I am from homemade chicken noodle soup and bread and butter
From crowded kitchens and large backyards
I am from dead end streets and close-knit neighborhoods
From Labor Day parties and Super Bowl Sundays
I am from tippy toes and barefoor summer nights
From Lite-Brote and many failed attempts at Mouse Trap
I am from arguing with siblings about silly things,
like who knew that song first and who started to fight
I am from summer nights of kickball and late night swims
From all these memories I will never forget

I am from overalls and work boots
From catching lightning bugs and summer buzz cuts
I am from water balloon fights and surprise birthday parties
From the smell of spaghetti and meatballs drifting through the house
I am from purple cold medicine and the chicken pox
From wax hands and summer tans
I am from "I Was so Mad" and other Little Critter Books
From grileed dinners on the deck and roasting marshmallows
I am from scary masks and manhunt
From all these memories I will never forget

I am from Easter egg hunts and Cotton Street Park
From Hess Trucks at Christmas and staying the night at Poppy's
I am from Stnad by Me and eating lunch with the neighbors
From cold sherbert and white chedder popcorn at Grandma's
I am from letters to the tooth fairy fro being born with one less tooth
From thanking Frostie and Rudolph for the presents they left
I am from Hide-and-Go-Seek and many games of Tag
From the first day of school pictures and the last day of school parties
I amf rom the smell of clean cotton and Yankee Candles
From all these memories I will never forget

I am from Wildwood and Long Beach Island
From basketball hoops and soccer nets
I am from bug spray and sunscreen
From family reunions and banana boats
I am from Mario Party and Parent's Day shows
From all these memories I will never forget

As I look back into the past
And recall these treasured childhood memories
I will continue to cherish them
For years to come