REMEMBER WHEN
“ Being summer , we even put the kids in a couple of tents for a while . I built a fire pit nearby and used the builder ’ s scrap lumber pile to cut up firewood . We were all enjoying camping without going anywhere !
bedroom with a twin bed on one side of the room and bunk beds on the other side . We put the three oldest boys in that room . The three-year-old boy and the five-year-old girl would share another bedroom . We quickly realized that the one girl in our menagerie of children would soon have to have a room of her own .
So , I used about half of the large family room , one of the attractions of the house in the first place , to make a fourth bedroom . Now we had two boys in one bedroom , two more boys in another , and one girl in the third . Great ! But now the family room was too small . Oh , the trauma !
So , in 1977 , less than four years after buying that house , we were putting it up for sale and hiring a contractor to build us another one . This time , it would be more suitable for raising five children . This one would have five bedrooms , three bathrooms , and a huge family room in a little over 3,000 square feet ! Extended family and friends were beginning to think we were having problems settling down . They would know that to be true over the next 40 years or so .
Based upon our contractor telling us that the “ new ” new house would be ready for us to move into in about 30 days , we put our “ old ” new house up for sale . We had a buyer within three weeks ! It was becoming natural for us to adjust to changing situations . That was a good thing because our contractor had misjudged his completion date , and our new house wouldn ’ t be ready for another three months . Who could have guessed ?
So , we borrowed my parent ’ s new Prowler travel trailer and parked it on the property where the construction
was underway . We also moved all of our furniture into the garage of the new place . The contractor wasn ’ t happy with that , but we reminded him that he gave us a date , and we were holding him to it . He decided it was a good enough compromise .
Surprisingly , we were comfortable in the RV — even with five children ! It was mid-summer , and we showed them the door regularly with instructions to stay within shouting distance . Around dinner time , I would stick my head out the door and whistle . They were well trained and showed up at the door within a few minutes . They knew not to come in until Sharon had inspected them for dirt . The inspection typically had them coming inside in various stages of undress . No dirt allowed inside . ( She still treats me that way today !) Anyway , we thought nothing of the crowded situation . Somehow , it wasn ’ t the same as being crowded in a house . Being summer , we even put the kids in a couple of tents for a while . I built a fire pit nearby and used the builder ’ s scrap lumber pile to cut up firewood . We were all enjoying camping without going anywhere ! In the fall of 1978 , the second new house was completed , and we moved in . The kids were going to school , my job began to flourish , and Sharon ’ s job was running smoothly . We didn ’ t have time to think about much else for a few years ( nine years , to be more precise ).
The kids now had a taste of camping under their belts , so we kept it up , even after moving into the big new house . We had our slide-in camper then , and over the next ten years , there were a lot of camping , hiking , and multinight backpacking adventures going on — and everyone loved it .
As nature would have it , the kids
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