It was two weeks before Christmas when I pulled into the driveway after school, parked the car, and before I even had time to unbuckle my seatbelt I was “attacked” by three small brown haired boys. My new stepmom Stephanie (or Steph-Mom as I call her), and her children had officially moved in.

The term “stepmother” often has a negative connotation thanks to Disney Culture, so when my dad announced to me and my four siblings that he was planning on getting married soon, I was naturally a bit nervous. I expected it to happen eventually, with my younger siblings left under my grandparents supervision while my dad was at work during the day, but it had always seemed like more of an idea than a real possibility.

That nervous feeling only intensified when I learned that Stephanie Marcucci, my soon to be stepmother, had four children of her own. Five suddenly became nine, the six members of the Allen family became a part of the eleven members of the Allen/Marcucci family, and our eight passenger minivan was traded in for a twelve passenger MonsterVan.

Winter break 2013 was spent with a lot of family game nights, where we learned Kellen, one of Stephanie’s 7 year old twins, has an intense competitive streak in him, and that Lennox, her five year old son, has a very contagious laugh. Grant, the other twin, showed his extroverted character and interest in his new siblings by interrupting my marathon of The Office at least twice a day just to check up on me, and make sure I hadn’t died yet from overexposure to a laptop monitor.

I have two very young sisters, Reagan (4) and Carsanne (2) who have been inseparable since Carsanne’s birth, so the thought of adding another 2 year old girl to the family caused a bit of apprehension, which was quickly dismissed after Reagan and Carsanne not only willingly, but excitedly welcomed Johnna into the sisterhood.

My family is unique, even from other ‘blended families,’ not only because of the large number of children, but also because neither my dad nor stepmom have been divorced- both of their original spouses passed away. This is something that I really appreciate, because we can all talk about and remember our late parents often without making anyone feel uncomfortable, because we’re all in the same situation. There are pictures of Tracy (my mom) and Justin (their dad) in all of our rooms as a constant reminder that they’re just as much a part of our family as the rest of us.

Of course trying to share a living space with 10 other people can get crazy and hectic, sometimes it feels like the monkey exhibit at a zoo. They’ve been known on occasion to crawl all over me and sit on my head while I eat dinner, but in all honesty I’ve already grown to love them as if they’ve been my brothers and sister their whole lives.

When I decided to write my thoughts on this new chapter of my life, I knew that my own words alone would not be able to fully create the experience of living with 8 siblings, so I asked most of the members of my family, as long as they were old enough to make coherent sentences, to share their feelings as well.

“I never dreamed of having 9 kids or of ending up in this situation, it’s so far from what I ever believed would happen, but it feels so right,” Stephanie Allen said. “This is my family. It feels like my family. That blows my mind.”

“It’s crazy around the house, but there’s lots of energy, excitement and fun,” Jay Allen said.

“It is so amusing to always have three little monkeys running around all day,” 12 year old  Andrea Allen said.

“I like having lots of family to play with, even though it means I don’t get enough ice cream for dessert,” seven year old Kellen Marcucci said.

“My first dad is in heaven and I like having a second dad on earth. I also would like to thank the community and my manager for this opportunity to be famous,” seven year old Grant Marcucci said.

“I like to play with my new sister, Reagan, in the pool,” five year old Lennox Marcucci said.

In the end, it’s just a constant party and although it’s hectic, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.