Family

In my family there is my dad and mom (Joel and Freida) of course. Then all the children (all biological). Here's the list with ages and a little about them.

Caleb Thomas - 21 yrs Strong personality, smart, he's the leader
Me- 19 yrs I don't even know
William Jonathan - 15 yrs Quiet, loves nature
Rebekah Rene ( nicknamed mommy) - 13 yrs Tender, timid, there's more than meets the eye
Sarah Ruth - 12 yrs Unpredictable, off-the-wall, nurse at heart
Martha Joy - 10 yrs Animal lover, curious,
Mary Kate - 8 yrs (DS) Strong-willed and determined but tender underneath, sneaky
Joseph Luke - 7 yrs Quiet and intelligent, nerd, witty and funny
Joshua George - 6 yrs (DS) Loving, animated, clown, full of hugs
Judah Duncan Jadon - 2 yrs Cute, still the baby, demands attention, Mama's boy

Now, I've heard that some people who might think that's a lot and a rather excessive amount of children, and I used to think it was pretty ridiculous myself. However, upon years of first-hand observation, I think that the pros of this large amount of family members far outweighs the cons. Here are some things that I think need to be understood. Mary Kate and Josh are Down Syndrome. Josh was born with a hole in his heart and had surgery at 6 months to fix it. He hasn't had any problems since then. They have speech apraxia, which is basically they learn to say words but their brains can't retain it. Wikipedia gave me a weird definition. But anyway, they could say things for awhile then they would forget. Sometimes they can say something, sometimes they can't. Also, they have poor oral skills so they can't form certain consonants. Also, Mary Kate has diabetes and requires insulin shots before every meal. So they take a lot of extra care. However, they are the most beautiful and cheerful people I know. They honestly can always brighten my day. They never tire of giving hugs to anyone and everyone.

Because of so many people in one house, there is always lots of noise which sometimes blossoms into chaos. Fights break out sometimes. Meals are always a big ordeal and require a long clean-up. There is never a dull moment, my family could sit and tell ridiculous stories for hours. People say we should write a book, I don't know who would find the time to actually do it. Trips to our hometown in Missouri are long, and sometimes awful. Our 15 passenger van (when carrying 12) gives little space for those of us who require a lot of it.

My family is my circle of friends, they make me happy and make me laugh. My dad has the best sense of humor, he's so funny. My mom is sweet and worries about us all the time, she can be funny too, and when she is, it's almost better than my dad (Papa) because you aren't expecting it.

Having a big family teaches us kids how to deal with people. You have to share, you have to work out problems yourself. Mama can't run to every single little conflict. It makes you more responsible (I know, none of my classmates believe it). Plus, whenever you get tired of playing with one kid, there's always another to go hang out with. Imagination was huge in our family, mostly me I guess, but you could rally all the siblings and pretend anything. Orphanage, army, run-away (personal favorite), pet shop, hospital, POWs...there was no limit.