Do You Like Having So Many Brothers and Sisters?

I love babies. I love the way their smell, snuggles, and coos. I love pretty much everything about them. However, I have never been one of those girls who absolutely had to get her hands on somebody else’s baby. Maybe that’s because I’ve always had one of my own to cuddle. Every two years since my birth, my mother has presented me with a new baby brother or sister to adore (though some have been easier to adore than others). When people discover how many siblings I have, the conversation tends to go something like this:
“Wow! Are you Catholic?”
“No.”
“Mormon?”
“No.”
“Wow… Your mom must be a pretty amazing woman.”
“I think so.”
“Do you like having so many brothers and sisters?”
“Yes.”
“What’s is like?”
“Umm…. Busy but fun.”
Now, I’m never exactly sure how they expect me to answer the “Do you like having so many brothers and sisters question. “No! I can’t stand it.”? To me, it’s just life. I love each and everyone one of my siblings and can’t imagine what life would be like without them. Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have a baby to come home and snuggle after a hard day of school, or a nosy little two year old princess to give me instructions on how to color pictures or to insist that I dance with her through the kitchen or admire her new pink dress. My life would certainly be very different without my quirky four year old brother whose antics so frequently bring a smile to my face and provide so many laughs with my friends and family. Not that it’s always easy. When you have four little boys ranging in age from ten to four who have been cooped up in the house for a couple of days and who, in consequence, are literally bouncing off the walls ( Which, by the way, can hurt if you do it wrong.) Yes, it’s exhausting at times, but that doesn’t keep me from lying in bed every night and thanking the Lord for the wonderful family he’s blessed me with. :)