June 28, 2011

What did you find most rewarding about raising a family?

On July 11, 2009 we were all seated in the Manti temple as a family. Each child with their own spouse was there as Brittany and Jeffrey became an eternal unit. The fact that they were all able to be there and not all without effort is what is the most rewarding thing that has come from raising a family. There are so many things that are involved in reaching that moment that are rewarding, memorable as well as difficult at times that it is impossible to explain in any other way than that we were all there. 

June 27, 2011

What are some of the blessings you have received from raising your children?


More Children & Grandchildren!!

These are the greatest blessings that I have received and the fact that each child has chosen a wonderful spouse and have been faithful to the gospel. They are also raising their children as we tried to raise ours and that is a blessing that I cannot even try to explain as far as the value of blessings that we have received from raising them. It is fun to watch them try to help each other as they are raising the children.

June 26, 2011

Do you remember anything your children did when they were small that surprised or amazed you?

Children are always amazing. Memory is always fragile. So remembering specifics is almost inconceivable. I think though that children seem to be so much more advanced in their eternal growth prior to being born that they seem to be coming with power and knowledge far beyond that developed by my generation. I am sure it will continue to be that way as each generation comes along. Our grandchildren seem to be advanced even beyond that of their parents at the respective ages as well. We are truly coming closer to the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior because the spirits coming to earth in these latter-days seem so ready to prepare the world for that event.

June 25, 2011

What are some of the funniest moments (things they said or did) you can remember about your children?

Ben, scouting experiences

Ben was a rather short small boy for his age until he decided to grow in his teenage years. However as a 12 or 13 year old scout he wasn’t really very big compared to the other boys. So one time as he stood up to one of the younger boys who was making comments about me his short swing only landed air and the other boys long swing broke Ben’s nose.

Another time he was goofing off around the large open ring campfire pit and stumbled falling right into the glowing coals. It only took me a split second to reach down and pull him out but his jacket carried the holes from the burned areas cause by the hot coals.

Jeff, followed home by angry visitor due to speed of driving on Larsen lane.

Some of these were not too funny at the time especially for the child. Jeff was a soccer coach in his later teen years and one day had forgotten something for practice so in his hurry to come and get it he was traveling fairly fast down Larsen lane (800 West) and one of the neighbors sons decided that since he ignored his signaling to slow down that he would come and have a talk with him. Jeff ran into the house and asked quickly where something was and so I told him and he headed on out to the shed. I couldn’t figure out why he was in such a hurry or why he seemed worried. A few seconds later I found out why though when the fellow knocked on the door asking for my son. I talked to him and he told me about the incident and so I told him that I appreciated the concern and would talk to him about it. It took a few minutes to get him to believe that and he finally left. I don’t know if Jeff drove back to the school on Larsen lane or Main street however.

Hayden, flour all over him.

I got a frantic call from Marie one day asking how to use my camera. It seems that our little toddler had discovered something of interest on the counter and pulled it down spilling the contents of the flour canister all over him.

Tia, ability to make Loren mad

There are a number of memorable experiences of the funny and not so funny nature depending on if you are not Loren or if you are Loren. Tia has always had the ability to get Loren’s scientific mind in a battle of wits with hers. There are several memorable quotes due to this fact that still carry on to this day so it would be wise to pass the  milk when you are at our table in “The Traditional Manner” since Loren would rather not have it passed to him as you would pass a football.

Loren. Speech, crying up the statue of liberty

Loren gave us a lot of concern when he was learning to talk because as we have since come to learn he has a very special mind and a different way of thinking. Due to that fact when he was learning to speak he invented his own vocabulary and used it all the time. We didn’t know that was what was happening until a speech therapist explained it to us as we started the counseling sessions that would teach him the correct use of the language we all spoke in.

Loren’s most memorable experience though was when he was still quite young around 4 or 5. I don’t recall when we went to the National Jamboree exactly but it happened during that trip. We were climbing the stairs up the Statue of Liberty and Loren was petrified. We stood in line to be able to go and the walkway became only big enough for a fat person to walk  in s when he began to cry there was no way that I could carry him back down the stairs. So consequently I swung the video camera over my shoulder and picked him up and carried him to the top. The video was proof that he didn’t stop until we got to the top. It was recording each of the locations of the bolts near the stairs as it swung on my side as I carried him to the top and of course the sound was also recorded as he cried and was telling me all the way up. “I want to go back down!” This was also recorded in his vocabulary which I cannot quote now as I have forgotten most of it. It was mainly made up of “R’s” as I recall.

