels like it’s actually happening. The house that we spent renovating/loving for over 4.5 years meant so much to me and Sherry – it wasn’t just our first home, it was our wedding venue, our DIY testing grounds, our inspiration to start this blog, and where we took our baby home from the hospital. But it’s already becoming “that place I lived for a few months back when I was a baby” to Clara. Sigh.
Here’s her almost seven-month-old self checking out her new room back on moving day.
And here she is over seven months later. Such a big girl. Still pretty bald though.
We’re really glad she (and Burger) took so well to the new house. And we’re more than a little fond of it ourselves. It’s just funny to think that a house that meant so much to us won’t be much more than “oh yeah, that place” to Clara. Thankfully she’ll have no shortage of photos and videos to remember it by.
Do any of you have a childhood home that you only remember vaguely? Or do you get most of your memories jogged by pictures and your parents’ stories? I lived in the same house for my entire childhood, but Sherry moved around a few times, and only remembers “the drop ceiling in the basement that she and the boys would ‘accidentally’ break all the time” from her first one. At least Clara’s memory of her first house won’t involve destruction. Unless you count all the DIY that she witnessed.
Update- We just got Clara’s monthly pic done, check it out here. We’ve got a walker!!
Maggie Rose says
My parent’s lived in a little beach cottage when I was a baby, just a few miles from the site where they were building our house. There are pictures of me in my bouncy swing, hanging from the rafters of the skeleton house as the walls come up around me. We moved in when I was about 1 I think. I still have memories of our first house because my uncle ended up living there from when I was about 8-15. It was strange to think of us all in that tiny house but I did get to know it a little. My parents still live in the house they built and I’m sure it’ll be there for a long long time.
kathy says
Love your video with Clara–so sweet!
This sounds crazy but my family moved an average of once per year when I was a child, and by the time I finally bought my own home with my husband, I had lived in over 28 – 30 places! We have lived in our first (and hopefully only) house for 11 years and I LOVE it! I think that my love for home DIY and your blog is because I’ve wanted my own home my whole life. Our little humble house is my favorite place on earth. haha! :-)
Abby C. says
I definitely don’t remember the two flats my parents lived in when I was under 18 months. However, I do have memories that date back to about when I was 18 months, so Clara will remember your second house!
What I loved about your first house was that it was actually quite small. But with the work you did on it, it was super cozy, extremely charming, perfect for a brand new family. It really became an inspiration, that you could live modestly in a small house and transform it on a small budget, all with the end result that your abode is more welcoming and warming than a gigantic McMansion furnished in all sterile, super matching pieces.
My fiance and I are in an apartment right now, and we plan on living very frugally in a future house, so we click back to old house posts of you guys all the time to motivate us!
debbie says
I love your photo idea! I like the one of her on the moving boxes. I moved around a lot, but I fondly remember the first house our family moved into when I was 3 or 4…full of 70’s decor (metallic wallpaper in the bathroom, red and black swirly carpet in the basement, etc.) that we never changed. There was even a fake plastic fireplace hanging on the basement wall, complete with moving “flames”. So many memories in that house!
Annalea says
My kids all walked around 14 months, too. :o)
My memories of my first home are foggy, at best. I was 3.5 when we moved, so I have a few concrete memories, like walking from one end of the couch to the other wearing my dad’s impossibly huge and heavy cowboy boots (that reached my knees), and the day a small bird came into the house and mom had quite the job getting it out again.
And I love that preview frame on the video . . . is that John’s Elvis look? ;o)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- I have no idea what that is! It looks sinister – maybe it’s his Bill Compton from True Blood look.
xo,
s
doahleigh says
I have no memories of the apartment my parents brought me home to, and exactly two memories of the house I lived in after that for a few years. Actually it makes me kind of sad that I don’t remember my first homes that well.
Someday you’ll have to bring Clara back to the old house, knock and the door and ask the strangers living there if you can show her around.
heartlandfarmhouse says
Awwww….so bitter sweet!
I remember the day I realized I’d known my husband for more years than I’d known my Dad! But at least ya’ got the pictures & the memories of others!
Have a Blessed Day!
Rebecca
Cathy says
My father was in the military when I was born but retired when I was 3 so I only remember one home. My parents talked a lot about all those homes when I was a kid so I do have memories – just not the usual kind. I think you guys are on the right track.
