Extra love at the Coombs
We currently have a larger than life family. My sisters' family sold their house quite quickly and they were bound to be homeless. They found a new house down the street from their old house, but it needs major work. Over the past months we have been gutting the house of anything and everything. It's down to the studs, pulling out electric and plumbing, you name it!
My friends all warned me about living with family. We've done it before with mixed results for a short period of time. But I haven't lived with Rhoda forever. We love their family and couldn't wait. They moved in the beginning of November, and it's now mid-January and they are still here. They threaten to move out from time to time to get out of our hair. But what they don't realize is that we've become quite attached to them and we aren't ready to say goodbye yet. Their neighbor is serving a mission so their house is fully furnished and they have invited Rhoda's family to move in. That means the kids can ride the bus again and be closer to their friends, and no more early morning drives. Total bonus, right? Wrong! Here's the thing, I might die if they move out soon.
I never thought that I could handle 7 kids, 4 adults, and two huge dogs at my house. We were pretty sure that our house was bursting at the seems with just our two kids before and we had a strict no pet policy. So we leapt in with both feet, moved their dressers, beds, more shoes than I knew was possible (and hey, I love shoes!), and they filled our refrigerator and freezer in one night.
Shelby and Calvin now share a room with Brynlee and Kenady. Cassidy and Paige sleep in our office. Rhoda and Trevor are in the spare room. And Logan has his own room. Well, mostly. Calvin loves to sneak back into his old room to sleep with Logan. Logan sleeps through everything, so he doesn't even notice. The problem is that Logan goes to seminary and wakes up at 5:30, and that means Calvin does too. Not cool.
Rhoda does all the cooking for dinner time, all the grocery shopping, and has her kids on this amazing chore chart that keeps the house clean. Her kids have chores almost every day, and they do it without complaining. It's really something you have to see to believe.
Her kids help my kids read books, brush their teeth, get dressed, and play. I honestly kind of miss my kids because Rhoda's kids take such good care of them. They get so sad when it's just us anymore, they are always asking for Rhoda's kids. Now, we are apparently too boring for them.
Here's an example of her kids:
Paige asked if she could start making me lunches for work. I did NOT turn that down. Heck yes, I hate to pack my own lunch. So now every day I get to work and I open my lunch to find cute little notes, different sandwiches that she has invented, and she packages it like a restaurant with a toothpick and handmade flag. I know you don't believe me so here's a picture.
My friends all warned me about living with family. We've done it before with mixed results for a short period of time. But I haven't lived with Rhoda forever. We love their family and couldn't wait. They moved in the beginning of November, and it's now mid-January and they are still here. They threaten to move out from time to time to get out of our hair. But what they don't realize is that we've become quite attached to them and we aren't ready to say goodbye yet. Their neighbor is serving a mission so their house is fully furnished and they have invited Rhoda's family to move in. That means the kids can ride the bus again and be closer to their friends, and no more early morning drives. Total bonus, right? Wrong! Here's the thing, I might die if they move out soon.
I never thought that I could handle 7 kids, 4 adults, and two huge dogs at my house. We were pretty sure that our house was bursting at the seems with just our two kids before and we had a strict no pet policy. So we leapt in with both feet, moved their dressers, beds, more shoes than I knew was possible (and hey, I love shoes!), and they filled our refrigerator and freezer in one night.
Shelby and Calvin now share a room with Brynlee and Kenady. Cassidy and Paige sleep in our office. Rhoda and Trevor are in the spare room. And Logan has his own room. Well, mostly. Calvin loves to sneak back into his old room to sleep with Logan. Logan sleeps through everything, so he doesn't even notice. The problem is that Logan goes to seminary and wakes up at 5:30, and that means Calvin does too. Not cool.
Rhoda does all the cooking for dinner time, all the grocery shopping, and has her kids on this amazing chore chart that keeps the house clean. Her kids have chores almost every day, and they do it without complaining. It's really something you have to see to believe.
Her kids help my kids read books, brush their teeth, get dressed, and play. I honestly kind of miss my kids because Rhoda's kids take such good care of them. They get so sad when it's just us anymore, they are always asking for Rhoda's kids. Now, we are apparently too boring for them.
Here's an example of her kids:
Paige asked if she could start making me lunches for work. I did NOT turn that down. Heck yes, I hate to pack my own lunch. So now every day I get to work and I open my lunch to find cute little notes, different sandwiches that she has invented, and she packages it like a restaurant with a toothpick and handmade flag. I know you don't believe me so here's a picture.
So, would I recommend you let your sisters family of 7 move in with you? No. But if it was Rhoda's family, then yes! I don't know what I'll do when they leave. I love always having someone to talk to. I love watching Caleb help the kids with their math. I love the little fights that these kids have. I love having a line up for who gets to shower and when. I love that my dish washer runs 1-2 times a day. I love that there are endless piles of laundry. I love that we can buy toilet paper in bulk, and use every roll in a month. I love the extra love in this house. It's been such a blessing. 3 months is just not long enough. Big families can be so much fun. Maybe mormons are onto something and I should have been paying attention all these years.
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