Yes, Ma'am, I DO have my hands full!

Among my circle of friends, family and acquaintances my family of five (children, that is) ranks as pretty average sized...with a little more hands and toes than most, but not as much as many. I know many families with seven kids or more, including my sisters family.  As I've mentioned before, I am one of 10 (hers/his/theirs). But every mother with four or more children knows the parade of comments that strangers must feel the need to make. Here are a few that I hear often and some of the replies I've either said or wished I'd said.

"Are they all yours?" - Actual reply: "Heck ya, you think I'd take someone else's kids shopping with me?!!"

"Haven't you figured out what causes that?" (always followed by hysterical laughter as though it was an original statement) - Actual reply: "courtesy laugh", Imagined reply: "No, sir, they just kept coming as though I hit the jackpot...guess I'm just lucky!"

"Are you going to have any more?"  - Pre-divorce answer: "Probably", Now: "Only God knows.", Imagined reply, "Well, now, let me pull out my crystal ball....."

One of my least favorites before I had Isabelle, "Are you going to try for a girl?" - Imagined reply, "Tell me now, how does one try for a girl, do you do it any differently?"

And, of course, the one I inevitably hear every time I take all five of them to the grocery store, "My, you have your hands full!!" I hear this so often that when a friendly elderly gent stopped to ask Benjamin if he was my big helper, Benjamin replied, "Yep, we give her full hands."

That's right...and a full heart and a full life.

All the cousins living in WA (in my parents small living room!)