Brandy says
I know the feeling. I married my husband and moved to Hawaii (Army) It was where we made our family, (2 kiddos were born) where we learned how to live together. Where we had my Mommy move because she was sick, and where she died. Then the Army said “Move”! and now we are in Savannah GA. Still a nice place, but just don’t hold the same meaning as Hawaii.
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry for your loss Brandy. Hawaii and Savannah both sound lovely!
xo,
s
cecilly martinez says
we lived in the first house my parents bought since I was five. I remember a lot and remember some from pictures. It wasn’t a grand house neither was it ever my family’s style. We just had things placed here and there because we didn’t have very much money, but fond memories were made there.
Cassandra says
Hi! I just came across your website and I love it! We just sold our first house that we spent a year and a half renovating (www.madelinescastlepage.blogspot.com) and I’m having a harder time letting it go than my husband is. We moved into a great new (old) house but we haven’t been there long enough to make it feel like ours yet but we’re working on it http://www.ckandnate.blogspot.com! Your site is so great reference. Thanks so much for sharing.
Shari @ Chicago Cuisine Critique says
This is such a sweet video. I’m sure she will love to watch it once she gets a little older. :)
Amy says
My mom and I only lived in my “first house” for a few months, and I BA no memory of it at all. Nor the bakery we later lived above. I remember living in a small rental unit when I was 3 – those are the earliest memories I have.
Angela Wilson says
Hi John and Sherry,
My husband and I are enjoying Richmond on his BEAUTIFUL day, at Maynont Park! What a great place! We always make it one of out stops on out trips from Nashville (our home) to NJ (family!).
Enjoy your day!
Angela Wilson says
*this beautiful day…Maymont park…one of our stops…geez autocorrect!
Anne says
I too feel bittersweet about first homes. My mother sold our childhood home right after I got married. I still feel a bit sad that my children never got to run around “the loop” (living room, dining room, kitchen and repeat) like we did or my nieces did. The new owners have changed it so much! It still irks a bit that they messed with “our” house!! And, more recently, we moved our of our starter home into a single family home. I appreciate the new house but do miss our little townhouse. It’s where we started our lives together, where we started our family and became parents! Great memories were made in that house!
On a side note: My babies didn’t have hair (well, much hair) until they were almost three! My little bald babies! Doesn’t make any of them any less cute!!
Lisa says
That video for Clara is a great idea. We are most likely moving from Brooklyn back to my home state of Pennsylvania in the next year or so. Our 8 month old son will probably not remember our current home, but putting together a little video tour for him will allow us to share it with him. I already get weepy when I think about leaving the place where we first brought him home, where I spent hours nursing him in our sunroom, where I watched Modern Family on DVR in the living room in the middle of the night during feedings! Here come the waterworks. Oh Geez.
Rebbie says
My parents and I lived in an apartment until I was a year old and I don’t remember it at all. Then we moved into a house and lived there until I was 16. Lots of memories there! I wonder what my kids will remember about the places we’ve lived.
MacKenzie says
Your post about your old house reminded me of my favorite quotes from Garden State about growing up and home. It is kinda long, but you get the point. Just a little food for thought on this hot hot Friday! PS I took out the bad words. To keep it PG (or G) ya’know your mom’s are reading it :). “You know that point in your life when you realize that the house you grew up in isn’t really your home anymore…all of the sudden even though you have some place to put your stuff, that idea of home is gone…or maybe it’s like this rite of passage…you will never have that feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself, for your kids, for the family you start. It’s like a cycle or something. Maybe that’s all family really is: a group of people that miss the same imaginary place.
Rachel Tatem says
That’s so great! You have done so much to your house: such an encouragement!
Ashley says
What a sweet video! My dad was in the military for my whole childhood, so I have had MANY homes! I believe it ended up being 10 in 18 years! Because of that experience, though, I really believe that home isn’t necessarily the building itself but the people who you share your life with!
Kristen @ The Concrete Runner says
My parents alwasy talk about “the house in St. Ann” that they lived in until I was almost a year old. I don’t remember it at all so I always consider the house I grew up in the only house I’ve ever lived in (well, until I got married). It’s nice that Clara will have all those memories of your first house to look back on!
Heather says
My family never moved when I was growing up. They still live in the same house now, and both of there parents live in the same town and the same houses from when they were little.
Now I live in a big city in a tiny apartment lol
Sara says
I lived in the same house for most of my life. It will always be home!
BTW – if you haven’t yet, check out Joss and Main. Their new line from Trina Turk has so many of your colors! It’s Sue the napkin’s cousin in a pillow and curtains!
