Meet Our Family!

Family is so very important to me, as I’m sure it is to many of you as well. I wanted to tell you a little bit more about my family.

This is one of the more recent photos of our family, taken in June 2023.

Orin

My husband Orin is a great man, husband and father. He loves God, his family, and his friends. I feel truly blessed to be his wife! We met at church while we were both still teenagers and fell quickly in love. We’ve been married now for 18 years.

He’s a watch, car (he’s currently restoring a ’67 mustang) and movie enthusiast. He loves to get out and be active.

Me (Janessa)

While my husband is the guy who likes to get out, I’m a homebody, especially when it comes to wintertime and cold weather! This works out well for us however because he’s happy to get out and go grocery shopping and I’m happy to let him! I like to stay busy, whether that’s through blogging, spending time with my kids and husband, or making something new in the kitchen. I love trips to the beach and soaking up the sunshine in the summer.

Maggie

Maggie is our oldest child. She was born in March 2010. They say children grow up fast and it is so very true! The past years have just flown by. Maggie loves reading and anything to do with animals.

Maggie loves to help around the house and wants to hang out with the adults.

Jacob

Jacob, born in May 2012 is, as they say, all boy. He loves to roughhouse and wrestle, and yet he is also an extremely caring child, always looking out for his siblings and never wanting anyone to get hurt. He’s really into LEGOs and setting up “scenes” as he calls them with his different action figures, whether it’s super heros, army men, or PLAYMOBIL.

He enjoys learning about history and is also very interested in finances already.

Zellene

We call Zellene our little firecracker! She was born in June 2014. She’s not afraid to let you know when she’s not happy about something. She loves to sing and play with her siblings, both the older two and her younger siblings. She frequently asks me if we will have any more babies (she hopes so!). She loves to play with Tsum Tsums, Barbie, Playmobil, and Shopkins.

Gideon

Gideon took his time coming into this world (over 2 weeks past my due date) and was finally born in February 2016. He continues to be a pretty laid-back kid. He really enjoys playing with his older siblings and hates to get left behind.

Aram

 After suffering a miscarriage in June of 2017, we were so excited to welcome sweet baby Aram into our family in June 2018. He’s such a sweet guy with a really fun personality! 

Killian

Killian was born in April 2020 during the heart of COVID lockdowns. He loves being silly! He also loves trains a lot!

Matthias

Matthias is the baby, born in August 2022. He is my second rainbow baby and we all just love him so very much!

The Pets

We have a Saint Bernard named Liberty. She’s 4 years old. We also have 2 cats named Gandalf the Grey and Mrs. Proudfoot. Oh yeah, a handful of hermit crabs too, which have proved to be the easiest pets ever!

Some people would say that we have a “large family”, especially now that we have 7 children, but to me, it doesn’t really feel “large”. It just feels like family. Sure, we might spend a bit more on groceries and wash more laundry than the average American family, but there’s a lot of love to go around!

As I blog at Thrifty Nifty Mommy, I’m excited to share with you the things I’ve learned along the way, from pregnancy, to life with a baby and baby gear, to parenting, motherhood, homeschooling, organization, saving money, blogging, marriage, and everything in between! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope you’ll stick around!