First of all, I would say that you definitely were lucid in these nightmares. It sounds similar to my first lucid experience, where I intentionally awoke myself to escape from a monster in my dream when I was pretty young.

As for not remembering your dreams now, I think you just need practice. Stress may be an issue. But if you repeat to yourself as you are going to sleep "I am waking up after I dream, and I am remembering my dream", it should help you to do just that. Then make sure you write down what you remember. The more you do this, the better you'll get at it. Also, remember that you're likely to have longer, more vivid dreams after at 4-6 hours of sleep.

I've added your AIM address to my contact list. Feel free to IM me anytime -- my contact info is in my profile.