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Stephanie Howell

reading, organizing, shopping, momming too close to the sun. Home is wherever the Army sends us.

are they twins????

you hear a lot…a LOT of things when you have twins.

a lot of really kind and encouraging things…and a lot of WEIRD and not so kind things.

actually, i don’t know if it’s the twin thing

or the “four girls five and under” thing…but i hear MANY things when we are out and about.

but by far my favorite (and the most baffling i think) is

“are they twins???”

sometimes this is totally understandable as it’s coming from people that i can tell are pretty sure they ARE twins, but don’t want to assume. i remember feeling this way before i had kids, as i knew NOTHING about babies and their ages and would just ask “how old are they?”.

totally understandable.

but what really makes me giggle is when i hear “are they twins?”

from someone who has children. and it’s even funnier when they look SO SURPRISED when i smile and say yes.

at the store from a nice lady in the dairy section. “how old are they?”

me: “they turned one on thanksgiving!”

her: “WHAT??? both turned one? are they TWINS???”

me: “uhhhhh yes?”

IMG_9350

i know that lucy is the chunk of the pair and i know that they don’t look identical (though some people who don’t see them everyday think they do).

but they are about the same size, and look SO MUCH alike.

what else could they be?

sometimes i want to say something like

“oh no, this one is 3 months older!! she came out a little bit earlier and her sister hung out in the womb”

or

“this one is 13 months and this one is 14 months, no they aren’t twins!!!”

but i don’t. i smile and answer their questions b/c i love getting stopped. but it’s SO funny to me.

are they twins?
IMG_9375

kind of like when i heard “do they all have the same daddy?” and i pointed at cate and said “all except that one!!!” .

or when the guy at urgent care(incredulously) said “are they ALL yours???” and i shrugged and looked confused and said “uhhhh i’m not sure?”.

or the lady that said “you know what causes that right?”
and i said “YES! I DO! AND IT’S MY FAVORITE!!!” hahaha!

you’ve got to laugh. or i swear you will cry.

there’s no other option! i love being on the go with my girls. we go everywhere, all five of us. target, the mall, the grocery store, you name it we go.

even when i hear “do you run a daycare?”…

and even when we are walking through the grocery store and i hear “your hands are full” for the 12th time (true story). i just grin and say thank you. arent’ they GREAT?

or (also a true story) i hold a baby out and say “want one? i have an extra!”.HA!

are they twins?

why yes. yes they are.

xoxo

Comments

  1. “YES I DO IT’S MY FAVORITE” is the best comeback, i love it!! I can never think of any so I usually just stammer and stare when random people ask me questions. People think that being at Target means you are dying for them to comment on your kids or your parenting. You are right, just laugh.

  2. You are so funny and respond with such grace to those sometimes exasperating questions! Love how different your twins look, but how all your girls look alike!

  3. I love this!! I had an extra little girl with us at the grocery store a while back and she and my son are the same size – one lady said, “Oh, are they twins?”, and I flippantly said, “No, they are 6 months apart.” She got the most confused look on her face!! And you know one I love? When people see you struggling with a child in the grocery store and say, “Oh, you’ve got a good helper there!” I just want to say, “Are you kidding me? I’d be in an out of this store in 5 min. flat if I could do this on my own!” But I just smile and say thanks.

  4. HA! I love love LOVE the “Yes! I do! And it’s my favorite!” answer. I’m still giggling. Thanks for the early-morning pick-me-up!

  5. Thanks for making me giggle this morning. I love your comebacks. I know how you feel though…I actually watch 3 children during the day and we go out and about all the time. Now, they are not related and look nothing alike, but are all pretty close in age…I get are they triplets ALL the time! Really, they look…nothing alike. When I respond with “no, they aren’t even related” I get some really weird looks…maybe it would be easier if I said, yes but they all have different fathers, at least they would leave me alone.
    Have a great one.

  7. I love your responses. My niece has boy/girl twins and she has been asked quite a few times “are they identical” to which she replies “not when you remove their nappy!”

