He laughed as he thought about the real reason behind them having so many children. Then he thought about his answer and smiled big at Tina, she looked so much like her mother it amazed him at times, “Because we were waiting for you Sugar Bee.” he said with a smile as he winked at her making feel special like she did when they younger.

“I’m being serious Daddy, why did you and Momma want so many kids? Did you guys plan this family while you were dating or what?”

“Well to be honest, no and… a little bit of yes.” he said bending down taking two beers out of his cooler that was along the side of his car away from the kids. “Your momma always wanted a big family.” he said and saw how Tina’s face jumped with surprise as he handed her an open beer. “I just wanted a daughter… or two maybe.”

“So you didn’t want the boys?”

“No, not really.” Tina’s eyes nearly popped out of her head at the candid answer. “Boys in my opinion; especially Southern boys, are lot harder to raise than girls. Hell I was in the military I saw some sick tickets come through there and I never wanted any of them to be mine. They question authority to much, and they’re little dare devils from the womb on up, hell I can’t tell you how many times I had to catch your brothers from jumping out them cribs.”

Tina laughed because by now it was it was a Kennard family joke that if you didn’t at least try and break a bone before hitting the one year mark, you might have been switched at the hospital.

“So why have five, why didn’t you guys stop at like two or three maybe?”

“Because Darlin’ like I told yo wife many, many years ago, you Sweetheart, were destined to be mine. Yo Momma tried to convince me every which-a-way that you were going to be another boy, but I knew God could not be so cruel as to give me a child named Ezekiel Hezekiah Isaac Kennard.“ they both laughed at the peculiar name her mother had picked out. “I always wanted a little girl, hell I was happier than a drunk locked in a brewery, when yo Momma told me you were coming. I knew you were gonna be a girl, I just knew it.” He looked over to Tina who was biting down on her lower lip to keep from smiling from ear-to-ear. “And hell having them boys in my life really just prepared me for the little rapscallion that was my daughter.”