Storage Room

I wish that we had more pictures of the basement or 'cement part' as we called it. This other half of the basement was mostly storage. This  room had two freezers and storage boxes full of clothes/ costumes/decorations/camping gear/books/ and that kind of stuff.  Mom was super organized.... Look how everything is labeled and clean and neat... mind you it wasn't always this nice, especially when we went through the boxes taking out decorations this room was a mad house.  We always had to 'run downstairs' and get this or that, hated doing that too... i'm seeing a trend here, I think kids just hate doing chores huh?Going through boxes to get halloween costumes, and dress up clothes. The right freezer was full of meat... hamburger, steak, ham, roast beef, etc from the cows we butchered.. the other freezer (to the left and not pictured) had everything else...I don't have a picture but there was another room about this same size that was the storage room. It had shelves just like this and the whole room was full of food storage and some sleeping bags/foamies on the top shelf.  I remember cleaning this room out before mom and dad moved and we spent hours down here going through boxes, deciding who if any of us wanted to take what and what Mom should keep, we seriously spent hours doing this, it was 'fun' to spend time with my mom and sisters.  I remember when Dad would bring home the meat from the butcher shop and organize the freezer with the new boxes and boxes of meat. I remember helping him sometimes and my hands froze. For whatever reason I remember taking the little Christmas trees down from the top shelf.They were high up and would always fall over on me. This room was the ultimate hide and go seek room. We would hide on the top shelves, or in corners or in the rafters before there was a ceiling.  One time we had a mouser cat in the cement part for a few weeks or couple months or something. She would always go missing but eventually we would find her up in the rafters usually Kayla

Well the basement wasn't always that organized. I'm not sure when the old nasty boxes got exchanged for those nice totes! I remember the old camp equipment and backpacks that we had in there, they always seemed in the way.  A freezer full of meat!?! Who would have thought what a novelty that was! Goose jerky, the Old sheep hide in there for about 15 years!  We would steal freezies down there and drink apple juice and even drink some of Dad's dole juice that tasted so good but was his food for camp.  I remember coming home for some reason after being married and opening those freezers just amazed at all the food in there. I wish I had a cow! Ez

That thing looks nice these days. Not sure how much Jerky i stole out of the freezer down there. That was awesome. Go down suck on some frozen beef jerky. I still wish I had a freezer full of meat. Man, I took that for granted. How long was that sheep hide there?
It was always a blessed day when we had frezees down there. They would last about a week for the same reason the jerky never lasted long.PIZZA POPS, what blessed things those were. Always a good day when you got a pizza pop from the freezer for lunch.  Looking at Dad's old mission stuff was fun. The Caribou horns lived there for years and years. Aaron

This room would become a major disaster every year and we would have to go through the whole thing and clean it and organize it all over again and it took hours and we all hated doing it. Always being told to run down and get this or that. 
Stealing apple juice or rootbeer from down here and drinking it. or if there was something good in the freezer like icecream i would bring down a spoon and just eat it. or i'd find mom's stash of halloween or christmas candy.  Playing dress up with Jill and Kayla. and playing hide. Janae

always going down there to get stuff out of the freezer. Getting decorations out of there to take up stairs for every season! The boxes with camping gear and Halloween costumes! It was deffinately the best hide and seek room though. Tyanna

Down Stairs Kitchen

-The kitchen wasn't always there, but  was added later on. There used to be just toy boxes and toys and stuff along the wall where the cabinets are now. Mom used to store all the Christmas goodies in the cuboards. Mostly this just reminds me of when Tyanna lived in the basement, and eating dinner down there with them. Also, always running downstairs to this or that from the fridge. It was nice having two fridges, but hated running down there all the time. haha remember being so annoyed. Especially when Mom was baking buns and we would have to come down and turn them around, or get them, or bring more down. ugh. lol Kayla

-"Janae, go get ______ outta the fridge downstairs!" I think that sums up everything in this room. I remember the old brown? toy box and all those basketballs down there and jumping off the steps and driving remote control cars off the stairs.Ez

The toy box down there was from the old Rainbow miracle vaccum that could clean carpet,  and scent it. Remember to fill the tub only half full. Remember pine needles being vacuumed up and in the water thing. Anyway, the toy box was the old vacuum box right? Janer, we need some corn go get it. The kitchen part with the tile floor was finished after I left home.. It was all carpet from my memory. That oven is a champ. Still going strong down there. Some reason the cow smell never made it to the finished part. That is a miracle. Aaron

