Babies, oh my, all the babies!

When there are five girls in one family, there is a great possibility of a large family. Dorothy Ann had Michael when I was about 7 years old. My mother and I went to Chicago to visit when Michael was quite small, but I'm not sure just how soon after his birth we took that trip.

 Here is a photo of Dorothy Ann (with an obvious 'baby bump') in Chicago with several of the couple's friends.

This is a group of people in Dorothy Ann and Jimmy's lives. Dorothy Ann is on the left behind the couch, and Wilma is second from the left seated on the couch. Next to her is Jimmy's mother, but I don't remember who most of the other people in the picture are, with the exception of me...seated on the floor on the left. Since I was about 7 years old in this photo, I'm guessing that this was the time my mother and I visited after Michael was born.

 Then, here is my mother and father with baby Michael, and I'm in the background. This was taken at our house in Cedar Rapids, so I am guessing that Dorothy Ann and Michael, and perhaps Jimmy, came to visit when he was still quite young.

 And....apparently, Grandma Cooper was living with us at the time, because here is Wilma, Grandma Cooper holding Michael, and Dorothy Ann, all seated on the couch in our living room on 17th Street in Cedar Rapids.

I have posted the photo of Jean in maternity clothes on a previous posting, so you know the babies were coming in rapid order. First was Michael, then Scott (Jean and Jack's son), then came Susan (Margaret and Al's first daughter, born the same year as Scott), and Bonnie (Merry's only child, born to her and Fred Burns, also born the same year as Scott and Susan.)

Margaret had gone to McKinley High School, and graduated from there. While at McKinley, she dated 'Snooky' Brookner, who we all knew eventually as 'Al.'

 Margaret May Cooper, graduated in about 1947.

C.J. 'Al' Brookner, graduated in about 1947.

Right here, I need to tell you a story about Margaret and Al's marriage...  My mother was not sure she approved of Margaret getting serious about 'Snooky' Brookner, but it happened. And, the two of them decided they were going to get married. I don't know if you call their wedding an 'elopement' or not. But, Al came to pick Margaret up, and he had his clothes for their trip in a paper bag. Needless to say, my mom was not impressed. But, in her wisdom, she knew it was not going to do any good to try to stop them, so she must have given her blessing (my dad did not usually say too much about these things...and since my mother pretty much ran the house, she was the power to deal with. Anyway, Margaret and Al left on their honeymoon. And, when they came back, my mother had a classified ad from the Cedar Rapids Gazette to show to Al. It advertised the fact that Collins Radio was hiring, and she advised him to get right over there and apply. Well, long story short, he did that, and worked the rest of his career for what later became Rockwell-Collins, internationally known Cedar Rapids company! (Who said, "Mother Knows Best?") In later years, Al never hesitated to let everyone know that my mother had set him on his path to a good job!

 The Cooper Family was rapidly expanding! By this time, three of the four older sisters lived in Cedar Rapids. Merry was the one who did not live in town, but when she came for a visit, we all got together, and this must be one of those occasions. On the couch, left to right, are Margaret holding baby Julie, Merry holding little Bonnie, Dorothy Ann holding Jimmy (or, as we always called him - Butchie), and Jean holding Jill. Below on the floor, left to right, are Susan (Margaret and Al's oldest daughter), Michael (Dorothy Ann and Jimmy's oldest son), and Scott (Jean and Jack's son). [Too bad no one thought to pull the shade behind the couch!]

And, here are the brothers-in-law...left to right - Jack holding Jill, Al holding Julie, Freddie holding Bonnie, and Jimmy holding Butchie. On the floor below in front of their fathers are Scott, Susan and Michael.

Grandma Barrett was living with us at this time, and here she is with all the grandkids...left to right, Michael, Scott, Grandma Barrett with Julie, Bonnie (asleep!), and Butchie. On the floor are Susan and Jill.

As you can see, our extended family grew exponentially for awhile there. It was always fun when we got together, and as the aunt of these kids, although I was only 7 years older than Michael, I often played with them and had a lot of good experience being around young kids...

Don't worry...there are many more photos to come. I think the years we lived in Cedar Rapids, and the times we spent at the lake in Minnesota, are some of the happiest times I had as a child. Busy, sometimes a bit crazy, but really quite happy.

Come back to read more, and I would love to have you comment about my posts!