Such Individuals

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

Large families can sometimes be an oddity that people stare at in public.  "Wow!  Look at all those kids!"  Truth be told, I sometimes think that when I see other large families.  Even in pictures, I'll think the same thing.  Then I start counting and the family only has 6 children!  It is funny because when you look at them as a whole group, there seem to be so many.  Normally though, we do not think of our own family that way. We are just--us!  I think it is because we see each others as individuals and a lot of times others are viewing us as a group.  If you do not know each member as an individual the focus goes on the group.  I guess that is how we are wired.  Like I said, we do that too!  My children have seen pictures of other large families and commented on how many there were and then laughed when we counted them!  This happens too, when others will confuse some of the children or ask if they are twins.  A lot of times we do not see the resemblance that others see in the children, because to us the differences stand out.  Now, I do not mean that we do not acknowledge that they favor each other in their looks.  I just do not see how any look so  much alike to be confused as twins.  We have noticed, when looking back on baby pictures, that several did look very much alike at certain ages.  For instance, Reece looks a lot like Richard did when he was 5, and Reagan looks a lot like Rebecca did as a baby.

Yes, each one of our children are very much individuals!  Part of the fun of raising so many is seeing how different God has made each one.  There are many similarities, too, but the differences are what is so interesting!  It has always struck me as funny when Richard came along, at how boyish he was.  We really did not do that much different in raising him than we had his sisters.  It was obvious that God had wired him differently.  We never balked at him playing with dolls.  We never shoved cars and trucks into his hands if he picked up his sisters dolls.  But by the time he was 18 months old, he'd developed a love for balls and sports.  Yes, he would push his sisters' doll strollers around the house just as happy as he could be.  But were there dolls in it?  Nope!  He would take the dolls by their hair and sling them out of the stroller and replace them with his collection of balls!  It was so funny!  Many people clapped Rick on the back when we "finally" had a boy after two girls.  Rick just kind of shrugged it off.  Yes, we were happy to have a boy, because that is what God gave us.  But was he a different daddy to a little boy?  Not really.  He wrestled on the floor with the girls just like he did the boys.  He treated them the same.  Now that time has gone on, I'd like to think the playing is a little different.  The wrestling seems a bit rougher with the boys, though the girls still get their fair share of being pinned to the floor and tickled.  These days they don't seem to enjoy it as much as the boys do though!  And I do think he enjoys having boys that help with the mowing and want to watch sports with him.  Still, in the beginning, it wasn't society or how we were raising them that shaped the differences between the boys and girls.  It was obvious that God wired them a certain way.  He does that for His purpose in their lives.  And it is fun (and sometimes trying) to watch what God is going to do with that!

Rebecca, being the oldest, was the one we practiced on!  Ha!  Ha!  She initiated us into parenthood.  After going through her babyhood, there were definitely things we decided to do differently the next time.  But mostly with the others, we were a bit more relaxed.  She has a lot of characteristics of the older child.  She seemed to mature early.  She is very responsible and she is a people pleaser.  She would like for everyone to be happy.  She has a heart for people.  She wants to be a nurse, and I have no doubt she will make an excellent one.  She seems to get along with all age groups, from babies to the elderly.

Rachel is the second oldest.  She is the organizer of the family.  When I want something organized or cleaned, she is the one I go to.  Not that she always wants to have those tasks fall to her, but what can I say?  When you are good at it, people turn to you for that.  She has an eye for details and can be quite creative.  If you've ever seen her work with her photo editing, you know what I mean.  When you want something done, she is the person to ask.  She can be bold and speak up for what she feels is right, but at the same time has a very sensitive side.

Richard is the oldest boy.  As I said before, it was fun to see how different he was from his sisters even as a toddler.  Being the third child, I think he feels like he has to be the one to rock the boat some.  He was never one that wanted to be bothered with sitting down and doing school.  He does like to read occasionally, but instead of branching out to different kinds of books, he prefers to reread favorites over and over.  Routine if very important to him and always has been. He has been the one that wanted to be outside playing.  Why do school when you could be playing ball?  All around he is a more physical person than his sisters.  He has to be touching someone all the time!  LOL  He is the one that comes up behind you quite often and gives you a hug.

