A Minnesota-raised mother, an English father, and two children growing up between two places. Caroline and Chris Wigmore share their family’s story of love, community, and raising children across an ocean while keeping Minnesota close to home.
A Minnesota Story That Crossed an Ocean Read More »
Crystal and Alan share their story of marriage, parenting three kids, and building lasting family traditions. From vacations to the Black Hills to reading joke books at the dinner table, discover their wisdom on parenting, marriage, and community life in Annandale, Minnesota.
Tell us about your family.Vicky: We live on a 5th generation dairy farm near St. Rosa MN. We in many ways are a normal typical family, but in other ways are atypical and much different. My husband Tom is the solid rock and foundation of our farm. Tom, providing solid leadership and day to day hours of work along with support for our children Collin (17 at the end of Jan 2025), Elaine (14) and Evelyn (10). We also have some part time hired help. Vicky works full time off the farm at Stearns Electric Association as the VP of Administration and Finance. This non-profit electric co-op provides electricity to homes, farms and businesses in Central MN – over 29,000 to be exact. I get to work alongside some extremely talented employees who care about our members. It is especially fun when I get to talk with members who remember when electricity was first brought to their farm and hear them explain how it changed their lives. Members always want to hear about our farm and how I balance the farm and a working career. As for our children, Collin is a non-traditional student doing online school. He has been doing online school for two years and he absolutely loves it. Online school is not for everyone, but for him it works. Now to be clear, we have elected to hire someone to come into our home twice a week to be available to Collin to ask question and confirm and double check that he is learning and comprehending what is needed (I do this too as a parent, but I have another set of eyes watching too.) I’m not sure all students need this, but as parents you know your child and when we decided to go online with him we knew this would be needed because both Tom and I work full time with our job and we did not want to sacrifice other areas of our lives by him going to online school. Collin does not do any sports through online school by choice – he does not have a competitive bone in his body. (nor does his dad). With his online school he does have some live classes each week, so he knows his teacher and his classmates, but also has his independent studies. Elaine is quiet but always listens and one heck of a hard worker. She is a 9th grader at Melrose high school and involved in swimming, FFA and softball. She loves one on one time, her horse and country music. Evelyn is our spit and life of the party child. She is a 5th grader at Melrose Elementary School and loves school and her friends. She is involved in swimming, basketball and softball. She is very competitive, simply loves to be around people and also loves country music. Between Evelyn and Elaine they know so many country songs. Collin, Elaine and Evelyn together have their own small herd of red angus beef animals. They have taken some of their earnings from the farm and invested in red angus. Collin is the watcher of the markets and tends to them. This year, Elaine used her red angus as part of her FFA SAE project. How did you meet?Tom: We met in high school. Vicky: We started dating when I was a junior and he was a senior. Funniest kid story?Tom: Since Evelyn was about 5 years old, she has been daddy’s little girl and I can’t deny it. Evelyn will tell me, “Dad I’m not going to let you go to the old folk’s home (nursing home), I am going to let you live with me, I will take care of you. Oh, mom can live there too!” Vicky: As mentioned earlier, Evelyn is our wild child. Evelyn likes to hang out with Collin, so they went fishing at the local peer. When they came back home, Evelyn was all wet (head to toe) and missing a shoe. Evelyn had been so busy talking and telling jokes that she fell in and lost her shoe in the lake. Collin just shook his head and said that he can’t take her anywhere without her causing a ruckus. Best advice for parents?Tom: Spend time with your kids and include them in what you do. They learn from you. What do you hope for your children?Tom: That they are respectable and good people. What do you hope for your family?Tom: That they understand the value of helping those in need with the understanding of no repayment. Also the value of visiting those that are elderly and lonely. A simple conversation can mean so much to these people. What does your family do for fun?Tom: We go to the lake, we go out to eat, we enjoy watching our kids in sports, etc. How do you balance work and personal life?Tom: I try to get my work done when Vicky is at work and the kids are at school so I can be present when they are around. Did you always know you wanted to be a dad?Tom: Yes. Advice for a new dad?Tom: Spend time with them – take them to town, be with them, show them how to do things. Did you always know you wanted to be a mom?Vicky: I did. We got married in our early 20’s which for today is society is young, but we also were dating since we were in high school. Best advice you’ve received?Vicky: My mom’s mother was a Wieber from the Farming MN where they dairy farmed for many years until they retired in Richmond. Helen would say that you need to keep life simple and that bigger is not always better. I think we can all relate to this comment of keeping life simple. Do you have family traditions?Tom: I grew up with these traditions – We always had a sit down meal together for all of our meals. Lunch was always at noon and supper was right after school and before bed we had a bowl of ice cream. Vicky: Christmas, we go to church together, exchange names, have a nice meal together and always take a Christmas card picture.
