The Power, Passion & Purpose Group

I Have Five Kids!

By Annika Murray

On May 11, 2009, I became a mom for the fifth time!

Ariana, Alana, Alston, Ayden, and Avary (the newborn) all call me "Mom". And yes everybody’s name begins with an "A", which can be cute and confusing at the same time. To add to the madness, my name is Annika, and my husband’s name is Arnold, thus the reason I have this "A" team.

Never in a million years would I have dreamed I would be the mother of five. I am an only child, so imagine the shock of my parents with the announcements of each pregnancy. My husband is the youngest of 8, so we wanted more than one, but 5 is another story. We are approaching our 12th year of marriage with an 8-year old, 6-year old, 3-year old, 20-month old, and 2-month old.

Enough about me, let me introduce the kids:

ARIANA, age 8-"The Standard bearer"

Ariana my oldest daughter sets the standard for the others. She is well behaved and aims to please us, almost to a fault. I must admit that my expectations for her are extremely high, but she is up for the challenge. She is highly intelligent (of course every parent says that, but really it is the truth), obedient and kind. She tries to keep the others in line and gets very upset (ok she whines and cries) when the others won’t listen. All in all she wants to do the right thing and thinks others should feel the same way.

ALANA, almost 7-"The free spirit"

Alana and Ariana are polar opposites and that is saying it lightly. Alana is a go with the flow kind of girl who does things at her own pace. She is outgoing and prefers to find her own way of doing things. For her, rules are meant to be flexible and she will eventually obey them. Overall she is sweet and always willing to help with the little ones. She is a little momma.

ALSTON, almost 4-"Superboy"

Alston, my firstborn son is 100% boy. When he was born a whole lot of testosterone entered my home. He loves annoying his big sisters by copying what they say and do. His favorite act is to destroy their freshly cleaned bedroom. He and Alana have similar personalities because they like to do things their way and on their own time. I think they could be twins born 3 yrs apart.

AYDEN, 20 months old-"Baby Brother"

Ayden is referred to as the girls’ baby brother. They just love him. He is particularly attached to Alana. Ayden is a sweet little boy. His eyes and smile are magnetic. I anticipate having lots of trouble with girls once he gets in school. As the "knee baby" I was concerned about how he would respond to a new sibling. He is totally unmoved and very secure of his place in our home and his place with his Mommy. That my little "Aydie".

AVARY, 2 months old-"Surprise Gift"

Avary is the last one. She makes the house complete. I think she has been here before. She is alert and attentive to all that goes on in our active household. She has managed to blend right into the organized chaos we call family.

Annika will be sharing the chaos, the challenge and some of the cherished memories of raising a family of five.

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