One and a Half Dozen

I got a tooth pulled yesterday...lots of fun. I was really nervous about it, but it ended up going okay, I can still feel my lips and my jaw didn't break in half. Also, Jessica watched the boys all day so I could rest. It was lovely. Anyway, while I was waiting for the procedure and while I was resting and healing up, I read Cheaper By the Dozen. My parents gave a copy of this book to each of my sisters and me for Christmas, so this seemed like the perfect time to read it and take my mind off of the unpleasantries. It was a fun read, written by two of the 12 Gilbreth children about their childhood. It reminded me a lot of my own childhood.
My mother likes to say she has one and a half dozen kids...which she does. Pictured above are the half dozen, the last one came four years later. It was crazy growing up in a family this size, but we didn't know any better. We had a lot of fun growing up. Space was in short supply and I'm not fond of crowds, but there was always someone to play with.
We camped a lot. Vacation was something that was very important to my Dad. We have tons of great memories of road trips and adventures.
On the way to some remote campsite in unknown territory, Dad would have Mom drop him and one kid off along the side of the road when it followed a river for awhile. We would take our inflated pool raft or inner tube and float down the river hoping at some point to meet back up with mom a mile down the road. We never knew if there would be rapids or a waterfall or if the river would continue to follow the road, but it always did. We always made it home safely. Life was an adventure growing up on Covington Street.
As for my tooth extraction, my face is swollen but I'm feeling okay. Enjoying the boys today.