Tell us about your family.Mark: Cheryl and I were married in 1980. Jeremy is our oldest child; Nick came 3 years later, and Alise was 8 years after that. We were sort of surprised with Alise, selling off all the baby stuff at a garage sale not knowing Cheryl was pregnant with Alise. I would say we are a close family unit involved in each other’s lives, even as adults. Nick married Kim Evavold in 2005 and now has 3 girls, Kaya, Kali and Khloe. Alise brought the young Australian boy Sam Willoughby into our lives in 2008. He needed a place to live in the U.S. to explore his BMX dreams, that’s all. Sam and Alise married in 2017. Cheryl never got to meet Khloe, it was devastating to lose Cheryl to cancer in 2014, the same year Khloe was born. Cheryl was the leader of our family and lived life in a very positive and giving way. Her loss is felt deeply by all every day. She left a great legacy and an example of how to live life to the fullest for all of us. Alise: I feel very lucky to have a family that will always be there for me. They test my patience at times for sure, but I love our chaos and wouldn’t change it – We are the full spectrum of personalities! While we definitely have our differences, we ultimately enjoy the same simple things in life. Nothing flashy but we show up for each other, and I think that’s the most important thing you can have in this life. How does it feel to compete in the Olympics?Alise: It’s an incredible honor to represent your country on the global stage. There’s honestly nothing like it! For me, BMX racing has taken me further than I ever could’ve dreamed as a little girl from small town MN, competing in a male dominant sport that was not part of the Olympics, or even a professional career option for women at the time. So, it’s pretty crazy to think how far my journey and the entire sport has come since that first day when I was scared to ride down the starting hill at the track 27 years ago. How does it feel to have a daughter compete in the Olympics?Mark: Very proud and always ready to brag her up! It is such a compliment to be known in the BMX community as Alise’s Dad. To have accomplished making the Olympic BMX team once is huge, to have done it 4 times is unbelievable. It speaks to her perseverance through injuries and dedication to her training. What has the experience of watching your daughter compete in the Olympics been like?Mark: Nerve racking. I know she put the work in and deserves the result, but it is not a given. Everyone competing at that level has worked hard to get there and they all have their own stories. Favorite memories growing up?Mark: Fishing with my dad on Clearwater Lake, we slaughtered the crappies. Also, going to the cabin for a week in the summer with the family. How has your family contributed to the person you are?Mark: I was the youngest of 5 growing up. My Mom and Dad had 40 hour a week jobs and money was not always available for everything us kids wanted to do. Being the youngest, I was a little more spoiled. I had a lot of freedom thanks to my brothers and sisters “breaking in” my parents. I was the only one that got involved in athletics, spending all my spare time playing with the neighborhood kids and eventually school sports. That created friendships that shaped who I am. Favorite moments as a parent?Mark: Seeing my kids and grandkids succeed. Favorite memories of your children when they were young?Mark: All of it. Favorite memories growing up?Alise: Piling in the minivan with my mom and older brother and his friends to the track. What advice do you have for someone with Olympic aspirations?Mark: It doesn’t happen without a plan and a willingness to sacrifice to get there. You must enjoy the journey. When did you realize Alise was at the level to compete in the Olympics and going to the Olympics was a reasonable goal for your daughter?Mark: After she turned pro at 15 years old and won the USA title. The first time BMX was in the Olympics was in 2008 and Alise was 17 years old and you had to be 19 years old to compete. What advice do you have about goals?Mark: Write them down, long term and steps to get there. Evaluate and reset as necessary. What does it take to raise your level of performance?Mark: Attention to every detail. What is most important to you?Mark: Being happy and sharing it with everyone I meet. What advice do you have for people facing adversity?Mark: Deal with it the best you can. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The sun will come up tomorrow. How does your family inspire you?Mark: Since Cheryl passed, they are my inspiration. Advice for children with a vision for greatness?Mark: Hopefully visions of greatness are in all children. Some are lucky enough to have it come to them, others go and get it. I think more often it is taken by those who go after it. What type of work is involved to make it to the Olympics?Mark: For me, having a daughter and son-in-law do the work and I just have to get a flight and a ticket to the event. What encouragement do you have for parents?Mark: Support your children in whatever activities they decide to partake in, they are always looking for your approval. What is the greatest hope for your children?Mark: To be successful and happy in their lives. Best piece of advice you’ve ever received, and/or your advice for parents?Mark: Always drown people with kindness, no matter how they are acting toward you. (Cheryl Post)
