7 Wilfords = ?

I can't believe there are 7 of us. Well, 8 that is if you count our dog Quincy. Can't believe we have multiplied and replenished the earth so well. We are certainly blessed. If you can believe it, there was a time when Jonathan and I were not certain we would be able to have children. We prayed our hearts out and Heavenly Father sent us Kaidence. What a gift. That was little over 7 years ago and the blessings have continued to flow. I admit, though very chaotic and sometimes hair-pulling as the moments may be, I wouldn't trade this for anything. I love being a Mom, though I wish my children each came with instruction manuals. It would certainly make my life much easier. They are so uniquely different and I am amazed at how much personality one little person can have. They have much to offer this world and I hope we can help channel all their energy in the right direction.

Some funny things we have observed about our little clan is their endless imaginations and creativity. It keeps me on my toes, breathless, and sometimes just plain old tired trying to keep up with them and keep my home in order. Each new day brings an adventure with it. After having so much help from family the last few weeks, my Mom looked at me seriously and asked "What are you going to do?" I told her my plan... WAKE UP EVERY MORNING AND PRAY. So Far, So Good...We are surviving on prayers. No doubt our own and those of our parents and loved ones. On Labor day, we labored with the kids cleaning up our basement. After that, the kids decided to have some fun and begged me to let them set up shop out front in the yard to give away "free glasses of water." Jonathan and I sheepishly decided it couldn't hurt and said yes. It was rather fun to watch. They made lots of signs to advertise and stood out there yelling at every car that passed. You can't imagine how hard it is to give something away for free. Despite their generous offers no one stopped, thus fulfilling my secret prayers especially when I peeked out the window just in time to see Kaidence tipping the pitcher back into her mouth for a drink...That's when Jonathan intervened and I brought out some watermelon to celebrate their efforts and pull them away from their "free"water stand. Soon, we closed up shop because no one was stopping. Luckily it was Labor Day, so the neighborhood was pretty quiet. This past Saturday we went on our first family outing with baby Eden to the park. I have always got a kick out of watching people's faces as we pile out of the car, and this time was no exception. Yes, there we were, all 7 of us, plus the dog. Our hands were full...but we had a good time. Yesterday after school, Chase had the idea to take his guitar out front and sing "Puff the Magic Dragon" with gusto, I might add. This time, he brought his cowboy hat along with him for collections, since past non-profit efforts were unsuccessful. Now what was I going to do? I quickly got Kaidence involved and sent her out with some smarties to toss in his hat. She brought a few quarters too and Chase was delighted at his earnings, that was until Kian came along and took off with his hat. Then it was a scene watching these two brothers duke it out over smarties and quarters while I juggled the baby, and tried to hide behind the tree out front as my neighbor's passed. Life only gets more exciting as the days pass.... All said, I believe we truly are a pretty normal family have extra-ordinary experiences like washing our kids's mouths out with lever 2000 soap and trying to do our best to raise honest, law abiding, hardworking, love-able, good hearted children. Here's to the 7 of us and the adventures to come.