YoungHouseLove says
Fun!
xo,
s
Allison says
Hi, John and Sherry,
First off, I love your blog and follow it daily! My husband now asks me, “What do you think John and Sherry would do?” when we have design dilemmas. :) Anyhow, This comment/question isn’t at all related to this post,but I was wondering if you guys could help a sister out; I want to paint my brick fireplace and raised hearth white. The problem is that I have a black wood burning insert, (like you guys had before), and my husband is in love with it- so, it isn’t going anywhere. Do you think it will look alright to paint everything white but the black insert. I considered painting it white too for a minute, but decided it might look weird and plastic-ish. Do you guys think the black metal will stick out like a heavy, dark sore thumb? Or is this something you’ve seen before and it balanced out okay??? Help! I’ve google image searched like crazy and am at a complete and total loss!
Allison from South Carolina
YoungHouseLove says
Sure! We painted the inside of our fireplace black and the hearth and fireplace white so it should look similar!
xo,
s
lindsey says
honestly, she wont have any memories of the old house at all :( the only things she’ll know about it will be the things you tell her.
Liz says
The house where I lived for the first few years of my life actually ended up being the home of one of my best friends in high school, so although I only had vague memories of it, it turned that I got to see it (a lot!) later in life!
Ana says
We lived in a duplex apartment until I was a toddler. I only remember it from the pictures, but I know where it is. My parents bought the house they still live in today (30+ years). We’re close to all of our long-time neighbors, so the stability is a definite plus.
susan says
That brought some tears to my eyes. Also, having four kids now, it was a painful reminder to me that I need to make more videos of my babies!!! They grow up so quickly, and pictures capture just a teensy amount of what the wee days are like. Clara is a blessed little one, that is clear.
Elise says
The new Clara pic is my favorite ever! Great outfit and fabric choice! So fun to see her standing!
joyjoy says
We moved around a couple times in my early life. I have no memories at all of the apartment we lived in for the first few months of my life, but I do have some vague memories of the house we lived in until I was almost four. Most of them are of the outside (I remember pickings grapes off the vine on the side of the house and liking the orchids in the neighbors yard), but I do remember running down the hall to my parents bedroom and playing in the living room.
Anne says
I so enjoy reading your blog, and this post was so timely for me. Earlier this week, I took a day trip to visit the first home I remember — I lived there when I was three — and wrote about it on my blog. It was a powerful experience. I’m sure your daughter will have many lovely memories from her childhood home, as well.
Best wishes,
Anne@ChasingMaybes
Em Rohrer says
When I turned 4 years old my family moved into the home where I spent the rest of my childhood up til I moved out of state to college…however, I have two extremely vivid memories of the small house we had before then:
1) The hot pink bathroom (including the tile and toilet!)
2) Getting my lip split open trying to fly off the top bunk at age 3.5
Good house memories!
carolinaheartstrings says
I lived in 2 houses as a child. Pretty much grew up from age 4 to adulthood in one. My son has had many homes, my daughter born and lived 16 years now in our current home. I think I am done moving! Too much stuff.
Kayla says
I’m happy that you guys still post sentimental posts like this about Clara and family :) I know some people have commented over the years about wanting YHL to focus solely on design tips and tutorials so I’m happy to see you guys continue to stay true to yourselves. I think it’s the fact that you guys post about what you love and what’s important to you that makes your blog stand out and keeps people (like me) coming back! What a great video too!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks. We never want to take the “love” outta YHL. Haha. Posts like these are our faves because this whole thing is just sort of a diary (and we love to look back on family stuff the most of all).
xo,
s
Sydney says
When I was 14 I had lived in 14 different houses…no joke. My parents have since finally settled in a little and still live in the same house they lived in when I married…and me and my husband have lived in our home for 4 years…we’re hoping to keep the moving to a minimum in our lives!!!
Laura says
Tell Clara that I was bald until I was three years old. Since then, I’ve had a full head of hair :)
Love your blog!
Heather W says
We moved from our first home when my daughter was just over a year old. We have been in our current home ever since and she is 11! She doesn’t remember being in the first house but when we drive by she proudly tells her brother I lived there too. She thinks it’s cool that she has lived in two homes and her brother has only lived in one. She has seen our pics etc. She just knows and I can tell she thinks it is cool and the house has meaning to her still. You would be surprised what they get out of pictures and stories that you tell them. Hope this helps….
