Living in a large family, I'm often asked if i enjoy having so many brothers and sisters. Well, "so many" to most people; I stopped noticing after Naomi (the fourth child). But I began thinking about the answer to this question recently, I guess with it being the "holiday season" and all. It wasn't a difficult one to answer.
Our family, like every family, often has our bad days. There are times when someone wakes up "on the wrong side of the bed" and it puts everyone on edge. We all have our buttons to be pushed and there's a whole lot more people to push them. With the eighth child on the way, it's easy to feel forgotten and taken for granted. Our house is also RARELY quite, which doesn't mix well with the headache science sometimes gives me. But despite all that, I would not trade my family, or my life for anything, because these things are not going to be what I remember when I'm older. What I'll remember is sitting around our crowded kitchen table, laughing until we cried at a meal. I'll remember the joys of living with kids; the unexpected humor of Asher dancing around the house singing "Look at my butt. Look at my butt," or seeing Callie asleep in her highchair. I'll remember and forever tease Naomi about the time she so confidently told us, "I'm not blonde, I can see everything. I can even see you!" I'll remember me and Josh skipping around a hospital room shouting "It's a girl! It's a girl!" on the day Grace was born. I'll cherish Rose's prayers asking God to help her to be good, kind, and honest, and I may not know what kind of laughter Esther Sofia will bring to our lives, but what I do know is this: I am so thankful for her and all the challenges she has brought into our lives. I've taken on a huge amount of responsibility this last week or two, but I am so thankful for that, because now I have a much greater appreciation for all that my mom does for us, and I know that God is using this as training for me, for something, I may not know what, but first there are many more priceless memories ahead for my family. I love you Mom, Dad, Josh, Grace, Naomi, Rose, Asher, Callie, and Esther!
