Wow, hmmm... you have how many kids?!

So I recently took my oldest Johnny to get a hair cut, he is pretty particular about it all and we have finally after over a year found somewhere he likes. So we walk in and I nervously look around for the gentleman who seemed to please Johnny with his mad scissor skills the last time and to my surprise the skilled scissor man jumps right up and says "Hey man, glad you came back! Ready for a cut?"

As they walked over to the chair another lady sitting in the salon waiting area laughed and said "Gosh, so glad he liked his last cut and you brought him back." I smiled politely. In my head though I am thinking.. "How come these people are falling all over us? How do they remember us, we only came one other time...?" We will call this overly interested person "I was home schooled" and not because being home schooled is a bad thing, for heaven sakes I was home school and I am almost completely normal ;) anyway... but because I don't know her name and after every statement she made about her own life she followed it with ".... I was home schooled."

I sat there hoping for a few moments of peace. The little kids were home with Daddy and it was just me and Johnny. I started playing around on my phone and even closed my eyes for a moment. But "I was home schooled" was not having it. I then was asked every personal question in the book about our family.. how many children we had, how many of them were biological or adopted, how did we know what country to adopt from, what was the adopted children's circumstances for coming into adoption, what about Johnny.. what is his story? Why does he want to be here with you? and well keep going in your mind and that is what this woman asked me. But here is the kicker...she actually looked me in the face and asked me if I thought I could possibly love all these children... because she has one and that is just enough for her and she could never ever think of having more because she can hardly do it with the help of her own mother.. just loving one child.. it really takes it out of ya! (These are her exact words!)

I almost fell over... Was she really asking me if I could actually love all my children? Really?! Because sometimes my mouth gets the better of me I was ready with a quippy remark... but thankfully (for once in my life) my brain thought about it first and I kept my perfectly accurate remark to myself and thoughtfully replied "I know that not everyone understands large families, but if you understand the love of one child, the way your hear melts when those little hands grab yours or how you beam with pride when one makes a decision that is focused on someone else's needs above their own... if you love those moments, just imagine, I get to have them 6 times over... " She smiled and said "Ya I guess"...

Ya, I guess!! That was not the heart felt response I was looking for here lady! 

Over the last few weeks our family size has not only been questioned by complete strangers but by people who have been in our lives for a while now. It has caused me to take a closer look at larger families... and at moments I have questioned myself. But you know what, God has seen fit to allow Ricky and I care to for HIS children for a short time... and who am I to question the God of the universe? As I have thought and prayed for a good response.. I am left with my original response to "I am home schooled"... Yes, I can love them all.. and I do love them all.. each one of their precious little hearts blesses me each day. 

We might be loud and drink 3 gallons of milk in a week, but we can play 4 on 4 basketball downstairs at night in our pj's and have ragging dance parties without ever leaving the house! I love our big, awesome, amazing family and I would not change it for the world or even for a moment of silence.