  9. I wish I would have had that one when my b/g twins were little. I actually tried to explain how it wasn’t possible a couple of times, and people just stared at me blankly most times…

  10. haha Forget about kids! ADULTS say the darndest things. My Aunt and Uncle have ten kids, and people think they are absolutely crazy.
    P.S. I can’t believe how big all of your kids are getting! Don’t you just want to put bricks on their heads to keep them from growing up so fast?! (Another weird thing someone said to my mom once.)

  11. That was hilarious! I have four boys 7 and under. I hear almost all of those crazy things all the time! Every one of them except the twins thing. I do, however, get the “Oh! You finally got a girl!” all the time and I have to just smile and say “Nope, he’s just really pretty.” I was once on my cell phone in the car and the boys were being so loud that the woman asked if I worked in a daycare. It’s nice to know I am not the only crazy mom on the planet!

  12. So funny! True story – when my children were little, I babysat for the little boy next door while his mother worked (our neighborhood daycare would not take children until they were 7 months old). When this started, I had a three year old boy and a 4 month old boy and the little fellow I kept was 1 month. On the few occasions that I took them all out, I had people ask me the ‘are they twins’ question and I would answer the ‘no, they are 3 months apart’ answer and just walk on. Most of the time they were stopped dead in their tracks.

  16. When they were 1st born I was amazed at how much alike they looked in photos but they so quickly soon started being themselved. I don’t know if it’s because I have twin nieces that I see the differences so clearly but really? Are they twins??? I can constantly be surprised…

  17. I used to get asked “Are they twins” all the time about my son & daughter but in their case, they are not. They are 12 months apart so it was always interesting to see people’s reactions once they did the math on that.

  18. Haha!! Yeah, I used to get that all.of.the.time!! Now that my twin girls are 8, and it’s very obvious that they’re twins (even Dad and Grandpa get them mixed up if they’re not paying attention)-I get “Are they IDENTICAL?” all of the time!

  19. I have 5 and I feel the same! Probably the funniest is when people comment on my son Sam’s hair (its’ super curly and he gets mistaken for a girl alot even though I dress him in wayyyy boy clothes!). Mostly old men ask me if his hair is “naturally curly”. I tell them, “NO, I perm it”. Their wives usually laugh!! LOL!

  20. I am dying laughing!! I so get this! And for me having a boy and a girl twin, the most annoying question was “are they identical?” Ummmmm….. no, they are clearly one BOY and one GIRL!! So many people don’t get that one! LOL!! But yes, all you can do is laugh and I too make the jokes. I think the older generation are the most sweet about it and I actually don’t mind when they ask because I think twins were not so common years and years ago. I am proud to be a mamma of twins and I can tell that you are as well, of course, right?!!!

  23. wow, that’s amazing people are that crazy huh?!
    so funny! are they twins, that’s classic!
    they look almost exactly alike except for L being so chunky and a little taller! weird!
    tara

  24. Love it. You always make me smile and remember when mine were little. (They are 15 now) Have a lovely day.

  25. I am pregnant with our third and when visiting my primary care Doctor a week or so with two in tow and obviously pregnant I got my first ” Wow, you’re hands are going to be full” comment. I thought immediately of you and your grave and humor in handling most of them. Just getting a hint of the mother of more than two world, but appreciate your perspective and humor when I know it has to be hard and frustrating too sometimes. Hugs and thanks for sharing with us. We love you all.

  26. Love your post! As a Mom of multiples I can totally relate. My oldest son was 17 months when the triplets were born. My husband could always tell a good story to a nosey stranger with a such a straight face. My favorite line back to people who always say, “oh your hands are so full” would be yes full of love and joy!

  28. Bwaahahhaa! “It’s my favorite!!!” *snort* I’m SO using that the next time someone looks at my 3 and asks me if I know what causes that. Classic. Perfect.