Courtney says
I’ve lived in at least 17 different homes-and I just turned 22-so most of them I only remember vaguely. Actually, the main thing I remember of each of them is the best hiding spots-I liked to startle people [and you all think you’re weird sometimes…hahaha].
And I didn’t start growing hair until I was almost 3-my mother resorted to taping bows and such to my head.
Clara is absolutely adorable! :)
Katie says
What a fun age Clara is! I remember thinking at this age that my girl couldn’t get any more fun. The great part is that she does!
Colleen says
My family lived in several places before I was born, but the first house my parents bought was in Erie, PA and that was the one that my parent’s really thought of as their first real home. While I was just a bun in the oven, my family moved to Virginia, where I was born, on to Michigan, and then finally to Wisconsin when I was 3 years old. Our house in WI is really the only one I remember, but my parents always spoke so lovingly of the “green house” in PA, that when I was little I used to talk about it like I had lived there. Clara will have memories of her first house, whether they are really hers or just from the stories you tell.
Melo says
I have no memories of my first home, a midtown-NYC apartment building where my father was a Super and where I lived from years 0-2.
….But, life takes some funny turns… My current NYC job is just 2 blocks away from that first home. I often pass by and take pictures to send to my older brothers who live out of NYC. They clearly remember the tiles, the doors, the freight entrance, and appreciate those flashbacks.
Serah Freeman says
How bittersweet! I watched the video for Clara the first time you posted it but it was even more precious this time. Blessings P. Family!
Jaz says
Hi John & Sherry,
Thank you for your fun and educational blog posts! …I really enjoy them.
Do you have any more posts about the emotional part of selling your first home that you poured so much of yourselves into? We are 8 years into remodeling our own brick ranch and first home on the Colorado plains, and I get emotional just thinking about selling it. (we will very likely be making a cross country move to be closer to family and for more acreage).
Just curious what emotions you went through and how you handled it….
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s the post about deciding to sell and where we both were (and came to be): https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/09/blogiversary-iii-on-the-move/
And here’s a post about all the things we never wanted to forget about our first house (making a list to “capture” them all was really therapeutic): https://www.younghouselove.com/2010/11/in-the-words-of-rose-from-titanic/
It seemed so sad to leave when we first started talking about it, but slowly we got more excited to just take a look and see what was out there. Then we found our new house and our hearts filled with excitement about all of the adventures and memories we’d acquire there, so there wasn’t much room for sadness. Sounds weird but that’s really what happened.
xo,
s
Jaz says
Thank you!! The ‘Titanic, never let go’ list is a great idea. …and yes, I suppose the excitement & possibilities of the new will replace the sadness of the goodbye.
Thanks again!
Briana says
Aww, look at itty-bitty Clara! So cute. The only thing I can remember from the first house I lived in is the front porch, where I got stung by a wasp. Sweet. I remember a lot more from the house I lived in until I was nine…
Holly says
You guys are too good at remembering milestones, and taking pictures every week of your child’s life, and pictures for anniversaries, etc – sometimes I actually remember what day it is (and then somehow miraculously remember when a milestone date was) and all the sudden I’m like “damn, I missed that date” or “wow, that is crazy.” I admire your reflecting on important times. I need to work less and then just maaaybe I’d remember when to celebrate or step back and say, “wow.”
Congrats on the milestone though. You’re creating memories for her everyday that are in there somewhere :)
Meg says
I just asked my 14-year-old if he has any memory of his first house. We moved about a month and a half after his 2nd birthday. No memory at all. Of course, he’s a boy.
Kelly says
My parents moved into a new house when I was 21 and it was so sad. Instead of going smaller (after all the kids moved out), they went bigger. It’s not far from where they used to live, and when I come home to visit, I always make my mom drive by the old house. I hope to buy it when the current owners(who bought it from my parents) sell it. All of my childhood memories are in that house, I want it back!
Cute video you guys did for Clara. She’s a lucky gal. The video I created was unfortunately during the packing stages, so my mom wasn’t too happy about the “mess” I was capturing(she complained through the whole video.) She’s the type of lady that if we ever splurged and got her a maid for a day, she would clean first!
Libby says
my mom still lives in the house that I was brought home from the hospital in!when she and my dad got divorced they both wanted to tell the house but I cried like a baby and begged my mom to stay in the house. 12 years later she is still there and probably will be for the rest of her life!
jeannette says
love the walker pic. you know it’s all down hill from here. next up, car keys.
you all are so cute.
xxx