Duggar Family

The Duggar family is made up of parents Jim Bob and Michelle and their 18 children. The Duggars have been the focus of several reality TV programs on various networks, which follow their busy - yet somehow simple - lives.

Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar's children include ten boys and eight girls. There are two sets of twins in the mix as well, and all of the kids have names that start with the letter J. Their names and birth dates are:

• Joshua James, March 3, 1988
• Jana Marie, January 12, 1990
• John-David, January 12, 1990
• Jill Michelle, May 17, 1991
• Jessa Lauren, November 4, 1992
• Jinger Nicole, December 21, 1993
• Joseph Garrett, January 20, 1995
• Josiah Matthew, August 28, 1996
• Joy-Anna, October 28, 1997
• Jedidiah Robert, December 30, 1998
• Jeremiah Robert, December 30, 1998
• Jason Michael, April 21, 2000
• James Andrew, July 7, 2001
• Justin Samuel, November 15, 2002
• Jackson Levi, May 23, 2004
• Johannah Faith, October 8, 2005
• Jennifer Danielle, August 2, 2007
• Jordyn-Grace Makiya, December 18, 2008

Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar married in 1984. At the time, they felt that they weren't ready to have children so Michelle opted to use birth control pills. Four years later, when they felt the time was right, their son Joshua was born. After his birth, Michelle went back on the pill for a short time. When they decided to try to conceive a second time, Michelle suffered a miscarriage.

After consulting with their doctor and their church, the Duggars felt that the miscarriage was a direct result of Michelle having taken birth control pills. They decided that they would leave it up to God to decide how many children they would have. Michelle quickly became pregnant again and delivered her first set of twins, Jana and John-David.

The Discovery Channel, Discovery Health, and The Learning Channel (TLC) have aired several programs and specials focused on the Duggar family. Viewers are fascinated by such a large family and by how they manage to make it all work. These programs include:

• 14 Children and Pregnant Again
• Raising 16 Children
• 16 Children and Moving In
• On the Road with 16 Children
• Duggars Big Family Album
• 17 Kids and Counting

Four of the children's births have been documented and included in these programs. Families with many children have proven to be a hit with reality programming, as both the Duggar family and the show Jon and Kate Plus 8 continue to be successful in the ratings.

Discovery Channel has been instrumental in helping the Duggars with financing for their new home, which was built just for them. The planning, construction, and eventual move in to the new home was documented in 16 Children and Moving In. Appliances, furnishings, and food have been donated to the Duggars through private sponsors and large corporations.

The house took three and a half years to complete, and was planned and built with hard work and input from the entire family every step of the way. With over 7,000 square feet of space, the house is more than twice the size of their former home. The house has:

• Nine bathrooms
• 20 feet of kitchen counter space
• Two of each major kitchen appliance
• An industrial kitchen for entertaining and holding meetings and seminars
• Two garages used for storage rather then vehicles
• A school room
• A playroom
• Four washers and four dryers
• An intercom system

There is even a climbing wall in the house.

The Duggars are devout Christians, so every aspect of their lives is based on Christian teachings. Older children are paired up with the younger ones, and act as mentors as well as child-minders. All of the kids are home-schooled, and Michelle has planned breaks throughout the day for meals, prayer, and cleaning up.

The older kids help with teaching the younger children their studies. All of the kids pitch in for cleaning and household chores, while the older ones are assigned meal preparation. The house is broken up into "jurisdictions," and all of the kids have assigned sections for tidying.

Days are tightly scheduled and charted to keep order in the house. Jim Bob and Michelle say that they make their money through investment properties, to allow them the time they need to be home with their children. They live by the motto, "buy used and save the difference," meaning they purchase whatever they can second-hand to save money.

The Duggar family has embraced the attention they have received through all of the media coverage, and created a family website that offers a closer look at their faith and their daily lives. Included in the site are a gallery of photos, a list of their house rules, answers to frequently asked questions, and a section for family news. You can visit the Duggars at DuggarFamily.com.

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