  29. I have 4 also (age 9, 7, 4, 16 months) and I get many of the same comments. My 7 and 4 year old are almost exactly 3 years apart. The older one is on the small side and the younger one is quite tall. People often ask if they’re twins (????) and give me a funny look when I say they are 3 years apart. They are all boys so that often leads to more stares and “you have your hands full” comments. The best ones though are from people that tell me how well behaved they are- even when I’m about to tear my hair out!

  30. thanks for the giggles this morning Steph!! he, he – and yes it is a favorite of mine as well : )

  31. Love this post Steph and I’m amazed at how many times I’m asked that question when I’m out w/ my twins. I saw the cutest T-Shirts on Pinterest for twins – one says I was planned and the other says I was an accident.

  33. this totally made me smile this morning 🙂 i adore the tutu pictures. (and the “hands-full” comment is what i hear all the time. i usually reply back “we are SO blessed.” and smile. but next time, i might just ask them if they’d like to carry out my groceries for me!)

  34. You are hilarious. I get it a lot with my daughter because she is adopted. My boys look JUST like me and she doesn’t. The nerve of people who ask if she has a different dad. I just smile and say, “Nope, same one” except the time I was annoyed and said, “Yes, and a different mom; a completely different set of DNA but we love her”.

  36. Love your honesty Stephanie!! I too had four small children at one time and heard all those things (even the twin one, even though I don’t have a set!) My favorite is “Don’t you know how to stop that?” My answer ” Yes, but why would I want to?” Some people!

  37. hahaha! my twins look so much alike but are fraternal and I, too, get asked all the time if they are twins? are you kidding me?! ha! 🙂 I love getting stopped too…most people have a “twin” story to share.

  38. I had almost the opposite situation when my girls were younger. Wyndham had stopped growing due to her head injury and trauma to her pituitary gland. She was a year and a half older than Bella, but they both looked the same size from 6 months to about a year. Everywhere we went people would ask the same thing, “are they twins?”. Given our situation, I often had to choose how to respond and how much detail to go into. Honestly, many times it was easier for me to just answer, “yes”. I still get the comment about ‘how this happens’ and a lot of times as soon as people see or hear how many kids I have the next thing they ask is, “Do you homeschool?”. I have to bite my tongue and keep myself from answering, “No I don’t, but I see you stereotype very well!” Ha! 🙂 I have been blamed for our economic depression, when actually I could say no, having lots of kids actually stimulates the economy…when you spend as much money at the grocery store and Target each week as I do, you let people say what they want and it rolls off of you. Easily, I might add. 🙂
    Enjoy your ‘handful’ and thanks for sharing so much of the fun they are to you and others who get to be blessed by being around them. You are doing something very right with your positive attitude and even your clever remarks. 🙂

  40. i know a family who has 3 children the same age – 2 girls and a boy. but they are not triplets. they were born by different surrogates days apart. so you never know.

  42. Oh wow! If I had to deal with questions like that I’d have the exact same answers lol
    “Do they have the same daddy?” Geeze! What is this world coming to!?

  43. Loved this post. I even had to go in and tell Jeremy about it. LOL. He’s pretty witty too when I talk about you. I said, “Lucy and Cate are one!” And he answered, “They’re one? As in, one person? Weird….” And I replied, “Yeah, multiple personalities!” LOL. He’s so weird. :-p But he likes to be silly like that no matter WHAT I say…
    And right this second, he’s making up a song for Hattie… about sombreros and leaving them in the sun. LOL. ?!?!?!! Umm… yeah, he likes being silly with her. It’s adorable. 🙂

  44. My girlfriend is a stay at home mom to a boy and a girl. Her sister had twins about the same time my girlfriend’s son was born. When she babysits for her sister she gets the craziest looks. It appears as though she has triplets. They all look alike. Her husband and her have to take two separate cars to take them all to the mall and people stop them every few minutes. Renee laughs it all up, no they aren’t all mine.

