I totally remember this Christmas

I have very vivid memories from a very young age. I figure it was because I was always looking for things to get into and ways to start trouble. Dennis the Menace has nothing on me. OK, well, my babysitters didn't cringe at the mention of my name. Anyway, the reason I posted these pictures is because I have a story to tell about that big doll and the dish set. Oh and hey, before I begin...my parents can NOT complain about my love for the phone. Just look at that...they bought me a play phone when I was three. Fools! They totally started my phone call obsession. Yeah, I like talking on the phone, just to people I know, not salesman.

Anyway, here is my story. When I was maybe 5 years old, my big doll and dish set were upstairs at my Grandma and Grandpa Slater's house. They had an older house, with wooden stairs that were really steep and the runners were not wide at all. Going up seemed OK, but going down was a tad bit scary. I used to sit on my butt and scoot down. However when you are 5 and not a little kid anymore, you don't want to do such a baby thing. Plus I had a whole box of dishes and a huge doll to get down the stairs without smacking her legs against the walls and stairs. I took maybe two steps with precision and grace before that went out the door. I ended up turning somersaults down the stairs, doll in tow, dish set going every which way. When I finally hit the bottom of the steps, I landed on top of the doll with great force. The tiny saucers were spinning like coins around me. I'm so shocked, that for an instant, I can't cry. Oh, it hurt like hell but nothing was coming out of my mouth. I turn and see my Grandma and my Mom sitting at the table and my Mom said, "What did you do that for?" That is when I lost it. The pain hit me....and my Mother thought I fell on purpose?! OMG. Well, as it turns out, they though I threw the dishes down the stairs and jumped down from a few steps up, landing on the doll. I must have fell down the stairs pretty fast for them to think that but it felt like a life time to me. I don't know why they thought I would do something like that, I can only imagine the stupid stuff I did on a daily basis to make them think it was a possibility.
I think that event will never leave my memory. I can still see the tea cups and saucers bouncing around me as I flip flopped down the stairs....stairs, ceiling, stairs, ceiling...in slow motion, each bounce hurting more than the one before.
Somethings never change. I'm still a total klutz.