Wymount Village
Scott had put our name on a list for one of the apartments at Wymount Village. (See photos below. Bottom photo circa 1953.) These old framed army barracks were
purchased from Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho in the 1950’s and turned into ‘married housing’ after being transported down from Idaho. We were
approved to move into one of them just before Lynne was born. We were given an upstairs apartment. I don’t remember our building number. I do remember it
was the second one down from the top of the hill on the east side. We were supposed to have lawn and a tree out in front and between the buildings, but our tree
never did well.
In the back of each building, there were lines to hang clothes on. We didn’t have a clothes dryer for a long time (until I had Kathy, our 5th). Shortly after we
moved in, I was feeling very lonely. I hadn’t met anyone yet. While looking out my back window, I noticed two women talking while they were hanging their
clothes out on the lines. I suddenly yearned to be one of those women. I needed a friend.
I mentioned Lana’s sleeping habits; I was getting so little sleep because she wouldn’t go to sleep unless I rocked her. When I put her down in her bed, she would
wake up. I told my doctor, and he told me she needed to cry herself to sleep. I tried letting her cry, but I couldn’t stand it after an hour or so. My doctor sent me
home with something to help Lana sleep and for me to be able to stand the crying. It didn’t work! I was crying so hard while listening to her, I thought I was going
to go mad. I finally went in and got her; and while rocking her to sleep, we both conked out.
Lana was walking at nine months old. She was potty-trained at a year. Each of my children after Lana was slower in accomplishing these things.
I remember when Lana first started walking. She had never crawled but she was very determined to walk. When she would fall down and try to get up her little
face would get red because of the exertion.
I always enjoyed reading to Lana. She would sit very still and would sometimes respond to the story I would be reading to her with laughter. Lana was very bright
and she was also very sensitive.
One evening when we took a ride in the car down town, we were stopped at a red light. People were crossing the street in front of us and suddenly from the back
seat I heard Lana say, “There go five people.” I was stunned! I didn’t know she could count; she wasn’t even in school and such a little thing.
One day I drove up to the elementary school to pick Lana up when school was over. I saw some older girls pushing her on a swing. They had been playing with her
like she was their little doll. Lana was the oldest of my four children at that time and I was suddenly struck by how young she actually was. I had been treating her
like she was much older and expecting much more of her than I’m sure I should have. It was a shock to me.
Lana also had a great imagination. She was the one that gathered the kids together to do plays.
One day I was out in the yard gardening when I saw the neighborhood kids run into the house. I asked one of them where they were going? The answer was, “Lana
said there was an elephant in the house. We’re going to see it.” I watched and saw Lana come running out of the back door with the kid’s right behind her. “The
elephant got away!” Somehow she had made them believe her. She was probably seven or eight years old.
I know she felt the responsibility of being the oldest in the family. When we would go to drive-in movies she would try and settle the younger ones down. One
evening Scott wasn’t able to go with us. She handed out the candy and was stronger in her demanding the kids, “Settle down. I mean it.” I quickly turned my head
around. I thought Scott had appeared out of nowhere!
Scott’s knowledge of psychology was helpful to my better understanding my children; at least I thought it was. I needed Lana to do something or behave a different
way and when I felt I had conquered the situation Lana said to me, “Don’t try to use psychology on me.” She was still a very little girl. What a shock! Obviously
Lana was fast maturing up to my level. She was a very bright child.
We bought a piano and wanted Lana and Lynne to take piano lessons. I talked to our Bishop’s wife, Sister Britch who gave piano lessons, and asked if she would be
able to take them. She wanted to help us out so she said she would give them lessons if they would clean her house for her. Sister Britch soon discovered that Lana
had a gift for piano and music. I’m not sure how well she did at cleaning the house.
When Lana was in second grade at B Y Training School she had an excellent teacher that had been there for years. I went to visit with her for teacher conference
about Lana. She told me in all her years Lana had the best comprehension of any student she had had. I was impressed.
Music, storytelling, playacting and writing, were all part of who Lana was as a child.
Moving into a downstairs apartment was so much better. Many an evening I and the other young mothers would sit out on the steps of the wooden porch that ran
the length of each building, while our kids played in the yard in front of us. Trudy and Lana would play on the steps while we visited. We have home movies of
Lana pretending to play the piano while sitting on those porch steps.
The Provo Mountains and Foote neighborhood were pleasant places to take pictures.
Wymount Village on the northeast part of the campus.