  46. You made me laugh a ton…”it’s my favorite” BAHAHAHA.. 🙂 So, are they all yours? Are they all his? LOL… I can’t imagine saying that to someone. Seriously? Adults need filters. Big ones.
    Can I say that I am digging your new background? For sure, it is supah-fly! 🙂 XOXO

  47. hahaa!!! “it’s my favorite!!” Genius =)
    It reminds me of Phoebe on Friends when she had the triplets for her bro & this wife “I’m pregnant with my brothers babies” HAA!!
    xo

  48. My favorite, of my boy-girl twins, was, well, actually still is because I still get it and they are 10…”are they identical?” Um, no. One is a boy and one is a girl. Duh.

  49. I was in Vegas and a woman had triplets and an older child and this older woman said are they all yours? And it looked like she was just so tired and so stressed and had answered the same question too many times and she just smiled and said yes I only have 1 husband and 4 kids! I laughed so hard actually snorted. Everyone looked at me and so I said you have a beautiful family and way too much patience! She giggled and said thank you. She said she had to move because it was like she was standing at an information booth and everyone just stared and asked questions. lol Grace

  50. i love how you put into words what all us mothers think…i also have a home with 4 girls {although no twins}…my favorite was always when I was out and about and I had my daughter dressed in blue {flower print} and people would she “he’s so cute”…don’t you see the earrings people! My youngest daughter had no hair till she was about 2…so couldn’t really do the barrette thing with her…people can be funny!

  51. oh my gosh…this is hillarious!!!! love your sarcastic remarks…brilliant 😉 I don’t know when 4 kids became such a LOAD! but I hear it myself.

  52. This just might be one of my favorite posts ever. It made me laugh out loud. I love love love all the crazy hair in the first pic. We used to get crazy stares from people when our kids were a bit younger and we have 3. once you pass the baby stage people don’t gawk as much anymore. I think that most people just think that 1 or 2 kids is the norm now and they just can’t imagine how anyone could have more. I would have had 6 if I could have. ha.

  53. Love it!! I know exactly how you feel! I get stopped and asked that ALL the time about my girls! It just baffles me. I always try to answer nicely even if I’m irritated from being asked that for the 10th time that day. I love your responses! I may have to use one of them one day!

  54. That’s pretty funny! I can’t believe people ask you. Mine are 18 months apart and we’ve been asked if they are twins several times. I never quite know how to respond.

  55. When I was a nanny for boy/girl twins in college, people used to CONSTANTLY ask if they were identical. Um…I’ll let you just think about that one. Although, people do say a lot of sweet things too! 🙂 Your girls are beautiful!

  56. I get that every single day…and I do NOT have twins. And I get that my kids are close in age. And that they look alike. But really? Harper is almost three years older than Beckett!
    I also get people who ask me if the kids are mine! Yes, I understand that I am a blue-eyed blonde and my husband has hazel eyes but my brother & both of our dads have dark hair and dark eyes, so yes it’s possible that this blondie could have dark-headed babies!
    I’ve started using your “and so is my heart!” comeback when people say “you have your hands full” but to say “you know what causes that right?” I can’t even imagine. I might kick someone in the shins.

  58. As a twin myself, I am well aware of all the questions people ask:
    “what’s it like to be a twin?” I have never been anything else so I can’t compare the two.
    “If I poke you, will she feel it too?” Really???
    “Where’s your other sister?” I only have one sister, I am not my own sister.
    “Can you read each other’s mind?” No, but we don’t have to finish sentences to have a conversation.
    The best part was meeting twice as many people in college because we went to the same school. Strangers would come up and say hello and I would look at them confused and they would say we have such and such class together. When I would tell them that was my sister they would respond with “there’s two of you?” It was great! Cate and Lucy have a lot to look forward to.

  59. first of all, their height difference just makes me giggle. 🙂 second, I can see how maybe they think one baby is yours, and the other is a cousin you’re babysitting? 🙂 Most people mean well, they’re just too stupid to communicate politely. I love your attitude, both about mothering, and dealing with stupid people. 🙂

  60. my mom used to say she was going to put a brick on my head ALL THE TIME. Considering I’m now a half foot taller than she is, I can see where she was concerned LOL

  61. when people say “you know what causes that, right?” I think you should look at them, confused, and say “what causes what?” when they say “you know . . . having so many kids,” continue to look perplexed and say “no, what causes it?” Make them explain themselves and feel stupider with each explanation.

