Courtney Rogers, 37, and her husband Chris, 34, from New Mexico, have had twelve children in the last 12 years, and their everyday family life is full of juggling.
After giving birth to her youngest, a supermum who had 12 children in 12 years has transformed her family into a real-life Cheaper by the Dozen family.
Courtney Rogers, 37, of New Mexico, and her pastor spouse Chris, 34, welcomed Cambria, a 6lb 12oz baby girl, into the world on March 7, increasing their total children to 12.
The parents claim that when they originally chose to start a family, they had no intention of having so many children, and that they even had a miscarriage when they first started trying – but that their brood is now “perfect.”
Clint, their oldest son, was born on March 30, 2010, and the couple went on to have five more boys and six girls.
“It’s remarkable how it all worked out, too,” Courtney said, “because we had all our males at the beginning and the last 5 have been girls, so it all evened out.”
The oldest children are the six boys, followed by the six girls ( Image: PA Real Life)
“Clint was born 3 weeks before I turned 26, but I had no idea I’d have more children at the time.”
“At 26, I believed I was too old, and I had no idea they’d arrive so quickly, let alone include a set of twins.”
“Then we agreed to have a maximum of 10 children, but I still felt young and healthy enough, so we increased it to 12.”
Calena, four, Caydie, three, Coralee, two, Caris, one, and now newborn baby Cambria. Clint, twelve, Clay, ten, Cade, nine, Callie, eight, Cash, seven, twins Colt and Case, six, Calena, four, Caydie, three, Coralee, two, Caris, one, and now newborn baby Cambria.
They also reside on a farm with more than 200 pets, including pigs, sheep, and chickens, as if the kids weren’t enough to chase.
Cambria spent the first several days of her life on oxygen after being delivered by C-section, and her family is now relieved to have her home.
The child drank too much fluid and had to be watched for several days.
While Courtney and Chris awaited word on Cambria’s condition, they were reminded of their second-youngest, Caris, who was born via emergency C-section after doctors feared she wasn’t getting enough oxygen.
Courtney and Chris are putting their family planning skills to work now that they have 12 children under the age of 12.
Courtney has only gone seven months without being pregnant since becoming a mother 12 years ago. Courtney had a miscarriage at this time, thus there is a 20-month gap between the two children.
“It will be strange not to have another baby,” she stated.
” Pregnancy was mainly kind to me; I didn’t get sick and was never on bedrest, so I was able to look after the kids at all times.”
Courtney has approximately 35,000 followers on Instagram, where she chronicles their lives ( Image: PA Real Life)
“I’ve had a lot of fun having babies.”
Courtney can sense their tiny personalities coming out as they get older while managing so many children.
“The tiny girls are aware that they are the youngest because they attempt to get away with everything,” she explained.
With no plans for future children, the parents are focusing their efforts on home improvements, including a seven-bedroom addition to their four-bedroom home.
It will also offer Courtney more time to focus on the weekly shop, which includes 80 disposable diapers (despite the fact that they primarily use reusables), six loaves of bread, and ten gallons of milk.
Courtney claims that the homeschooled children are really close and enjoy “paling up” with one another.
“We do everything together,” she explained. We collaborate on projects and homeschool together.
“I assist the children with all of their schoolwork when they are younger, but once they are older – around the age of 12 – we turn to online tutoring.”
Breakfast is served at 8 a.m. at the Rogers household, followed by math and art courses.
Courtney will give the tiny ones sandwiches and put them down for a nap about 11.30am-12pm, while the larger kids prepare their own food.
The kids get a variety of language sessions, activities, and reading time in the afternoon, with Zoom piano lessons thrown in on sometimes.
At 5 p.m., Courtney serves dinner, which is usually a batch-cooked meal like spaghetti or homemade pancakes.
A typical mealtime for the family consists of 24 eggs and a whole box of cereal consumed every day for breakfast.
In addition to teaching the children, Courtney is responsible for keeping the house clean before putting them to bed at 8.30 p.m.
Courtney’s family life is documented on her Instagram account, @littlehouseinthehighdesert, which has approximately 35,000 followers.
Having such a large platform, however, has exposed her to some ugly abuse from those who are offended by her having so many children.
“People we know don’t say anything to our faces,” she explained, “but there are always those on the internet who are terrible to us.”
“It’s difficult at times since most people think we’re insane for having so many,” she continued, “but I have several friends on the internet who have large families.”
“Right now, I’m content, but I’m sure I’ll miss the baby stage,” she says, “but I’m sure Chris will have something to say if I get broody again.”