I think Ezra said it all. pretty sure it still is that way. reading books down there from the bookshelf when i was supposed to be getting something from the fridge or food storage, and then after a while yelling up the stairs 'i cant find it!' it never worked so well. i still had to go and get whatever it was cause mom knew she just bought some.  Janae

All the times on the airplane and swinging off the stairs! The toy box and playing dress up! Going down to get stuff out of the fridge not sure why it was always so annoying. I helped put that new tile in there and then Ammon and I lived down there after Kesler was born for a few months while we were waiting for our next place to move. We ate down there and Kayla and Thomas would come down for dinner. Dad would come home from work and want to eat with us a few times cause all my mom would have a slim fast. hehe. Cleaning the fridge, there was always old food in there we would forget about. Tyanna

Rec Room

 This is the basement, also known as the 'rec room'. Lots of memories down here.

Greatest room ever. I think my earliest memory is when the walls were up and us boys and Dad shoveling dirt and gravel to level it out getting ready to pour more cement or something, but I remember shoveling down there in the dark. 
-The old basketball hoop where the moose hung and we would play down there and it would get all dusty.
-Riding bikes on the cement in a big circle, And that old spring horse the girls use to play on all the time. I kicked it once and probably broke my toe playing soccer down there.
-Of course everything went through those walls, butts, baseballs, feet and probably a few more. 
-I always decorated the moose at Christmas with teddy bears and lights and stuff--miss the the moose.
-Family parties. I remember playing the animal game one year for Christmas just after we were married. That night Lindsey commented how different it was because we had wolves, and coyotes, and moose, and elk, for our sounds rather than normal animal sounds. I thought that was pretty funny. 
-Watching the World Series when the Blue Jays won, I still remember exactly where I was sitting when Joe Carter hit that home run. Terah was there and we were all jumping up and down freaking out. I think I could probably still name the Blue Jays batting line up from those two years. 
-I also remember one day when Dad played Nintendo with us all day (before it got tossed) and thinking how cool it was that he would do that.
-Other great memories: Watching movies, the fire place, the airplane toy, and of course, BASEMENT BASEBALL. Hours and hours of BASEMENT BASEBALL. Best game ever! Ez

-My earliest memory is we used to have the TV in front of the wall by the wood stove. We had an old brown couch with a big rip in the back. I remember watching Peter Pan and trying to think of a 'happy thought' and I would close my eyes and jump off the back of the couch, hoping I would fly. I was disappointed every time I hit the floor. haha
-We had an airplane toy thing that you could sit on and go round and round and round. We would spend hours on that thing and spin it off the two steps there. I remember thinking it was the funnest and funniest thing that any person could ever possibly do.
-One time we were watching a movie, and my friend Leor came in the house and no one really knew it, anyway he sneaked up behind my mom at scared the living day lights out of her. Seriously she freaked. SO stinking hilarious. She was so mad at him, but of course started laughing afterwards.
-We had TONS of 'Mormon' parties, most of which included watching movies and playing games down here. I'm sure all my friends have memories of the basement.
-Christmas Eve family get together we would have our present exchange down here. It was awesome for big crowds.
-All of us kids used to play baseball, and soccer down here TONS. I remember running around down there playing sports with my brothers and sisters a lot. I'm pretty sure we broke lots of stuff.
-I made my jean quilt down here.I remember watching Lion King over and over and over with Janae
The boys used to play Mario Kart every once in a while. Us girls played dress up lots down here too Kayla

Leveling the gravel in the basement. Playing down there while the house was being built. 

It was sure nice when it got finished. We then played catch down there with a baseball Paul Klassen told me to not move my glove and he threw the ball. He didn't make a good throw. I thought Dad was going to be so mad but he didn't seem to be. 

Playing hand hockey for hours with people down there, Geoff Salter seemed to be there.

Basement baseball was awesome, if you hit it over the wood panel then it was a home run. I now play with the boys in our basement.

Did that basement ever not flood? Pulling carpet, mopping, fans. I got electrocuted there once with a piece of the cord to a fan.

The Christmas tree with all of the "ornaments" was nice. I remember watching Blue jays baseball on Saturdays and CFL football.

Lots of movies, Kayla and Janae endlessly playing The Lion King and Wizard of Oz.

How about watching Small One, during Christmas. 

Played a lot of basketball down there. Remember when we had the hoop up down there for a while? That was awesome.

