On Extended Family:

Good news. Mountain Man is a Great Uncle for the third time on his side of the family. His nephew had a second boy last week. This nephew’s brother has a daughter. This makes ten great nieces or nephews because of the seven on my side of the family. And there is another in the oven that we know of. The next generation is growing.

Mountain Man is the oldest of three, a brother that has two boys and a sister with two boys of her own, these are the ones with children.

I am the oldest of six plus two: Me a boy and a girl, Sister 1 two girls and a boy, sister 2 a girl and a boy, brother 1 none, brother 2 a boy and a girl, sister 3 a boy and two girls. (The first sister‘s kids are the ones with the seven kids between them. Two girls and five boys.) Step sister a boy and girl twins, Step brother two boys.

(I say boys and girls in the sense that they are of a younger generation not that they are children. All but seven of the next generation are out of high school.)

My parents and step mom are all still alive. And if it wasn’t for the miles between all of us we could start our own small town. With spouses that makes forty-one still alive on my side, thirteen on Mountain Man’s. And when you add us the family is fifty-six strong. All spread out over seven states.

I have to say I’m glad that they don’t all visit at once. I just don’t have the space in my small house. I am expecting a visit from my mother with some of her friends and a visit from my daughter this week. I’m still not sure which days yet. Who knows they may get here on the same day.

Family. They drive you crazy and you love them anyway. Even the ones you hardly ever talk to because of distance.

Good luck to the up and coming generation. Happy baby cuddles.