Ruth, for a long time, was the quiet one.  She has come out of her shell some in the last year or two though.  She has never liked things to be loud and rowdy.  That kind of stuff tends to make her nervous.  She is our sensitive one.  Her feelings can easily be hurt.  Sometimes she is a little too hard on herself.  As a student, she is pretty self-motivated.  At an early age, she could be trusted to take her school into another room and actually stick with it until she was done.  She does things thoroughly, though often at a very slow pace.  Seriously, I don't think you can hurry her!  She is almost always the last one at the table at a meal!  She is a people person, too.  She does not want to hurt anyone's feelings (except for siblings maybe) and she loves to give great massages!

Robert is our clown.  He likes to goof off quite a bit!  He also can switch emotions faster than anyone I know, from one extreme to another.  He can be really mad and upset, stomping off to his room muttering.  Then the next thing you know, he is back downstairs just as happy as can be, hugging you and telling you how you are the best.  It is so funny to watch him explain things to the really little ones.  I should tape record his conversations with Reagan sometime!  He was one that always cracked me up with his vocabulary.  He would say the funniest things and we would be like "Where did you learn to use that word?"  He is another one that likes to give hugs and encouragement.  While he can be a very picky eater, when I do make something he likes, he will go on and on about what a great cook I am!  (During those times he forgets about the meal before when I cooked pototoes, which he hates, and he thought I was making him eat the grossest thing in the world!)

Riley is our serious one.  Many times you do not know what he is thinking.  He is also a bit on the shy side.  It takes him longer to warm up to people, but when he does you are his friend for life.  When he is upset, he does not share what is wrong, which makes it hard as parents to fix things.  He withdrawls inward more than any of the other children.  When you praise him, I'm sure he likes the praise, but he isn't quite sure what to do with it.  It makes him uncomfortable most of the time.  I think instead he likes it when you show that you trust him to do things.  He likes having responsibility.  The girls often tell him he is going to be a great husband one day.  He seems to "get" the girls and what they like.  Currently he has become very attached to Rebecca.  They are reading "The Chronicles of Narnia" together, and he can often be found brushing her hair after a long day!

Reece is--well, a cutie-pie!  He can say some of the sweetest things.  He seems to be a deep thinker.  Often he is asking questions about life that make you wonder what ever made him ask that!  And like most 5 year olds, he is full of questions!  Right now he is at a point where his personality is changing a lot.  Most recently, he has become a tattle-teller and overly dramatic.  Of course part of that could be from getting over two illnesses back to back.  He loves being around other people and hasn't really met a stranger!  Once he meets you, pretty much be prepared to have him camp in your lap for the rest of the visit!  And he'll talk your ear off.  He enjoys being the "little buddy" in the family and he adores his older sisters!

Ridge is a handful!  He seems to have a more dominant personality. He knows what he wants and he expects you to get if for him--now!  If someone is in his way, be prepared to be shoved aside.  He is a bit more physical than his siblings were at his age.  And when he gets in trouble, he makes his eyes get really wide and he puts on this really big smile.  (Not batting his eyes, but it has the same effect.)  Something tells me he is going to barrel right through life at full speed--he'll think about the consequences to things later.

Reagan--well we are still learning a lot about her.  One thing is for sure--she is a drama queen!  She has been a more temperamental baby than the others were.  She requires more of your undivided attention and isn't all that easily soothed when she gets riled!  I'm sure there are lots of adventures waiting for her.  Being a girl born after 4 brothers in a row, she is going to have to be tough!  But like her siblings, she has the ability to smile and light up a room!

So nine children, all so different.  Each one an individual made by God for a special purpose.