[speaker001:] Okay, so you have eight children. Um, what type of things do you do as a family to spend time together.
[speaker002:] Oh, we spend a lot of time outdoors jogging, bicycling, uh, going to the park, um, some time watching V C R
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] movies
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] um, generally cheap things [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. [LAUGHTER] Yeah, we know how that goes. Uh, with lots of kids you don't have lots of money for recreation.
[speaker002:] That's right.
[speaker001:] Well, that's fun. So, um, let's see, uh, some of the things we do together as a family, we like to play games a lot, and you may think this is funny, but one of our funnest games we like to play together is hide and seek, and [LAUGHTER] we just have a hoot playing hide and seek when it's dark
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] in our house, and that is so fun. The kids just get a crack out of that. Um, we like, we do like to go to the park, too you, uh, like your family. Um, we don't do a lot of vacationing. Have you taken a lot of vacations together or,
[speaker002:] Most of our vacations are to go and see Grandma and Grandpa.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, and whe-,
[speaker002:] We get an occasional one or two day thing
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] but most of them are going and seeing Grandma and Grandpa.
[speaker001:] Oh, now where do they live?
[speaker002:] In Arizona.
[speaker001:] Oh, so that's a bit of a drive for you there.
[speaker002:] Yes.
[speaker001:] Oh, so you like to go there for the holidays and.
[speaker002:] Oh, we don't go very often for holidays. Generally we try to get all of our kids back home for the holidays
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and let Grandma and Grandpa come and visit us.
[speaker001:] Oh, uh-huh. Uh, what are the ages of your kids then?
[speaker002:] They range from twenty-four to five.
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah. So you have some in the nest and some out, huh.
[speaker002:] That's right.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] How old are your children?
[speaker001:] We have, ours start at twelve and then they go down to four.
[speaker002:] I think the hardest thing for us has been, is to find ac-, you know, leisure time activities that all of our kids can enjoy together
[speaker001:] I bet, yeah.
[speaker002:] with the age span that we have, you know, like the older kids love playing board games and that kind of thing
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] but the young kids don't understand it
[speaker001:] Yes, uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and so they get real frustrated when we try to do that, and.
[speaker001:] Yes, and then if you want to play something on the little kids' level, then the older kids get real bored, and they want to do something else. So.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Yeah, I can, I can relate to that. Um, do you feel that the current trend in families spending time together is a positive one or a negative one?
[speaker002:] I think it's improving, actually.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] We had an interesting experience the other day. We, we have pretty much a, a routine that we spend, we don't have our kids play with other kids on Sunday
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and we just kind of keep them at home
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and our next door neighbor, uh, we were at a soccer game Saturday, and our next door neighbor was there, and somebody came up and asked if their daughter could spend Saturday night at their house
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and she said, no, Sunday's our family day [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] Uh-huh [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] and we keep our kids at home so we can spend time with them.
[speaker001:] That's good.
[speaker002:] And I think those kinds of things are happening a lot where we are right now.
[speaker001:] Oh, good.
[speaker002:] I think it's gone to one extreme where the families were just running all different direction
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and I think more people are interested in spending time with their kids now.
[speaker001:] I think so, and I feel like, you know, like President Bush, Bush has mentioned quite often, that we are trying to become a kinder and gentler nation, and it does begin with the families at home
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] and so I, I'm a firm believer in that, too.
[speaker002:] I think a lot of people are panicked, how kids are turning out and how things are going for kids and realizing they've got to start doing something. So.
[speaker001:] Yes, that's, that's true. Well, we see that a lot out here in Utah, and, um, hopefully, hopefully it's going to spread, huh..
[speaker002:] Utah's a lot better [LAUGHTER] than Texas.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Oh. Um, do you have a lot of large families out there in Texas, or.
[speaker002:] Very few.
[speaker001:] Very few. You feel like you're in the minority?
[speaker002:] Oh, definitely.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] When we tell people how many kids we have they look at us like we didn't have good sense.
[speaker001:] Oh, dear [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] But, uh.
[speaker001:] Well, out here in Utah, five is about the
[speaker002:] Average.
[speaker001:] the average, yeah.
[speaker002:] My wife and I were in Utah until
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] I guess we were about twenty-four.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Never been back, since then, but,
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] We have kids up there now, so we get up occasionally.
[speaker001:] Oh. Oh, I have some relatives out there in Texas, in fact my mom's out there in Texas right now, in Dallas, spending a month with her cousins, on their ranch, and.
[speaker002:] Where, where in Dallas?
[speaker001:] Well, uh, no, I'm trying, Aberdeen?
[speaker002:] Huh.
[speaker001:] Is, is that close to Dallas?
[speaker002:] I don't have any idea. I've never
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] heard of it. Must be a
[speaker001:] Don't you.
[speaker002:] little town.
[speaker001:] It's, I guess it's out there, clear out. They have a ranch that has like five hundred acres, and,
[speaker002:] Yeah.