  62. Yes, I do! It’s my FAVORITE.
    I only have one kid but I have got to find a way to use that in a conversation, bwahahahaha.
    Good for you for having such a good attitude about stupid and nosy questions! 🙂

  63. Cate has a different Daddy??! Oh my! LOL!!!
    My mom used to get “are they twins” with me and my sister. She still answers, “Yes, they’re just 18 months apart!” Ha. Got to love it!

  64. I had 3 kids in 4 years and, despite the fact that the two younger ones look so much alike, they are not twins. My standard response to “Boy, you’ve got your hands full!” is nearly always, “Yes. Would you like one? They’re priced to move and I have an assortment of sizes.” Stops people dead in their tracks for about 5 seconds before they burst out laughing.

  65. Oh what fun responses! That’s how God knew you were up to a double surprise + 4 under 5–your great sense of humor!

  66. or the lady that said “you know what causes that right?”
    and i said “YES! I DO! AND IT’S MY FAVORITE!!!” hahaha!
    darn it!! i wish i would have thought of that for the time the old man at church said that to me!

  67. This is the funniest post ever. In kinks reading this. Your humorous answers to those dumb/cheeky questions are hilarious. Keep ’em coming!

  68. ahh-this post just made me laugh so hard! i snorted!luv u dear friend! just wait till u are up north! 🙂 xo sar

  69. oh, steph…i simply love you!!! you totally crack me up {and inspire me} with your outlook on life and your wonderful sense of humor.
    i babysit and get LOTS of unusual looks comments when we are all out and about. i will have all six of them and get the whole ‘are they all yours?’ question often…umm, seeings they are as follows: boy – 3, girl – 3, boy – 2, boy – 9 months, boy – 6 months & boy – 3 months…believe it or not…NOPE 🙂
    fwiw, the 3 year old boy is mine…the youngest of our 4. the hubby and i always loved the ‘dont you know what causes that?’ when we were expecting him…dh would just grin and say, “yeah! isnt it obvious that we are really good at it?!?!”
    love him 😉

  71. That first picture kills me. They are so cute and look like so much fun! You have some happy, happy kids.

  72. This post has me cracking up! I am dying over here. You have the best sense of humor Steph. When I grow up I want to be able to roll through the snark like you…with laughter. Love this.

  73. You should move to Pittsburgh! I never hear unusual comments like that. In fact, I get nice comments like “your kids are so well behaved” and one woman once said “we were just at a hotel and a bunch of little girls were so badly behaved, that I decided I never wanted a girl. Then I see your girls are so well-behaved that it makes me think not all girls are wild.” The only rude comments people up here make are at the Steelers if they dare to not win every Super Bowl. But really, me and my friends never hear comments like you hear. I often have my kids and my friends kids, so sometimes I have 7 total, all girls, and no one ever makes a comment. People are good at minding their business here.

  74. Seriously you MUST record this for all eternity–it is absolutely hilarious (well at least the “it’s my favorite!”. sounds like a great scrapbook page to me. OR, just print out this blog post and put it in an envelope somewhere!
    Your girls are all adorable and I love your humor!

  75. Hope has a cousin who is 27 hours younger. When they were babies, I’d take them places and say “this is my daughter & this is my niece” when someone asked/commented. They’d then ask “are they twins?” I’d say “only in Kentucky.”

  76. Oh my! Snorting more than once while reading a blog in public can get you some funny looks. Thanks for brightening my morning!

  78. I am LOL so hard I’m about to cry! Your post and the comments from everyone are hysterical! And even though I have no children, I can definitely relate to the things people will ask or comment on without thinking! I’m the eldest of 9 kids. The “baby” of the family is my sister Lizzy who is 13.5 years younger than I am. Until she was well into elementary school, people were always asking if Lizzy was my child. Then there was the time the family went out to dinner one night while my dad was stll stationed in England. Lizzy was not quite a year old. At one point I took my other 2 sisters, who are 8 and 10.5 yrs younger, to the bathroom. 2 different women asked if the girls were my daughters. “Umm, no…I’m only 14. These are my sisters.” When we got back to the table, I told my mother what had happened. But she one-upped me! Cuz while we were gone, someone has asked my mom if all 8 kids at the table were her grandchildren…they thought I was the mother of all those children!! @@ She and I got a lot of laughs about that over the years!

