Logan says, "Jeff gets to do all the fun stuff!"

In September 1980, we left Kansas and drove across America to Redondo Beach. We stopped in Orem, Utah and stayed a few days with GG and Grant. When Kirt checked with Wayne about the house we had bought it was not quite ready, but Wayne really needed Kirt there. Since we thought Kirt would come back in a week to get us, we went ahead and sent Logan (Kindergarten) with Kirt to get him into school.
It turned out to be a month before I ever got down there with the kids- but that is a different story, for later.

While we were staying with GG & Grant they had the opportunity to go up to Star Valley to see Grant's sister, Carol and her husband, Jack. They were farmers/ranchers. They decided to take Jeff (4) with them, so then I just had Shaunika (3 months old) and John (2). When they returned Jeff told me he had ridden a horse(with someone).

Several months later, when were all settled in Redondo Beach, we were sitting around the table at supper. When I brought a plate of fried check to the table and I guess that caused a light bulb to go on in Jeff's head, and he said "When I was up visiting Uncle Jack and Aunt Carol I saw them chop off the head of a chicken, and then the chicken ran around the yard and then a dog come and licked up the blood!" To that comment, Logan remarked "How come Jeff gets to do all the fun stuff!"

Logan- "when I was a little boy"

All through the years, Kirt has told kids all the interesting stories about when he was a little boy.

When we lived in Kansas, and I was pregnant with Shaunika I had had a really rough day. We had supper, and then I went upstairs and got John (20 months old) to bed. Putting John to bed was quite a routine. He really liked Sesame Street, and around his entire crib he had stuffed characters and bears and toys. He had to say good night to each one. I came back downstairs and after a little while it was time to put Jeffery to bed. I was just so tired, I asked Logan(5-in kindergarten) to take him up and put him to bed. He took Jeff up and it seemed like quite a while before he returned.

When Logan came back downstairs, he told me that he tucked Jeff in and told him "a story about when he(Logan) was a little boy." I had to chuckle.

2400 Ralston Lane, Redondo Beach

When we moved to Redondo Beach in 1980, it was our 11th move in 7 years of marriage. Kirt had come from Kansas by himself to buy the house. I told him I wanted a good neighborhood, a big back yard, and not to walk into the house and see the kitchen sink. I got all that, but as he tried to tell me about it there was no way I could imagine it- I mean, if you were spending $100,000 on a house, "how bad could it be?" Where we were living in Kansas some friends were unable to sell their huge house for $130,000 and it had 1 acre of land, an indoor BB court, formal DR, and formal LR, lot of bedrooms and bathrooms, etc..... Our new home was about 900 square feet.
Shaunika was 3 months old, John was 2, Jeff had just turned 4, and Logan was 6. I felt it would be a good starter house- but we ended up there for 8 years, and by the time we moved to Placentia, Merika had been born, and Jessica was living with us. Logan was just going to start HS when we moved to Orange County, in 1988.