A: Well, we were gone for awhile and then we came back. We lived in Cedar City for awhile and Ephraim for awhile. That was with this Forest Service thing and then we decided to come back here. He liked it here.

Q: Did you have any family yet at that time?

A: No, not at that time.

Q: And after you moved back to Moab…?

A: Well we lived up there, do you know where Lily Ann Balsley’s place is? We lived up there for awhile and then my husband was called into the army. He was in about two years overseas. And then we put our application in to the Children’s Service for a baby. And then he got back from overseas and he called me up to come and get him at Salt Lake and at the same time this Children’s Service called me to come and get a baby. So I got the baby and the husband both at the same time.

Q: What date was that?

A: He’s over fifty years old right now

Q: So you got the baby up in Salt Lake?

A: Yes, though the Children’s Service. We were going to get this one baby and we’d seen it and we were pretty thrilled. We’d gone to ZCMI to pick up some baby things and before we went home they called us and said, “We’ve never had this happen before. And it’s up to you what you want to do. The father’s just got back and he wanted to marry the girl.” So, of course, we were completely broken up but we said that was best if he wanted to marry the girl so we went back and they said, “All we’ve got is one baby and he’s premature. If you want to take him, it’s up to you.” So we said we did and I’m certainly glad we did because the one woman said, “ When I saw the father I was kind of glad you didn’t get that baby.” So I guess the Lord works in mysterious ways and gave us this other baby because he’s been very intelligent as a baby and a boy.

Q: And he’s where now?

A: He’s up in Michigan. He’s with the Jeep Company, he’s worked himself up with the Jeep Company. That’s where they live now.

Q: Pretty far away.

A: Yes, it is. A long ways.

Q: And then you just stayed here in Moab from then on?

A: We just lived here.

Q: Did you work at any other jobs after you came back to Moab.

A: Well, I worked at the extension service at the Courthouse and worked as a dental assistant and I worked at the hospital for years. And then after we got our baby they wouldn’t even talk to you because there were so many people wanting babies so, after you got two, the Children’s Service wouldn’t even talk to you any more.

Q: Well how did you end up getting seven more then?

A: We just picked them up where we could. Now this is something. We stayed right here in Moab and some of our children were born in Denver, Salt Lake, California so it looks like we moved all over every place. There was a woman and she came up here and she was a friend of mine and she said they had a lot of babies in California and she’d got some from this doctor so I got his address and we called. At that point, I started getting letters from doctors and lawyers, did I know anybody who wanted any babies. Did we want any more babies. And they’d give you a dozen any time. And here were people in Utah crying for babies. At that time the wouldn’t even let them go back and forth. I think they do now and they did later. Utah gets ‘em but at that time they didn’t so we got this one baby and they’d call us and we took four in four years.

The last one my husband said “We’re too old and we can’t afford it and he went to work and came back for lunch. Then I went out and got on the airplane and went to California and he came home that night and said, “Where’s mother?” And this little tiny kid, this little girl about two or three years old said, “Well, I guess she’s halfway to California by now.” So I got this baby.

Of course, he and Ken Erbes had this store over there where Walkers has their stores now and he told a helper over there “You know what my wife did.” She said, “It’s hard to tell.” And he said, “She went to California to get another baby but I’m glad she did.”

Q: Do you want talk about things you did as the kids were getting older? School?

A: I’d go up and help with the school things, helping when they’d go on their outings. They were very happy but each one of them took dancing lessons and piano lessons.

Q: How far apart are the children by ages?

A: Our first one was in ’45 and was a boy and then we had them till ’68. We got the last ones in four years, four in four years, the last babies. The others were strung out more.

Q: Where did you go on vacations?

A: We went on several trips to places like Alaska and the Panama Canal. We’d also go camping.

Q: Around here?

A: Not too far away, we’d go to Colorado sometimes. That was when I was younger. With our children, Bill and I would take them all over. We went to Canada and all these other places camping and to see the country, like California. The best rabbit I ever ate we went out to Cisco by the Cunningham Ranch an that’s when I was a kid and dad got this rabbit and he made one of those things where you turn it and , oh! It was the best, eating out in the open.

Q: Were there particular things you did with the kids as they were growing up?