  79. so funny – yeah – it must get old but gosh …….thank you so much for sharing the most adorable pics of them – they crack me up and put a smile on my face – so adorable!

  80. Bahahaha Oh my this is sooo good! I have twin brother and sister, so growing up we heard this *a Lot*. Especially when we lived out east people thought we were nuts (I have four siblings). Please blog about peoples reactions when you joke with them. I find it entirely too entertaining! Your babies (all four) are delightful and I love that you share these moments with us!

  82. My good friend just had her 7th baby (it was a boy! – the first 6 are girls!). I was with her, the baby and her three youngest girls (all under 5), at Target the other day and someone made a comment to her.
    We just looked at each other and laughed. If only they knew she had 3 more at home!
    I love big families!! Your girls are adorable!!

  83. Isn’t it fun/funny what people say???!! I have two grandsons (four years old now) and they are three months apart (from two different daughters by the way…NOT the same one..haha)… one has brown hair, brown eyes is tall and slender…the other is blonde, blue eyed short and chubby…and when one of my daughters or I am out with both of them, people ALWAYS ask if they are twins?? REALLY??? LOL

  84. You should really put a caution at the beginning of a post like this. I just about spewed the merlot! lol

  85. By the way, I’ve been meaning to mention for some time now that I get your posts via email and that the title of your emails still says, “my two chicks”… I don’t know if anyone has mentioned that before and thought you might like to know in case you wanna update it!!

  88. Love your sense of humor!! When my girls were younger and getting on my nerves, when folks would say something nice about them, I reply, “We’re giving homemade gifts for Christmas this year. Which one would you like?”
    People began to leave me alone. . .

  89. You are blessed beyond measure and I would give almost anything to be able to just have ONE baby !! I envy you and your girls are all so beautiful

  90. I get this all the time- are they identical?- no they are boy/girl (my little girl is still bald so I give them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps they think she’s a boy?) and then I get the blank stare or an argument! haha!
    I’m going to start saying they’re 6 months apart when people ask if they’re twins!

  92. When people would ask my mom if my sister and I were twins (we are totally identical and dressed alike until we were about 10), she used to say, “No, they are triplets. We left the other one at home!” Remembering the looks she’d get in response still makes me laugh!

  93. i loved this post and your responses. such a good laugh i got out of this! thanks for your sharing your day to day with us.

  96. LMAO! You just kill me! Love that you offer an extra baby! One of my personal favorites (which I sometimes still get) about my boy/girl twins= are they identical? Um yup, except for one little thing 🙂

  97. haha, this made me giggle!! i kinda have the same experience as you, except I don’t have twins!! When I go out w/ kids who are 1,2,and 3 they try to figure out which 2 are the twins. When I say nope, no twins people seem to feel so bad for me! That is when I always have to throw in “Oh and I have 2 more, we can’t forget them!”

  98. So glad to read I’m not the only one who hears “you’ve got your hands full” comment ALL THE TIME.
    What else can you do other than smile right?

  99. ‘Want one? I have an extra’…Ha ha ha ha ha ha…I use to say, “Want to take him home? I’ll share…” So glad you have the energy for all of this…I’m way too old myself. And I see American Idol in your future.

  100. Oh man, when I was a kid, people would ask my mom that question all the time. Ummm, no, they are NOT twins. They are 2 years apart! We weren’t even the same height!

  101. Love this post. It’s so true. Even where they’re identical (like family has a hard time telling them apart) people ask that question. As I read this post, I thought of how much it sounds like something I would type, right down the loving people’s reactions when you take all the girls out. Like you said, you have to enjoy it and laugh.
    Thanks for the make-me-smile post.