Mutual parties, leg wrestling and the like were fun. Aaron

Watching lion king over and over again with kayla. And watching movies with her when mom was gone and we were supposed to be cleaning and so right after the movie was done we would hurry as fast as we could and get everything done just in time. 

playing on the airplane with jill after dinner we would race down there as fast as we could before eldon knew so that he couldn't get on. we would make up adventures that we were flying through jungles and all sorts of places and we would scare ourselves and go faster and faster around. 

playing baseball with everyone. well i was probably not playing but watching. 

all kayla's mormon parties with everyone. they were always so fun

watching movies with mom and dad with popcorn, root beer and reeces.  

Family gift exchange and missionary farewell/update things.  Janae

I remember when it was just cement forever. Always watching cartoons down there with kk and jj. Playing basement baseball was for sure the best game we played down there! we always had parties down there growing up and they were always so fun! I remember ezzy putting teddy bears on the moose! always always running into the moose playing hide and seek! Suprised how well that thing would stay on that wall. It always stank bad after it flooded in the spring and having the fans running! So many good times down there with family firesides and christmas we had! So many games of basement baseball it was the best! watching cartoons with kayla and Janae! Always wishing we were the cute princess getting kissed by the cute prince! Remember playing hide and seek all the time and runnning into that moose, it hurt so bad but it always happend and I am really surprised how well it was mounted there us girls would always pretend to pick it's nose. love the old stove there was always nice when we started it would keep us so warm! Parties in the basement always having people over! Tyanna

The Barn Part 4

*Before we made the barn into more of a shop area this was the main area, and their was a loft. Dad tore the loft out so he could fit the case tractor in their to work on it, so he didn't to out in the cold and wet or mud or whatever. Kayla

*So picture a hay loft or "upstairs". I remember being young but helping fill the loft with little square bales. It's hard to picture and describe since it has changed so much, but there used to be a pen area. for more calves or sometimes pigs to the right, and milking stall to the left and another stall that could be accessed from outside so the cows could have some shelter occasionally. Kayla

*That milking stall reminds me of this HUGE cow we had. Seriously she was like 6 feet tall. We named her 'BIG'. She's the one who died and froze and we had to saw off her leg to pull her out of the stall. Sorry if this is TMI, just sayin it how it was. One time our dog fudge jumped out of the top window fetching after a rock. There were baby kittens born up there in the loft. They were so little and adorable when we discovered them. There was a ladder on the outside that we could climb up into the hay loft with- so cool. Without the hay loft this became Dad's mechanic area. Kayla 

*I remember the old house part the stove on the left and kitchen on right.The two rooms up stairs. Then the milking stalls,pig pen, hay loft. Remember when Kayla and I came out to milk Big that morning we found her there dead and we were thinking how to tell Dad we felt so bad,it wasn't our fault but just to go in and tell Dad that the cow was dead was just hard. Yes Dad cutting her leg off and pulling her outta there with the tractor.Helping Dad fix things and rolling all the grain in the roller mill for the pigs. Tyanna

I think I have only seen the barn like this a couple of times.  Seems so weird to me that its the same place we lived  Kitchen was on the far right.  Picture would have been taken on the stairs, right by the living room.  There used to be a big beam that ran across the ceiling between the living room and the kitchen, I remember being so mad at the boys I was chasing them with the broom once and I knocked off one of the pictures hanging on the beam and broke it.  We stopped fighting IMMEDIATELY and made a truce! Teija

* this is the way the barn has been for most of my memories. The pigs that we used to have in the corner there and the huge pile of grain that was right up next to the door that we rolled every morning for the steers and pigs. I slightly remember the stairs being there and always being scared of how far the ground looked from the hay loft. or the calves that ran up the stairs and would never go back down. And the one that jumped out the loft. I am pretty sure teija's memory and mine are not the same though. Did two cows go out the loft? I always remember throwing fudge's rocks out the loft and she would jump out after them. The tractor was always parked in there so it was ready for when dad and i had to feed the cows. Janae

The barn has way too many memories to write down. I remember sleeping up there, my bed was against the wall that faced the house, I remember sleeping with my green care bear and the old record player on the same wall. I have fond memories falling asleep the the sound of the rain hitting the tin. Aaron and Amron slept along the other wall. After the addition Amron had the water bed that was so cool.