Brittany, Tia’s first stave

For Brittany the most memorable and an event that started a new hobby for me, occurred at Tia’s first or second year at Girl’s Camp. Marie had gone with Tia to camp and so I went up in the motorhome that David Nemelka had given to us and set up camp outside of Bennion Creek where the girls were camping. I would then take Loren and Brittany with me to camp after we had breakfast and played around the motorhome camp site for a few hours. I would go in and help the leaders teach the girls skills that I knew from scouting such as starting fires and use of  a compass. Well britt and Loren would just play and britt found out that Tia had a “secret sister” who became no secret shortly after that. Tia was so upset with me for bringing her to camp that I spent the next day carfing anf woodburning a new stave for her. She used the stave for several years at camp and I began going to camp every year after that as a priesthood advisor and carved a lot of staves for young women leaders over those years. 

June 24, 2011

Why did you give them the names you did?

I really don’t remember why the names were chosen other tan that Marie wanted Ben not Benjamin. I misspelled Jerfrey and spelled  it Jeffery.

Hayden was named after a Hayden whom I had taught in the missionfield but couldn’t baptize due to an alcoholic mother that would not give permission. Tia was named by the boys as I recently explained. I just liked the name Loren and after he was named later realized that I had an Uncle Loren in my mother’s family. Brittany was a favorite name that Marie had and wanted to name her that but since it was so long we didn’t give her a middle name.

June 23, 2011

I don't know if I am going to ever catch up on these questions.

Were there any unique circumstances surrounding their births?

Ben

Since he was our first and not due for three more weeks it was a bit unusual to have to go to the hospital at around 4 AM to see what was wrong. Well nothing was wrong and the nurse said to Marie as we were wheeling her down the hall in a wheelchair that “You will be laughing at the doctor in a little while. This baby wants to come now.” (or sometning to that effect.)  Anyway he was born soon there after and after being with Marie for a couple of hours I had to go to work and drive to fix TV’s. I got some time off later to be able to stay home with her for a few days but the boss needed me that particular day pretty bad or so he said.

Jeff

Jeff was due around the around the 17^th or so of Oct. So Marie and I went to a movie, Windwalker, on a Saturday evening since she didn’t appear to be getting close to having the baby. When we got home we were called again by Clair and told that dad had gone to the hospital that night with a stroke. So the next morning we headed to Roosevelt to visit  dad and when we got to the hospital the nurses wanted to get a wheelchair for Marie and we had to explain that we were not there to have a baby delivered but rather to visit dad. He had been scheduled to came and stay with Ben while Marie and I went to the hospital to have the baby. (Note: I refer to them as “baby” since back then we had no idea of the gender until they are born.) Jeff was later born on Halloween and dad was unable to come since he was still in the hospital.

Hayden

The most unusual part of his birth was the fact that Marie was sure she was going to have a girl since everything during the pregnancy was so different from the first two. Needless to say she was a bit surprised when it was a boy.

Tia

Marie was pretty well set on the fact that we would just have all boys and so when Nadine suggested we do the ring test and it said girl she wasn’t ready to believe it. Well the ring test was correct and she had our first very cute baby girl. Since the boys were old enough to help pick a name and we had been watching “Escape to Witch Mountain” they wanted to name her the same as the girl in the movie “Tia”. We did and then later found out that in Spanish it means “Aunt” . Now all of her nieces and nephews can call her “Tia Tia.”

Loren

The most unusual part of Loren’s birth was the fact that he was also overdue and while Marie was in the labor room , which was actually a room just for her, she had a dream that we had lost him during delivery. Well complications began to arise and the nurses said that we had to get him out now since she had been in delivery for almost 14 hours by then. As they wheeled to bed to the delivery room she frantically looked at me and said, “Don’t let us loose this baby.” He was born soon after that and weighed 10 lbs. But he was healthy and we were so glad to have him here.

Brittany

For her the unusual circumstances were in the fact that Marie started to bleed and she almost miscarried at around four or so months. Marie then stopped working so hard and slowed down and was able to then carry her full term. However there was one other thing that happened around her birth and that was that Grandma Behrmann passed away from a stroke on March 17^th just a little over a month before Brittany was born. Then a year later in May of 1988 the wards were divided and we were put into the first ward so that Marie’s  best friend at that time was still in the 4^th ward. We were able to still remain friends with the Averett’s but for Marie she lost a year because she has always thought that those dramatic events all happened within a two month period. Interesting that Brittany would marry the baby (Jeffrey) that Joan had just several months the wards were divided.