We traveled around Europe for 6 months with our 9 kids – we even shipped our 15-seater van to England for the trip
AN American mom and dad with nine children under 12 packed them up this year to travel Europe for six months.
Jake Young, 36, and his wife Maxine, 33, even shipped their 15-seater van to England to make traipsing across the continent as a family of 11 easier.
Even the story of how they came to be such a large family is an unusual one.
After getting married in 2016, Jake and Maxine decided to open up their home to four foster children.
They fostered four siblings in 2017 before Maxine got pregnant with their biological first child in 2018.
Then in 2019 — just one month after they decided to adopt their four foster kids — they discovered that they were expecting natural quadruplets.
They were shocked to discover that they were actually expecting four babies instead of one, despite neither of them having any history of multiples in their family.
Despite their family growing at a rapid rate, the couple couldn’t be happier with their large family — and even managed to spend six months traveling Europe with their brood.
They shipped their 15-seater van over to England so their family could complete their European dream.
They visited 14 countries with their nine children, Aiden, 11, Parker, 8, Connor, 7, Elliott, 6, Henry, 5, and their quadruplets, Silas, Theo, Beck, and Cecilia, all 3.
Despite people thinking they were crazy for wanting to go traveling as a large family, the couple said they have never looked back on their decision.
Jake said: “You’d expect it would have been insanity traveling around Europe for six months with nine children, but luckily, all our kids travel well and it all went smoothly for the most part.
“We visited England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Morocco, all in our 15-seater passenger van.”
Jake and Maxine have always loved traveling, and after getting married in Greece and honeymooning in Italy, they couldn’t wait to return to Europe.
However, they never expected that it would be with nine children in tow.
They planned their trip and sent their family van across the Atlantic so they could make their way around the continent, starting in England and then heading to France, Spain, and Portugal.
Jake says that people thought they were crazy for uprooting their large family to travel, but they never looked back on their decision.
He said they had so much fun showing their children different cultures.
In six months, the family traveled around 13 European countries and even went on a ferry in their van to visit Morocco before heading back to the US, where they followed a regimented routine to ensure each day ran smoothly.
Maxine and Jake have been together for 11 years in total, and married for over seven.
Life as a family of 11 is normal to the Youngs, and Jake says that while it can be chaotic and challenging at times, it’s so amazing and beautiful that he struggles to see the negatives.
Maxine is a stay-at-home mom who juggles the busy schedule of their large family.
The parents began homeschooling all of their school-age kids when they left for their trip around Europe in February.
When they returned to the States, they asked their kids if they wanted to continue with homeschooling, as they seemed to be thriving, or go back to school.
Eldest kids Aiden, Parker, and Connor decided they wanted to stick with homeschooling, while Elliott and Henry chose to go to school.
Maxine takes on the bulk of the kids’ homeschooling, though Jake helps out with the subjects that he is good at.
Jake said: “The whole family works together as a team to get the chores done. When the kids reach about five or six they start getting involved with helping out.
“There are set chores that each person does and we tend to stick to doing the same thing.
“My top tip for parents with large families is to make sure you wake up early enough. The more people you have in the family, the longer it takes to get ready for each day.
“The less time you have, the more you have to rush and it doesn’t start your day off well.
“I know how hard this can be and struggle with it too, but it is always my goal.
“We have a membership at a bulk buying store too because we need to buy so much of certain things.
“We always stock up on diapers, wipes, paper towels and toilet paper.
“We’ve also been thinking of buying a second washing machine and dryer because there is always a load of laundry going to help us try and keep on top of all of the washing we have to do.
“The best thing about being part of such a large family is the fact that there is so much love all the time.
“At the end of a hard day, I just look at all my kids so happy and healthy and it’s amazing.
“Getting up and out the door each morning can be a challenge because it can be chaotic getting everyone dressed, doing their hair, and shoes on, and getting in everyone in the van.
“However, it’s all part of the fun.
“My mantra for parents is to take care of yourself. My family needs me at my best, and if I am not at my best and I am struggling in some way, then it affects my family too.
“It’s hard to think about yourself when there are endless diapers that need to be changed, and you have a load of hungry and thirsty kids on your hands, but you need to make sure you find the time to sit down and take a breath even if it is just for five minutes each day.”