Starting on the back row from the left….Johnathan, Jacob, Joshua, Payton (Dani and Richard’s daughter), Richard (Kyle’s best friend), Dani (Richard’s wife). Front row starting from the left….Allison, Tammy, Sarah, Darren, Spencer, Iasmin, Kyle…..and the little guy in the front, Kyle’s mini-me, Ryan (the Lord knew they had to be 20 years apart because I could not handle both of them in the house at the same time!). The only one missing is Daniel…because he is serving his mission in Redlands, California. Daniel falls between Jacob and Allison.

I love that they are willing to spend time together and help one another.

Now, you need not suppose that our relationships are just super easy and happy all of the time. We fight and argue plenty. But we don’t take pictures of that. Plus, we have spent A LOT of time learning how to talk to one another and understanding our own personal feelings. There are still the occasional times when one or more of us will not be talking to another one because emotions are running high and we are trying to manage the relationship and/or the situation. But for the most part, we have learned to love and help one another despite each of our individual weaknesses. AND we recognize we are all works in progress and sometimes we are going to make mistakes and hurt each other. The trick is not to let our relationships stay in that place, but to work through our issues.

You just need to know that even though it has been a lot of work to have such a large family, I wouldn’t trade any of them! I love them all! Each one has taught me something unique and I have had to change and grow in learning how to parent that individual. I could go through the list, but it might just take too long. And they can just read it in my journal after I pass away. We are at a very fun stage…we are adding new people to our group….and from here, I think we will explode! I cannot wait to see who else will become a part of us!