The Irelands live near Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Kaelin and Paul have been married for 17 years. They have nine children from 15 to 2 years old. They are regularly asked, “are they all yours?” They say “yes, we have nine biological children together”. The Irelands share that having a large family is a lot of fun! There’s always something going on, always someone to talk to, and always someone to play with. Paul shares, “Having a large family is purposeful and meaningful work, because our kids are eternal beings. We love all these people!” The Irelands homeschool their children. Kaelin has been a stay-at-home mom since their first child was born. Paul works from home building enterprise web applications. They share that most days they are all at home and are often together. Did you always know you wanted to have 9 children?Kaelin: While we were dating, I asked Paul how many kids he would like to have. To my surprise, he said five! I thought that was really cute, it demonstrated his big heart. Paul: At that time of my life saying five kids was like saying a dozen! Neither of us come from a large family. I have one brother and Kaelin has two younger half brothers. We both liked the idea of our kids having a lot of siblings. Are you planning for more children?Kaelin: Our oldest daughter sure is! She asks me regularly if we can please have another baby. We always say it’s fun to have a baby in the house. We shall see what the Lord has. We believe the Lord is the author of life. My life is an open book for Him. He is the best planner! Are you able to get 1 to 1 time with each of your children?Kaelin: We spend a lot of time together, so those one on one times happen naturally. It might look like talking with one of the teenagers in the kitchen late at night or talking while working on a meal with one of my daughters. As we do projects or run errands, a child who is old enough or interested will join us. We also pray with each of our kids each night before bed. Do you have large gatherings?Kaelin: We enjoy having other families over! It is good for our souls! Paul: We’ve been blessed with a large house and large yard. We have several friends with more kids than us. Gatherings at our house can have over 30 kids! A great thing about big families is that the big kids all love the little kids and watch out for them. We even see teenage boys ask to hold the baby! We adults like to sit around the table and talk while the kids run off in every direction and play. If someone gets a scrape or there’s some conflict, the other kids will help them find their way to the parents. What would you consider a large family?Paul: We felt like a big family with four and five kids! Four and five is when it gets more complex; before that, Mom can do everything. With that many kids we had to work more as a team, involving the kids in chores, and figuring out how to do things at scale. Six kids is when we really felt large. That’s when we couldn’t fit reasonably in a minivan and bought a 15 passenger van. When you are connecting with other larger families with as many children, what are the things you relate to that smaller families may not understand?Kaelin: Having a big family is like driving a large ship. We make plans and plod steadily toward them. We have to accommodate a lot of interruptions and slowness. Other large families get that. A large ship is slow but it is also heavy. It comes with a lot of work and responsibility. Everyone has to contribute. Other large families get that too and we give each other extra grace in our friendships. What have you learned from your growing family, any new lessons with the 9th child?Kaelin: In the last year especially I have been learning to reject self-condemnation. For many years I would find myself feeling bad about what I did or didn’t do as a Mom, decisions I made for our kids, and things I wish I could have a do-over on. Mom-guilt was tearing down my health. One morning Paul encouraged me with Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” That familiar Bible verse hit me afresh. Now when I catch myself being tempted to beat myself up over my imperfections, there is no condemnation for me. I am covered by grace. What is the most important thing you want your children to take with them into the world?Kaelin: I want them to be firm in their identity in Christ and to know that they are always loved and accepted. I want them to walk into the world with confidence and humility. What advice would you give to families that are having many children?Paul: The number one thing is to focus on your marriage. On the plane they say to first put on your own oxygen mask before you assist others. Marriage is the lifeblood of the family; the love between a husband and wife carries the family. Billy Graham said that love is spelled T-I-M-E. A strong marriage requires lots of communication and togetherness. We talk about everything! We discuss pretty much all purchases and all plans. We spend 1-2 hours at the end of each night talking and enjoying being together. A close second is to be determined. We set this forth in our marriage, we are determined to be steadfast and to stay together. We do that for our kids too, we’re determined to keep our family together even when it’s going tough. Kaelin: For me it was to find a way that Mom can