I was thinking last night about our growing family. I caused myself to chuckle. Here’s what I was thinking. Truly boring, so be warned.
When I go grocery shopping, shoot it doesn’t even make it that far. When I make our grocery list to go shopping I am always thinking about the numbers. Yes, I think about the numbers of cost, but that is not to which I am referring. It is the numbers of large family logistics. That term alone really sounds strange to me anyway: large family. In all honesty there are times I do not consider us a large family, yet I know that technically we are. Six children, a seventh one on the way. That makes for a large family by most standards.
I am always amazed when people ask, “are they all yours?” and when I smile and say, “Yes” they suck all the air in the room and act as if they could pass out. Part of me thinks its funny and I truly love the shock factor. I guess I don’t “get it.” I didn’t just pop out six children all at one time. I have had these children over the course of thirteen years (wow, my oldest will be 13 tomorrow). We’ve grown together. We’ve grown a family. We’ve planted seeds, fertilized them, watered them, fed them, sheltered them. We’ve allowed the sun to shine down on them and the rain to wash them. They are gifts from God and I pray everyday that we do justice to the trust that God has placed on us to raise these beautiful human beings into Godly men and women.
OH, sure. Some days are tough, loud, obnoxious, down-right screaming door-slammer days. But not everyday is like that. As a matter of fact fewer days are like that than most. And if there seems to be a bit of a streak of door slamming we just remedy that by removing the door for a few days. No more door slamming and the volume level returns to normal (well, normal for a household of 8). That reminds me - we have door to put back on today.
This fact that we’ve grown together makes it hard for me to see ourselves as different or off the charts. We are tickled pink about Seven. We could not be happier. Most moments I can not seem to wipe the silly grin off my face, even if I wanted to. I have a spring in my step and a joy in my heart. I knew Seven would make an appearance in our lives. About three months ago I started the counting again. About six months before each of our children were conceived (except the first) I become obsessed with counting everyone in the car before we leave anywhere. I do not do this allowed, but I have been known to ask, “Do we have everyone? Are we all here?” even after everyone is accounted for in the car. Even when we are all accounted for I know someone is missing, there is a sense of incompleteness within our home. It is very hard to describe the feeling and thoughts of this counting. It is as if I am being prepared in some way.
Now back to the numbers. In the movie Cheaper by the Dozen (old version is better, but either will do) their are twelve children and two adults making it fourteen. But we do tend to think in terms of children when we speak of family numbers, don’t we?
So back to my grocery list. This is how I think as I am making my lists and shopping. A box of 24 ice cream sandwiches will give the children four desserts or all eight of us three desserts (needless to say, not all at the same time). It’s that cheaper by the dozen effect, we just get to double the results with only half a dozen children. Well, now there’s a kink - the math is not so “easy” anymore. Seven. Who packages things divisible by seven? Well, someone should. :) Oh, I know. It’s sounds utterly ridiculous to think through it all when it will be at least a year (gestation followed by six months of breast-feeding) before this really hits home on the grocery buying, but it is throwing my math off.
And I thought it was funny.
