Kaleb Stories

December 21 and 22, 1997

On Sunday, December 21, 1997, David Alexander Smith was given a name and a blessing by his father, David Thales Smith. All of David Senior’s siblings were there with their spouses, except Rob and Steve. I was holding Kaleb during the proceedings. Great Grandma Heaton sat next to me. I told Kaleb that Grandma Heaton was my mommy and pointed to her. Kaleb responded, “Big Grandma?” After the meeting was over, someone pointed to Great Grandpa (Thales) Smith and said that he’s Papa’s (Grandpa Darrell Smith) daddy. Then Kaleb said, “Big Papa.” Then we were looking at the picture of Jesus on the wall in the Relief Society room where we held the blessing. Kaleb says, “Jesus. Jesus Smith.”

During the Sacrament Meeting we attended after the blessing of baby Davy, Kaleb sat on Darrell’s lap. Kaleb calls him Papa. I was holding baby Davy. Kaleb was coloring and took a crayon, holding it like his mother holds lip protector, and used his finger to “get lipstick and put it on” Grandma and baby Davy.

Sunday evening, we had dinner together and we opened gifts at Rich and Joy’s house. Darrell and I gave Kaleb a Fisher Price barnyard set with a big barn that opens in half and has stalls and an attic with a place to put each animal. There are also fence pieces, a farmer, a tractor with a trailer, a cow, horse, pig, sheep, and chicken. We had Kaleb open his gift first. He tore the wrapping off deliberately and was happy to see a picture on the front. He said, “Toys!” Scott helped him open the big box. He was really happy and excited to see all the pieces and played quietly with them all the rest of the time that we opened gifts. After Rich and Joy put him to bed, I went past his room to the bathroom, and he saw me. He said, “Barn, Grandma.” I went and ogt him a couple of the toys. He said, “More toys, more toys.”

The next day at Debby and Stu’s wedding reception, I was sitting and watching people dance and about ready to cry, thinking about Deb being married. Kaleb walked up to me and asked, “Dance, Grandma?” so I picked him up and we waltzed away!

Kalvin's Grandma needs to have kids story

9/9/07

Two separate times and several months apart, when I was watching Kalvin in our home in Riverton, he said to me, “Grandma, you should have some kids.” I think he wanted someone to play with bedsides me. I replied to him that Grandpa and I did have kids, but they were all grown up and his daddy was our oldest one. I showed him the photos in our living room with Grandpa and me and all our children and pointed his dad out to him.

Bridgette Story

Bridgette Story
November 23, 2008

I was talking to Deb on the phone a week or so ago and she told me this story. Bridgette went to a community preschool for a few weeks. One day, about a week after Halloween, a friend, Monica picked up Bridgette and her daughter, Isabella from preschool. Then Deb picked Bridgette up at their house and took her home. On the way home, Bridgette asked if she could have a piece of candy when they arrived home. Deb told her she could after she ate her lunch. Then Bridgette said that she had already eaten her lunch at Monica’s house. Deb looked at her watch-11:45 a.m. “Ok, she could have had lunch already,” she thought, but she asked Bridgette, “What did you eat for lunch?” Bridgette replied, “Chicken nuggets.” “What else did you eat for lunch?” “Hot dogs.” “Did you have anything else?” Then silence and next, “I don’t know the name of it, but it was good.” Deb said, “I’ll call Monica and ask her.” Bridgette is silent, then says, “No, don’t call Monica, she knows what it was.” So, Deb asks Bridgette if she really did eat lunch and she told her mom no. Deb had the opportunity to teach her to tell what really happened. A three year old is pretty crafty but not crafty enough, thank goodness!

The Allred's and the Gale's

When Darrell and I were dating in 1967, and probably about the time we were engaged to marry, Darrell invited me to go to Lehi one Sunday afternoon and meet his Grandmother Reba Allred. When we knocked on her door, she opened it, Darrell introduced me to her, and she immediately asked me if I knew Bruce Gale. I felt a shock and answered he was my father, but that he had passed away when I was a child. This was all before she let us in the door. The Gale’s had twelve children and seven of them were boys that lived to adulthood. How did she guess Bruce was my father? Maybe his name was the only one she remembered. As it turns out, the Gale family would walk to church, and as they passed Grandma Allred’s house, she and her family would walk with them. The Gale family address was 150 N. 400 E., Lehi, Utah. It has been interesting to us to know there was a previous connection.

Rob Story

One day when Rob was about three years old, he came to me and said that he wanted to play “winkin wogs”. I’m sorry but my brain must have been kinked or fried. I could not guess what “winkin wogs” was. I should really have been able to understand him because he didn’t say his L’s for a while. Lincoln Logs. Duh!!!!

Ryan Story

One day when we lived at 212 Caladium in Lake Jackson, Texas, Ryan and Debby were playing in the living room and I had a very bad headache, so I lay down on the carpet to be by them and maybe get some relief. Three-year old Ryan came over to me and asked, “Mommy would you read me a story?” I said that I had a really bad headache and I couldn’t do that. He told me that I could if we said a prayer. So I told him that he should pray because I hurt too much. He prayed a simple prayer asking for Mommy’s headache to go away. When he was done, he asked me if it was gone and I told him that it wasn’t. So he said another prayer, and then asked me again. And do you know what? My headache was gone. I did get up and read him a story and felt better the rest of the day.