Stacking hay in the barn and kicking it out to feed the cows and horses. The dumb dog jumping out of it after a ball when I was sweeping it out. I recall sitting up there looking over the fields and mountain and just listening to the cows and horses chew the hay, it was so peaceful. We also built hay forts up there and had tunnels through it. A phrase that takes me back the barn, "Amos Lee that temper of yours is gonna get you in a lotta trouble some day-TEMPER . . . trouble some day-TEMPER . . . trouble some day-TEMPER . . . trouble some day-TEMPER."

I remember the Christmas tree up by the stairs, and the old pantry under the stairs with that dark brown door. Getting Expo's PJ's and cap-guns. I also remember the Birthday when Mom made us invite Stephen Adam's. We didn't really want him to come but learned we needed to be nice and invite everyone. We had a big dark table, but I don't remember that well, and the old photos on the beam above. I always marveled how fat Amron was . . . and Teija's sweet glasses. I think I remember Christmases the best there of anything and the old TV we would watch cartoons on in the morning. Also Aaron and I got those sweet green tonka trucks that we played out in the front of the barn in the dip for hours and hours in the dirt out front. 

I can't forget the pigs either. I remember when we made the fence in there and couldn't believe dad just knew how to build a pen, even with those sweet waterer things the pigs would suck on to drink out of.

Also, falling down the stairs too many times to remember . . . something to do with blocks . . . and chasing the cows back down the stairs when they would get in the hay loft. Ezra

There is so much here. Christmas was always the best. Out stockings could fit like 10 gallons of stuff. Those things were awesome. The Christmas tree was also down by the stairs there.

Hiding under the stairs to avoid work was a great past time and sneaking some food ever now and then.

I miss the old stove. It was always so hot. I can't believe more of us did not burn ourselves on it. Remember putting snow on it when it was hot? That was fun. 

I miss the brown carpet. Coming down from the stairs and jumping from about 1/2 of the way down and catching the overhang and swinging on it.

Chasing cows out of the loft was always fun. How about doing dishes without a dishwasher there? 

The old table was awesome as well. The one with the two benches. That was really nice.

Also remember mom reading Owls in the Family to Ezra and me when we lived up in the loft. Also, laying there in bed and listening to rain storms on the tin roof.

Having the pigs in the old kitchen was fun. Sweet pen. Feeding Mario's pigs in there, all the old food from the CO-OP.

Hauling hay and filing up the loft was always fun. Using Arnold's hay elevator and riding bails up to the top.

Then the time where one of the calves attempted suicide out of the hay loft. It landed on an eaten-down round bale that was in a feeder. The dumb thing got up and kept running.

I also remember shooting the horses with the BB guns out of the new house or somewhere outside. I will plead the 5th on whether anyone shot the barn with the .22.

The Barn Part 3

We always called this the 'little blue room'. Originally when we used the barn for more barnish type things, this is where we kept the calves over night so they could suck on the momma so we could milk in the mornings. It was filled with shavings. 

You can hardly tell but there are glow in the dark star stickers on the wall. I always thought that was so cool. Apparently this was Teija's room when we lived here and then a boy we rented the house out too when we moved to our new house stayed in this room. So crazy to think about. After we kind of stopped doing the calving thing, this just became another storage room. I mostly remember this room from cleaning it out every so often to put new shavings in. Kayla

Yes the blue room! I think this is where Teija,Kayla And I slept, is that so? I think I remember sleeping in there but it wasn't blue then. This room always had calves in it. we may have had a couple pigs in there at one point too. remember going in there to bring the calves out to suck.Always shoveling that room out was always so nasty cause there was layer on layer and each layer smelt worse.It would take awhile to get it all done but we had to finish it all so then we could put new fresh shavings in. I loved that feeling once the clean ones were in felt good when it was clean and smelt better! Tyanna

Yep! This was my pride and joy room, my first room without being with the boys! I was so proud to have a girls room.  The door always creaked when you opened it.  I remember laying in bed listening to the rain drops on the tin roof, I loved that sound. I am pretty sure we just had plywood wallpaper. Teija

This room always had calves in it. I also recall shoveling out the old nasty layered shavings and putting in the new. Giving scour pills and shoving the calves back in there after they sucked. After that it was always just full of that type of stuff. Janae

The girls room became a cow room, I think we used to think that was fitting :-). I think I cleaned this room when cleaning the barn the most. Scour calves all the time. Of all the farming I liked the most, it was getting those little calves to suck and helping them when they were sick and learning. I remember being so sad when one would die and that sad look of death in their eyes and putting my hand in their mouth and it being all cold inside, you knew there were about done by then. Can't forget good ol' Molly in the next room. She was a good cow--I miss her. Can't ever forget milking the cows in the freezing cold, bringing hot water from the house to wash them off and my hands being so cold. Ez

I can't remember how many scour pills I gave to calves. We also had pigs in there at times I think. 

