What I Love About Having Four Kids.

We have FOUR kids!

I haven’t shared any writing publicly this past season, but a lot has changed! I have desired to write so much but newborn + pandemic + school closures + life getting turned upside down- I just haven’t found a new rhythm yet to get my thoughts onto paper as much as I used to.

This March, I gave birth to our fourth child. A baby boy named Brooks Benjamin. He is literally the most amazing grand finale for our family. Since I was a young child, I have wanted to have 4 children. When my husband and I discussed starting a family, 4 was still my number. “Just wait till you’ve had one” well meaning people would tell me. But after giving birth to each of my three kids, I knew there was still a fourth to come.

Brooks has been the fulfillment of a dream. Our family is now complete. All my children are here with me, on this earth, and in my home. There is literally not one day since he arrived that I don’t look at my kids and think “this is so surreal”.

It’s funny the reaction that four kids get in today’s society. Larger families are becoming rare. And four kids in 6.5 years is definitely a lot of kids in a short span of time! As much as there are challenges, there are so many joys as well.

So here I am literally living my dream, and in honour of that, I wanted to share what I am loving about having 4 kids!

• Four kids means four different unique personalities. I love watching each of my kids become who they are. Some of the traits are noticeable right from birth! We have an intensely passionate child, a contemplative organizer, a fun loving sweetie, and a super sweet baby. I love experiencing their differences and learning to parent each one.

• Watching all the sibling relationships develop. Nothing brings a parent greater joy than to see their children develop a friendship. We have intentionally steered our kids towards relationship, and it’s so precious to watch. It’s fun to see them develop their own little unit, with jokes and games just for them. The older three have been enthralled with their baby brother. They are all competing for his attention; all can make him laugh and smile, all love getting him toys and being a helper.

• There’s always something going on. This one is something I love, and also, one of my biggest challenges. Quite the paradox. At times I find the amount of noise and activity of multiple kids overwhelming. But the fact that there’s always something going on is one of the fun parts of a many kid household.

• More kids= more to celebrate. More birthdays. More kids milestones. I love celebrating and it’s always nice to have more reasons to do it!

• Four individuals to develop and launch out into the world. Each of our kids came to with a specific call on their lives. They were created by God as unique individuals and we love seeing the ways that uniqueness plays out in the path God has for them. One of the greatest things I can do with my life is raise children who know their God and their purpose and send them out in the world to do what they were made to do.

• Four different opportunities to carry a baby through pregnancy, birth new life into the world, and experience a newborn. I LOVED pregnancy, despite some of the uncomfortable parts, the privilege of carrying and growing a life was never lost on me; I was continually in awe. Getting pregnant with our first child was a struggle and a long wait- I vowed I would be thankful for every part of pregnancy- for the honour of carrying a child. I'm so thankful I had four different experiences to birth babies into this world- four moments that have marked me forever and will continue to be my life's greatest accomplishments.