Children--Day 5 of Gratitude

 Day 5 of Things I Am Grateful for is really a no-brainer. Anytime I see a number 5 I think of my five children.
There are no words on the gratitude I feel for the fact that God trusted me with FIVE lives to raise, teach, love and watch grow into adulthood.

 I realize I am MORE than a little prejudice, but when I was taking this picture a couple of weeks ago, I turned to my husband and said, "One thing about it, we really produce beautiful children." (I told you I was prejudice!!)  Names and ages for those that are interested...and if you aren't ...sorry!
Annabelle Caitlin, 27; Coulter Ferguson, 22; Fielding Jourdan, 28; Luke Timouthy, 21; Taylor Clancy, 25. Yes, we had our hands full....

 I always wanted a house full of boys. I love boys! 
 I love ballgames and dirty uniforms and healthy appetites and dirty pockets and wrestling on the living room floor and incessant teasing and girls that call on the phone to talk to the boys and how much boys love their mama!!!!

  When I got two daughters as well as three huge boys, I got the Lucky Straw.  My daughters are brains and beauty and balanced. They were the ones that kept those boys in line and hovered over their younger brothers.
(Actually the girls still look out for their brothers!)

Their personalities are as opposite as their looks. Yet, when other mothers talked about how much their daughters argued and fought, I could never join in. My girls rarely disagreed. Perhaps it was because of their opposite personalities!

 (In case you had not figured it out, I buy any 5 I see!)

 Fielding takes the job of being the oldest very seriously. He likes to give (sage!) advice to his siblings. (They have not learned to appreciate it yet!) He will make a wonderful husband because he is so caring. He picked a wife that we all love.

 The Blondes--They actually share very similar personality traits. (And, as my husband likes to point out, they seem to be my personality traits!) We like to be a little more adventurous. We are emotional. We crave, CRAVE brownies. We love bread products. We love the sun. We love to read. We tend to be bossy. We need very little sleep. Our motors tend to run at  a little faster pace! (I was trying to say all that in a good way!!!)

The Brunettes--(including Fielding) also share personality traits. (AND, those traits tend to take after my husband.) They are more laid back. They love TV and movies. They love music and can tell you every band and singer and everything they ever sang since the beginning of time. They have a ritual of food they prepare every single Game Day. They are very kind to everyone.

 All five of them are compassionate. They cannot stand to hear of any human or animal mistreated. They are all huge animal lovers. They all spoil their younger cousins. They all dote and worry over their grandparents. When we get together as a group now, it is always fun. There is still wrestling and bossing and hovering. There are stories of 'when they were little'. There are tall tales of ball game heroics. There are games and stories and memories. It is a wonderful time....just as every single stage with The Five has been. I am forever grateful, that I was blessed with five children that are as beautiful inside as they are out. (I told you I was prejudiced!)