Cleaning the barn with Ezra was always crappy. We had lots of fun. Nothing was more satisfying than shoveling the entire thing out and putting fresh clean shavings in there.

I also remember when it was the girls' room. 

Then Sherri Cop moved in there. I think that is when the star ceiling sticker things went up. I bet the cows thought they were outside even though they were inside. Aaron
 

The Barn Part 2

This was the water room and medicine storage place for the animals.

I remember one time we had a dying calf. We had done everything. Given it electrolytes, scour pills for days, and probably a bunch of shots and other stuff that I don't remember. I do remember however we brought this baby calf in this room and filled the sink with really warm water and put the calf in their trying to warm it up. It died. Kayla

I always remember going in here to get scour pills in the early cold mornings, to shove down calves throats. City people wouldn't know this but ya you gotta stick practically your entire hand and some of your arm and shove the pill down their throat so they can swallow it. Kayla

Didn't really like going in here always smelt funny. So much mice crap I was always affraid I would see one I don't know if I ever did see one.I can still smell it scours,electrolytes and coke colla we used that once in ahwile to help the calves.That calf Kayla was talking about Dad actually gave it mouth to mouth,while it was lying there in the hot water. I thought it was so disgusting I didn't say anything but I wacthed him and I will never forget how I felt that Dad cared so much not just for the calf but for us because that was part of the money he brought in for us,also that he worked so hard and I felt bad that we kept losing so many. I am pretty sure he cried a little probably out of frustration.The door to this room was kinda annoying to open had to yank on the thing it had a leather handle. Tyanna

I only remember it being the bathroom. Then we never used it for awhile after we moved into the new house, it was just full of stuff. Teija

This was the "doctor" room. Always feeding scour pills and electrolytes to the calves. Covering them with blankets and always checking to make sure the heater was working for them. It did always smell like mice or something nasty, but it was usually warmer than every where else. Janae

That room did smell bad! I remember Aaron sticking his foot in the toilet when it was the bathroom, that was funny, he was reaching for something. I remember all of us boys taking baths in there together. It was always warm in the winter because the space heater had to keep the pipes warm. Ez

Funny how my memories are the sames as Ezra's. I think there was a mirror/medicine cabinet and we were getting ready for church. I was on the toilet getting something and made a bad step and feel in. Lesson learned: if you need to stand on the toilet, close the lid first.

I also remember taking a baths with Ezra. We also took a bath with Layne when he slide off the hay stack into a great big and wet cow pie and it covered him. Aaron
 

The Barn Part 1

Dad kept all his tools in here. Stored snowmobiles, tractors, full sacks of grain, and whatever else in there. I remember Dad asking to go get this size of wrench or that, and I could never find stuff. He knew where everything was though.Mostly reminds me of Dad all greasy and working, looking through tools and fixing stuff. Kayla             

All of Dad's tools! They old dresser of our that was white with pink flowers on it and it had old radios and different tools one drawer was nails for fencing. Everything was always dirty cause he was always using everything so much! I remember it being the old boot room I think. Getting grain for the horses and cows that used to be there.Those windows always so dirty from dead flies and stuff. All the chains and extension cords hung on the wall. Tyanna

Yep this used to be the old boot room, with Mom and Dad's room in the back.  I remember moving shoes so Mom could sweep.  And the coat rack was always full of farm coats, and lots of Dad's hats. Teija

This room was always cram packed with either full grain sacks or the john deere in pieces or the four-wheeler in pieces. All of us were pretty hard on equipment. White lightning and china bomb were usually parked in here in the summer and All dad work tools were either in here or on the other side of the wall. I remember never being able to find anything on that bench, but dad would come in when i didn't find it fast enough and he knew exactly where he set it down last. Usually it would be right in front of me and i would feel pretty useless, but i still always enjoyed watching him work on all the farm equipment so i could maybe do it when i had to. Janae

Well my most recent memories were of working on "white lightining" and "china bomb" in there. Also grain sacks the old grain barrel and always trying to find a dumb grain bucket. Of course that was the old entry way and I remember that boots and coats lined up just waiting for Aaron to pee inside of them Ezra

Can't remember why we could never find any grain buckets ever. The boot room. I really don't remember peeing in mom's cowboy boots. I think you all made that up to bug me. I remember mom and dads waterbed in there. I also remember cleaning that room when we moved to the new house.

