What's one more??

OK, I'm ready to admit it... I suppose we have a kinda largish family. I still don't think large - you know, everything is relative. I mean, I can admit we are not a SMALL family but really, wouldn't you define LARGE say when you can't all fit in a mini-van and have to drive one of those big 16 passenger vans around?

Its all about the mindset shift though. People talk about transitions of businesses and churches as they grow and evolve from small, to mid size to large. I guess I'd say a family that still fits in a mini-van is really only mid size. The point I was making though, is that I think I've finally made the mindset shift to being a mid size family. The little things like when someone asks for water you don't bring them a glass, you bring out a pitcher and a stack of cups. You EXPECT to go through several loaves of bread because, duh, there are just so many slices in one loaf - times 2 for a sandwich, times 7 days in a week times 6 people = well, lots of slices of bread! (you do the math if the sum really matters to you).

When my friends and neighbors kids' are here I always say "No problem! We're here - what's one more?" It sounds like the nice thing to say but really, most of the time its true. I've made the shift - if you're already bringing out a stack of cups and a pitcher, what's one (or two or three or 4 more?). The thing I can't get over is the noise level but you know what, really, 8 kids don't seem that much louder than 4 - they're all really too loud.

I've also noticed that as the kids age, life is much easier. I really still contend that 2 in diapers was way more difficult a stage than having 4 and only one of those in diapers. Babies and toddlers are hard work - as Easton says "Babies can be demanding!". Not that the older ones are not work to parent but its a different kind of work and it is the kind where adding more seems to occupy them and make life almost easier. For example, the other evening I had 8 kids here and 7 for dinner. I already cook a ton of food so that was unnoticeable, and the kids were older - and enjoyed playing together. There were even some older girls that thought playing with Kenzie was fun!

I'm just sayin' - what's one more?