What, FOUR?

Our youngest, James Jihu Rigby, was born December 20, 2013. Before he was born, Joe and I never really felt like we had that many kids, and it's always been pretty manageable doing stuff as a family (this includes dinner time). Ever since James was born, especially since we moved to Washington, we have been feeling like we have a lot of kids. Ha ha.

It is probably safe to say that the most interesting and frequent topic that comes up in my conversations with people here in Washington is how many kids I have. And the reaction is always the same. "Oh, wow!"

People always get wide-eyed when I tell them I have four children, especially when I am not with all four of them. Common follow up questions/remarks include, "How old are they?" "Are they twins?" "But you are so young!" "You have your hands full!" My favorite reaction is when I walk around with the kids, people first look at me, and slowly look over at each of the kids (sometimes visibly leaning forward to take a look at the back of the stroller or the car seat) then back at me (It takes a few seconds to do that).

It's not easy to take care of four children. But not impossible either. I manage somehow, and they love and enjoy each other's company. It's true, it is difficult to give them as much time individually as I could have if I only had one or two children, but I don't love them any less than I would have if I had less children. We have our challenges but we are learning how to handle four children. We are so blessed with good children who are obedient (for the most part) and loving, so they make it easier for Joe and I to raise them and discipline them. We are not quite ready to just have another child (my body can't physically handle it right now), and we will be enjoying having "just" 4 kids for now. :)

At James' baby blessing