  102. I love your snarky remarks! I would love to be able to use one of those! On the whole I am sure people are just trying to find a opening to say hello and not really trying to be rude. Having said that I would spit out my soda if I heard you respond like that to someone. I think I would have to hug you. I am sure you must have made this little phrase up yourself, but I think of you when ever I see it. “if you think my hands are full you should see my heart”. Love your blog.

  103. Your responses are hilarious!!!
    People say weird things when you’re pregnant, too, I have found. Someone told me “you exploded”. Wow, really? That was so kind. haha

  106. I get something of the opposite — my kids are 28 and 15…so I get weird looks because they’re 13 years apart…and although I’ve never been directly asked, I suspect the first thought is, “Oops, accident baby!” So, my standard answer is “I knew I couldn’t handle two kids closer in age, so I had to wait 13 years before I had my second.” Partly true too!! I am totally awed by those of you who CAN and do have children closer in age! You Moms are totally rockin’! I’m a wimp!! 🙂

  107. Oh gosh, Stephanie, I have tears in my eyes from laughing at this post!!! I love reading your blog! I get the “you have your hands full” all the time and I”m one short of your gang! I think it is wonderful that you and your crew “go” too!!! You are such a great mommy example to me!!

  108. I’m the mom of 9 and have 3 sets of twins and you would not believe the questions and comments I get. My favorite was this one time when I had all of my kids at an ice cream shop. A much smaller family came in and sat down near us. The comments started right away – must be a day care, a school group etc. They finally made eye contact with me and took that as an invitation to start asking questions.
    Small family: Are they all yours?
    Me: yes
    SF: Are you married?
    Me: (wth??) no. (I was feeling feisty and I thought it was so rude! I couldn’t help myself!)
    SF: Then how’d you get so many kids?
    Me: I sleep around.
    After that response, I smiled and told my kids it was time to go. I wished the family a good day and walked away. Their jaws were still on the ground when I turned at the door and waved goodbye. I cried with laughter all the way home. My kids had no idea what was so funny!

  110. I have four kids as well…and I can’t remember a time that I have taken them all grocery shopping with me that someone hasn’t said “you have your hands full” to me! I have had four kids for almost six years….so that is A LOT of hearing that comment. I just smile brightly and say, “Yep! It’s so GREAT!! They are GREAT kids!!!!!!!”

  111. I found you blog tonight as I was surfing the net unable to sleep after helping my husband at 3am…he has cancer…and I have to tell you this post made me laugh out loud…i am from a family of 7 children and i can’t begin to tell you how many times we heard strange things like this when we were growing up…we lived in a small town and people would also say…”you must be catholic” and I got so I would pipe up and say “of course not, we are morman….(it was a very catholic small town so this always made people do a double take…) Anyway thanks for the giggles tonight…i need them so! 🙂 Jill / Seattle Wa

  113. This was too funny! My favorite exchange was with a lady at Costco who asked me how much my son weighed (why do they want to know this?) so I replied, well, he weighs 11 pounds. Oh, she said, that’s funny–I have a turkey just that size in my freezer! Now, what kind of thing is that to say to a mother? Ah, well,people are funny… 🙂

  114. I have 4 boys, but the last 3 look very much alike. You wouldn’t believe how many times I get asked if they are twins (even triplets) and they are at most 5 years apart! Many of my responses are similar to yours. Especially when I’m asked if my oldest (the one who looks totally different) is to the same dad. He’s like dad’s mini me! I also get the “are they all yours?” frequently. Funny post! Thanks for sharing.

  115. Hilarious! I have 3 girls and get silly questions all the time. My oldest is 11 and she’s 5′ 8″…only one inch shorter than me. She’s my cuddly one who doesn’t care what people think and will hold my hand out in public (we get stares, hahaha). I love smiling and funny comments always pop in my head, but I try to tame myself about saying them out-loud 😉 I love some of yours!! Your babes are adorable…you go girl!!
    Jamie 🙂