a few of the fun things about having a big 'ol family

When I sit back and really think about it, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have been entrusted with these lives, and to be walking through this journey with my husband.  There is never a dull moment around here with this size crew, and the ones who love that the most are the twerps.  I very rarely hear the dreaded phrase, "Mom, I'm bored" of course that may be two fold.  One they always have a playmate,   or they are just scared that I will find something for them to do which probably involves vacuuming out my car :)  Seriously though, having a large brood in SOME ways seems easier than having one or two kids.  If you turn the radio up... you have an instant dance party.  If you sit outside around a bon fire...you instantly have games of flashlight tag, hide & seek, catch, monkey in the middle etc.  And most of the time mom and pops can hang by the fire...most of the time. I am pretty sure I have logged less than 20 minutes playing polly pockets, or transformers.  One of my least favorite things is making up imaginary voices for barbies and gi joes...  and no one is asking me too!!!  I do love to play with the kids outside, throwing footballs and frisbees, kicking soccer balls and the like.  And don't get me started on the number of projects I get myself wrapped up in with these little hooligans. :)  

 I remember being a young kid and having these special occasions when we would have cousins around and all of the kids would just be running themselves silly, playing, laughing and having a ball.  I was never happier.  I get to see that joy in my kids face almost daily, and it makes all of the tedious stuff melt away.   I see the compassion they have for each other when they help each other out without even turning to me.  When one is upset and another runs to them with worry.  When Ty is having a hard time with something and Jack turns off his video game to help him out.  How Kobi wakes up on the weekends and makes breakfast for all the kids.  I don't know how or why, but they are all so stinkin' sweet to us and each other.  

Sure sometimes it is overwhelming being the mom of so many kiddos, I can make myself nutty when I start thinking about it too much.  All the responsibility, all the laundry, the amount of times I hear the word "Mommy" in a given day is enough to put you into the cold sweats.  I will admit that I have on occasion crashed into bed and wept with the enormity of my to do list...but when I think of these precious kids, individually, I would crawl through hot coals for every one of them.   Individually they each add so much more to my life and love than I could ever imagine.  I wouldn't trade the chaos for anything.   

I do have this little fantasy about all my kids growing up... some live close by and we are the coolest grandparents ever.  Some live far away and it breaks my heart.  But I envision our family get togethers... tables lined end to end, some of them helping me in the kitchen, some in the other room watching football or reading.   We sit down to the table ,our family of 8,, now bursting at the seems with spouses and grandchildren.   Everyone is busting a gut laughing at the retelling of horror stories about their crazy mom and then they go on and on about all the things they pulled over on us when they were teenagers.  We are all  there for each other through the good and the bad throughout the years, bonded by the little things that we are doing now, every day.  The things that seem so simple, mundane, tedious, and unimportant, those are the things that build a family.