I remember the boot room hanging coats up. I also remember working on White Lightening in there and going in there 10,000 times to look for a certain tool, usually a wrench and forgetting what size by the time I got in there. Aaron

The Barn

The Barn

Oh I have so many memories of the barn!! I remember when it was just the barn without the "wings" on it.  Mom and Dad's room was the upstairs part with the window facing the field.  The boys and I shared the other half of the "hay loft." My bed was right against the railing that went down the stairs,  I remember waking up one night thinking I had spiders and snakes crawling all over me and yelling and crying for someone to get them off me! Scary.  I always used to go into Mom and Dad's room and pick up Tyanna out of her crib after her naps.  I didn't like Mom to let her cry and always told Mom I would hold Tyanna if she would just let me go and get her.  

 

One night while Mom and Dad were gone, I can remember hearing the granary door creaking, it was so loud it totally freaked me out, I thought someone was out there moving the door and thought for sure they would come to the house next! We always used to look out Mom and Dad's window and watch that huge timber wolf try and coax Luke to come out past the sewer, also watching the Moose eat the hay out of the hay stacks.  Dad would go out on the front porch and shoot his gun and they would just stare at him, not even move.  Some days we were not even allowed to go out and play because the moose would get pretty aggressive.  

 

Mom and I spent many days in the fall canning, canning, canning, for some reason I remember that we always did tons of tomatoes! It was heaven when I got a new room downstairs when we finished the addition.  The door always creaked and I remember it being pretty cold in the winter.  One Christmas Mom had us all stand on the old brown couch and totally convinced us that we could see Santa flying through the sky in his sleigh.  She could "see" him so clearly that I have a perfect picture in my mind of Santa that night.

 

The old brown carpet in the Living room. The plywood walls in the addition. The kitchen window looking into mom and dads "new" bedroom".  The white weasel which always lived underneath the stairs in the pantry, that was a scary place!  Then when we turned it into the actual barn, I remember steers running up the stairs to get away from us as we tried to chase them out.  One actually jumping out the hay loft window. Didn't there used to be a porch on the front?  Aaron peeing in Mom's cowboy boot while sleep walking, that was HILARIOUS!  Aunt Renetta watching us while Mom and Dad were in the Philipines, and we all had the chicken pox! Oh so many memories, I may think of more later! Teija

 

Before the barn was a barn, it was actually our house. I don't remember living in it, I was two when Dad built the new one, but I do remember my brothers saying, "Kayla our house is going to be a barn." I didn't believe them and remember being so mad at them for saying that there were going to be cows and horses and pigs in our house. I was so confused and thought I was going to have to live -literally- in the barn, which was actually our house, with the animals. Kayla

When I was probably five or six Ezra and Aaron dared me to go sit on our milk cow. We were standing right there by that fence post and they kept egging me on. I told them she would stand up, and chase me. They assured me that she was asleep and I was too little for her to even notice I was on her. I eventually did it. Scared outta my mind, I crept up behind her, (she was really tame, and   probably was sleeping). I hopped on and she stood up super fast and I fell straight the ground, and then ran as fast as I could to the fence. I thought she would charge me and kill me or something. I ran to my brothers who were laughing their heads off at me. I remember hating them SO bad. Kayla

Milking the cow was a chore. Miss Molly though. Molly was a steady girl. Offered more than any other girl at the time. She was kind (sometimes moody), warm, loving, ate less than many others, would come when she was called, didn't mind being locked up, etc.

I still hate udder butter...Especieally when it was cold. Nothing like milking and getting blood on your hands and in the milk.This milk tastes like crap. Never new why...When it was really cold I would put my hands in Molly's leg pit (like arm pit, but legs. When it was really bad I stuck me head in there. Should have worn a touque.   How many cows died in there? No problem though, just tie em up to the ski-doo and put em in the dead pile.  Fighting with Stephen and Jessie was always fun. Too many memories there.

Also before my mission the power line fell down...how does that happen??  I remember standing on the top step of the wooden ladder, on the fully hoisted tractor bucket, on a frog on the bottom of the lake. We used a pully and rope to hoist the line back in place. I thought I was going to die.Miss butchering cows out by the barn. I was so cool to see dad shoot them and cut the necks. It was fun to skin them and stuff. Cutting dad's hand was fun too. I felt bad. Renetta was nice to help out.

