First things first – HAPPY 4th of JULY to all of our Brave Girls!!  4th of July is a pretty big deal in our family.  For years and years and YEARS we’ve spent the day gathered as a family in our hometown of Melba, Idaho.  It’s a small town that celebrates right!  Festivities include an old town parade in the morning, carnival and art fair in the afternoon and the most incredible firework show at night.  The best part about the day is getting together with our entire extended family…well…most of them.  (Some live far away and don’t make it every year…we LOVE when they do!!)

Which brings me to my second thought – our new series called “did you know…” where we’ll tell you all kinds of fun and funny things about us and the people who are closest to us.  Soooo…

DID YOU KNOW THAT…

Kathy and Melody are 2 of 9 children?!

(5 boys…4 girls…Kathy is 2nd and Melody is 6th.)

Melody, Kathy and their 7 brothers and sisters have 41 kids between them ranging in age from 29-years-old to 3-month-old twins…Mike and Kathy (the 2 oldest) have grandbabies too, which adds to the numbers…6 grandkids with 2 more on the way.

That means when our family gets together, there are 18 brothers, sisters and spouses and 47 kids…plus grandma and grandpa!  Needless to say it’s hard to get together anywhere.  But when we do (usually outside, so there’s plenty of room for everyone) it is heaven on earth.  Everyone has a cousin or two to play with and laugh with…

Or an aunt to talk to…


Or an uncle to play football with…


Or somebody to just sit and enjoy the view with…


This enormous family has been built on sacrifice and love and commitment and loyalty with more sacrifice and love on top of it all.
It all started with these two -

And we’re all sooooooooooooooo glad it did!! :)