Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Motherhood

"Like all mothers, I couldn’t believe, at first, that he was really for me and that I could keep him.  I’m still filled with the wonder of his being, to be able to go out and come back and find that he’s still there." Audrey Hepburn

 K If you squint, can you see the two oldest and possibly happiest people in the picture?  They are in the very back between those to branches of those very old trees?  Well, I want to be them someday in a picture like this. 

My husband has 14 brothers and sisters.  Yes, he was 13th of 15.  I know what questions are running through your head right now and here are the answers.  Yes, all single births.  Yes, all the same mom and dad.  Yes, she did know how to prevent this and chose not to.  Yes, they all paid for their college careers on their own.  There is 22 years about in between the oldest and youngest.  There are soon to be 55 grandchildren and eventually more.  BTW there were a few families missing in the picture too.  Every year all 86 of us get together in some location we are lucky enough to find holds that many on a budget.  It is the time all of us look forward to every year.  We all laugh til we hurt every year for three days straight.

I want a lot of kids.  I want to have a lot of grandkids.  I have two SIL's that have eight and I just love it.  I love seeing how happy they all are.  I love seeing how the older siblings take care of the younger.  I love how everyone learns to work hard, share, and be selfless.  I was just reading a blog that was very inspiring.  Check it out.  They all call me mom  She has nine. 

Another interesting fact about my husbands family if you care is that the grandma you see in the picture is actually not his blood mom.  His birth mom died when he was six and the youngest was two of Ovarian Cancer.  His dad married this fabulous lady a year later.  She had never been married and never had any kids and she took on all fifteen and raised them all.  She is an absolutely amazing woman.  My kids just love Grandma Sharon.  I can't wait til the day I get to meet my other mother in law.  I know what an incredible person she is and I have so many questions for her.  I thank both my mother in laws for the faith they had in our Heavenly Father.  You have to have to have incredible faith that you are raising our Father in Heaven's children to have that many.  I know there are more little spirits up there waiting to come down to my family and I am going to try my hardest to not turn any away.  I just pray I can be a good mother to them and make them happy and feel loved.  Feel loved by me and my husband, their siblings, their Father in Heaven and their brother and Savior Jesus Christ.  

I love Audrey's enthusiasm when she stated her quote above.  I would like to think ALL mothers feel that way but I know some don't.  Audrey was only able to have two children.  She felt so blessed to have those two.  I think that is why she went on to help UNICEF so much and take care of so many children in need.I have been able so far to have more and I hope to be able to continue to have lots more.  Wish me luck as I work toward my "Mega Family." (over 7 kids as Katrina calls it)



9 comments:

Lucy Robertson said...

Annie this is so sweet, thank you so much. I was thinking the other day about how much all the in-laws in our family add. Everyone has brought so much positive, sweet, amazing qualities to our family. I love every single person in our family so much. Thank you for sharing

Bob Hiatt said...

Wow, Annie. That is amazing. What a great family! Oh yeah, I'm in it. Thanks for making us sound so wonderful. You are very kind.

Alma said...

Love this family and how huge and amazing it is. It's always inspiring to me how much you love motherhood and how you know you want a big family and are going for it. Oh I can't wait to see you and everyone!

Michelle H said...

We (the in-laws) are really lucky to have found such a quirky but faithful family to marry into. And I can't wait to see all the other cute little blonde kids waiting to join your family!

Katrina said...

Wow, what a neat blog post. What an amazing family you have!

I feel so honored that you mentioned me and my family in this post! Thank you :) It IS a lot of fun, having such a large family. Family is awesome. I'm having a lot of fun watching mine grow over the years. There is never a happier time for us than when we are adding on to our family...and I believe that will only continue, as my children have children, and theirs have children... and one day I can sit back and look at all the wonderful souls that I have been blessed with :)

I love reading your enthusiasm about family. You are very inspirational. I bet you're an awesome wife and mommy :)

Unknown said...

Being a parent was never meant to be a one-person job. There's a reason it takes two to make a baby! The reason is that it takes at least two to raise a baby. It is to important for every parent to have a partner she can rely on so that she doesn't get burnt out. However, the truth of the matter is that not all parents stay together. Sometimes only one parent is left to raise the child on her own. Now, although it is preferable for the child to have two parents, what matters most is that the child be loved and well cared for.

help for single Dads

Unknown said...

Your sister shared this post with me over on my blog lessonsfromivy.com, I so appreciate the perspective I wrote something similar : )

Jeanette said...

As an In-Law, I must agree. I am truly blessed to be loved by this wonderful family. Can't wait for July!

Karen said...

What a fabulously delicious blog! I'm glad I found you through the Wandering Wednesday blog hop!! I can't wait to read more from you!

Hoping you'll take a second to stop by and follow me back!
www.victoria-nouveau.blogspot.com

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...