Our Large Family

If you had told me 13 years ago that I would be a wife and a mother of 5, . . . I would have said you were insane!

And who gets a puppy when they are 6 months pregnant? This lady right here!! Because, after all, what’s adding a puppy to the craziness, right?

Here we are wading through the chaos of life with homeschooling preteens, preschooler, and a baby.

Every morning is the same routine: wake up to a baby bouncing and yelling at me from his crib, little girls trying to make their own breakfasts (Yes, we cry over spilled milk in this house), and preteen boys with entrepreneurial hearts who are devising plans for how to create the latest gadget to make a buck or two. My life is consumed with the demands of baby, refereeing children, giving attention to the dog, chauffeuring, Lego, sticky hands, constant cooking, and non-stop cleaning. Honestly, this life is not easy and it is not for the faint of heart–because did you know that children have paranormal emotional radar? That they can sense fear?

Oh yes, my friend! They know when you’re anxious or when you’re having an off-day and they will run with that–my little minions learn very quickly which buttons to push. ‘Courageous’ is one word that comes to mind when I think of my home. Every day I am challenged and pushed to the edge by my children; by our unique circumstances; and by our crazy journey of life. With trials and troubles come growth and character building, and I can say that I’m not the same person I was a year ago, 5 years ago, or 13 years ago. I am blessed: I’m a wife, a mother, a warrior, and a peace-keeper. Complete, content, victorious and empowered.

This life may not be for everyone, but it is right for me. Even though I may have days that I just want to throw my hands in the air and take a jet-plane out of here, I love every minute of it. I always have children around me, and I’m actually a little sad that my boys are growing up and gaining independence away from me. I like to have all my little ducklings at home with me, and when one goes to scout camp for the weekend I feel my home is incomplete and I can’t wait for him to return.

My house is always messy–the clutter war is ongoing, my table is sticky, my floors are mopped daily (but you wouldn’t know it), hand prints are the décor on my walls, and silence is a rarity here. It may seem crazy when you walk into my home, but we are real. We have our ups and downs, it’s noisy, the ‘kiddos’ fight, we build forts the size of our entire living room, we bake, we play, and we eat family dinners together.

–Notice how I didn’t even touch on sleep? That is a whole other ball-game: a story that requires way more time than I have right now, and, honestly, there isn’t much of it (time I mean) in this household.