Break up was fun. Working on the skidders was always fun. Pulling wrenches with dad was fun. {Pressure washing was fun, can still taste grease and dirt in my mouth.  One time dad and I were working out there and I smashed my head 3 times within a few minutes. I kicked a bucket from the barn almost to the house, I swear.  How about the time Ez and I were fighting about who carried the milk to the house. I pushed him and he grabbed my head and took it to his knee.

Trampoline basketball was awesome. Wild windstorms were fun.  I miss the stars. Coming in from milking in the morning and seeing the stars, or at night. Also, taking the garbage out to the garbage bin, box, what did we call it? Going out was sometimes so nice because the house was so hot. Then going out and seeing the stars on those cold nights was nice.  Also the northern lights, seeing them from the house was nice. Aaron

Obviously all the cow milking and doctoring. One time a cow died in the middle of the night and it was so cold, she literally like froze with her leg sticking out through a couple stall railing things in the barn. Dad had to saw her leg off, cause even with trying to pull her out with the tractor he couldn't get her out without majorly damaging the stall/barn wall. Kayla

Sometimes the snow would get so high on the side of the barn from Dad plowing,we could almost walk right up to the roof. I remember climbing up there and jumping off into the snow banks. Snow also reminds me, sometimes it would drift so bad and high that the cows would walk over the fences and get out.There were a few times we had to spend the night at my Aunt Eileen's, because we couldn't get in the driveway from all the snow. Kayla

I love these pictures. cows, horses, more cows, some dead cows, butchering cows, feeding cows, more dead cows. Driving the tundra down and up the banks of the old sewer. Playing out front as kids. fixing things outside. I can picture the skidders in the background, guards torn out and helping Dad fix them and wash them. Also awesome games of 500 up with the cousins. I remember thinking Dad could hit a baseball so far when we were young. We had the pitching thing dad made and we would set the pitching machine up and hit the yellow balls. Playing basketball on the trampoline dunking pretending we were Michael Jordan or Shawn Kemp. Also we would pick the absolutely rainiest, coldest, windiest, day in the spring to clean up the yard, and trees and stuff around the house. Kayla burning herself in the fire (never to be outdone by Aaron though). I remember playing out there sword fighting or something and Aaron fell in old gas in a bucket and he got it in his eyes. I felt really bad and cried out there. Sweet sledding and king of the tube around the house and the snow piles. The old tractors, our terrible garden and swans flying so low it felt like you could just reach out and touch them. I also remember having Tyannas? Birthday out there and Grandpa Gwilliam was there, she got this pink three-wheeler thing I think. The cats in the old swing set, dead beef hanging from them and pulley procupine quills out of quincey's legs (I thought Dad was the bravest person ever). Mom yelling from the house that lunch was ready and having awesome sandwiches or something for us to eat when we were butchering or working out there. Overall best memories are working and playing! Two things we did a lot but made the best memories. Ezra

Love this place! So many times milking the cows! Molly, Millie,Big,Rose,Girl Hobbles,. All the times playing hide and seek in the barn as kids! There would always be Hay in the loft and we would find the cats up there.I remember just slighty when we lived in there just the living rm where we had the christmas tree and stuff. I remember moving from the Barn to the new house,carrying boxes over it felt like such a long walk.A place I thought was creepey was the little storage area under the stairs mom would have us get stuff outta there and for some reason I thought it was scary. Tyanna

Always having some type of farm equipment out on the lawn. Dad would be fixing it on the grass there and mom would yell at him for spill the oil/gas whatever and killing the grass. Hauling those graineries with dad behind the GMC and making the cement they stand on. Writing my name and hand print in the cement when it was wet with kayla and tyanna. Definitely Saucering around the barn yard with kayla. Jumping off the roof into the snow pile. Donuts on the fourwheerer on the ice by the barn. Waking up in the morning and seeing all the cows out on the lawn and thinking well... i'm gonna be late for seminary. milking the cows, feeding siliage to the steers when its frozen on the outside and steaming in the middle, then having that yummy smell in your gloves for the rest of their existence. fixing those fences and rigging them with whatever we could find (old gates). dad being really frustrated with the fact that the grain in the graineries weren't getting enough air flow and all the grain was going to go bad. trying to figure out a way to dry it out.  Janae