I have to admit that I admire a guy like Bill Engvall.

I mean, he isn't afraid to tell it like it is. He isn't afraid to speak about the idiocy of some people. To top it off, he does it in a way that's funny. Most of it deals with the question: "Do you have any children?"

Bill Engvall could come to my house and see for himself, see that yes, we do.

All he has to do is look around: see toys or clothes lying on the ground, see wadded up napkins or Kleenex littering the floor, see the television program currently on the air (currently it's "SpongeBob Squarepants"), or see the crumbs or bowls of half-eaten cereal still sitting on the kitchen table (or see the Sippy Cups in the sink).

Or he can hear the squeals of laughter enamating from the bedrooms as the oldest children in charge supervise the youngest ones as they brush their teeth, wash up, and get ready for bed.

"Any children?" Nope! "These little strangers just wandered into my house and decided to claim it as their own!"

(Here's your sign!)

Every single time someone asks me (or my wife) that question, all we can do is laugh. Of course we have children!!

What makes it even more interesting is when people ask us how many children we have. My wife gets a real stupid look on her face and responds with, "Oh, just a few". Then I pop out with, "Sixty-three". I swear that person is going to have a stroke right then and there: their eyes bug out, their mouths pop open, their faces turn red (or white or to make it more interesting, blue), then they manage to sputter out, "HOW many????"

Or they tell us we're as crazy as loons.

We go into our "how-our-family-got-started" speech; still, that doesn't lessen the shock any.

It isn't every day when people see a family like ours. How many people actually parent rediculously high numbers of chlidren without a.) going crazy, or b.) ending up in the poorhouse? Not many, that is for darn sure! We are out there, though: those who are parenting more than ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty, or forty--or even beyond. It takes a special person to parent that many children at once; just ont everyone is willing (or able) to do so.

I guess that's one reason why God specifically hand-picks those who do. He chose us; our children are our ministry, our world, our way of life. It is up to us to provide for them, parent them, love them, discipline them, teach them about life, how to get through it in one piece (we hope they do). They are the reason why we work, why we enjoy the life we do.

It is even more challenging for those parents who raise children who are handicapped.

Our children may be disabled; however, we don't see that when we look at our kids. We see the entire package: their inner beauty, abilities, strengths, personalities, their very souls. We do see their wheelchairs, braces, crutches, etc., as would any other person. We see who they are, not just what they are.

We let our children do as they please (only as long as they abide by the family rules, know right from wrong), and if they mess up, it's okay: they pick themselves off the ground, dust themselves off, and try again. We let them know that we are with them, every step of the way.

Nowadays when people ask us, "Do we have any children?", we can proudly hold our heads up high and respond with, "Yes, as a matter of fact, we do". We do have children, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

We consider ourselves blessed beyond measure.

Yes. We do have children. (Here's your sign!)