We are a family of nine doing our best to navigate this beautiful life. We have 5 biological children and two adopted children. Each child up to high school is home educated. It’s imperative to us that our kids realize that they are not the center of the universe, but rather stewards of an incredible gift—the opportunity to live and grow and serve others—all with love. We teach them that life is not always easy, nor fun, nor exciting, but happiness can be chosen. Faith is paramount to maintaining our peace and hope.

All of our kids know that their love is enough to change lives. We have high expectations for our kids because they are capable. We expect them to always be polite, respectful, hard working and honest. We expect them to make mistakes—lots of them—but we know that growth comes from mistakes if handled correctly. We teach them to have mercy on themselves and on others. Without mercy, there can be no love. Without love, there is emptiness.

So, here we are, in all of our realness and with all of our flaws, living our adventure of life.