Impressive family Greg and Patty Kossan of rural Motley are parents to 12 children, ranging in age from 18 months to 19 years. Although parenting is a joint effort for him and Patty, Greg said that he is constantly amazed by his wife Mother’s Day is May 9, a day when we honor the women who gave us life and/or had a significant impact on our personal life journeys.

Twelve children from rural Motley will be sending their mother, Patty Kossancards and tokens of appreciation that day. The youngest ones will most likely offer extra hugs and kisses. They all love their mom, says 17-year-old Amy.

“I don’t know how she does it all. She’s incredible,” said 19-year-old Kelley, the oldest Kossan kid.

What’s her secret? asks this reporter during a recent interview at the family farm in May Township. A dozen kids is no small feat. Does she have advice to share with other moms?

“Oh, the more kids I have, the less advice I give,” Patty laughs.

“I guess I’d just tell other mothers to take time to enjoy their children. The years pass so quickly,” she added.

She laughs again, adding that she has never

considered herself an expert on motherhood. “Each of these children has been a gift

from God,”

Patty said. “We are so

blessed.”

A t 4 5 , Patty has devoted nearly two decades of her life to raising seven girls and five boys, a labor of love she shares with her husband, Greg.

“I have to give so much credit to Patty, though,”

Greg said, reflecting on his

wife’s role in their family. “She is an amazing person

and an incredible woman. I can’t say enough good about her.”

Most mornings, Greg said, he wakes up to the sound of Patty scrubbing diapers or tending to one of their youngest kids.

After morning chores, Patty helps get breakfast ready - usually oatmeal, eggs or pancakes. “When you’ve got 14 mouths to feed, boxed cereal gets expensive,” Greg commented.

Once the dishes are cleared from the table, Patty helps get the kids, who are home-schooled, start on their homework.

Between cooking, doing laundry, tending to her family, helping in the garden and with the farm animals, Patty is a busy woman.

“She’s also the one who takes care of us when we’re sick,” Greg adds. “Patty’s read a lot about holistic medicine and she’s got all sorts of weird concoctions. Like white-willow bark for headaches.”

Greg said he encourages his wife to take time for herself every once in awhile. “She doesn’t do it enough.”

Kelley, 19, is the Kossans’ oldest child; and the 18-month-old twins, Elijah and Kathryn, are the youngest kids in the family.

“Our last ten kids were born at home,” Greg commented,

adding that he

helped deliver them all. “Only Kelley and Amy were

born in a hospital.”

The home births have been very special times for their family and have brought them even closer together.

“Because God is the creator of these babies, we knew we could trust Him to deliver them as well,” Greg said.

Greg and Patty believe that each of their children has been a gift from God.

“There are people who think we’re a little crazy and don’t understand why we would have so many kids,” Patty said. “But, after every birth, God has blessed and prospered us.”

Quoting a verse from the

Old Testament, Patty adds, “The Lord says, I will bless

them and multiply them.” Like the characters from the Bible passage, that has been true for their family as well, she says.

It’s been a journey of faith for the Kossans, Patty shares.

“We were city people,” she laughed, adding that both she and her husband grew up in the Twin Cities area. “We never dreamed that we would be living on this farm, raising 12 kids.”

When Greg and Patty first met, they never intended to have more than five children. They also weren’t looking to leave the Metro area.

God had other plans, though, Patty said.

Although Greg was happy working as a cop with the North Minneapolis Police Department, after a lot of prayer and soulsearching, he accepted a job with the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office.

The Kossans moved to the Nisswa area in 1999; and in 2004, felt called to build their present home.

“God has really blessed us and enabled us to stay out of debt,” Greg said again. “With the sale of our other house, we were able to build this home. We did most of the work ourselves.”

Since that time, Greg retired from police work and has been able to support his family as a sewer inspector and with sales from the farm. “It’s been great to be home more with Patty and the kids,” he said.

The Kossans cut wood to heat their house; and most of their food supplies come from their farm and from hunting. In addition to livestock, they have a donkey, pet rabbits and a dog.

“We raise free-range

chickens, both for eating

and selling,” Patty said. “We also have egg-laying

chickens; we milk goats; and we can a lot of vegetables from our garden.”

They’re just getting to the end of their canned tomatoes, Patty said, adding that she’s looking forward to working in the garden again.

“Mom’s taught us all how to can vegetables,” said 15-year-old Mark. “And dad makes sure we all know how to butcher. Last year we butchered 400 chickens,” he added.

Plucking chickens is a skill that even three-yearold Rachel is learning how to do. “She’s very excited about it,” Patty laughed.

“We eat a lot of chicken,” said 11-year-old Lisa. “And most of our meals only cost three dollars,” she added with a smile.

The older Kossan children help their mom plan the weekly menus, as well as take care of the babies.

“I’m slowly learning how

to delegate,” Patty says. “We have good kids and

they help out a lot.”

When asked what they admired most about their mother, the Kossan kids didn’t hesitate to answer.

Mark, the oldest son, said, “My mom is a very giving person.” Sister Amy agreed, adding, “She has a servant’s heart.”

Kelley, a freelance photographer, said that her

mother taught her to seek

God’s will in all things. “Follow God’s voice, not

someone else’s plan for your life,” Kelley shared.

Kelley also admires her mother’s strong work ethic.

“She’s the first one up

and the last one to go to

bed,” Kelley said of Patty. “She’s pretty amazing...she

just keeps going.”

They will visit the doctor on occasion, but for the most part, it’s mom the kids go to when they’ve come down with some sort of ailment or suffered a scraped knee.

Kelley said she’s been impressed with her mom’s selfless attitude. “She put her own dreams on hold to raise all of us,” Kelley said.

Actually, Patty says, there isn’t anything she’d rather do than to help care for her family. “I can’t think of anything more fulfilling.”

She and Greg are open to the idea of having more children, Patty said, but they are content with the dozen that they have.

“The number 12 was always in the back of our minds when we’d think about how many children we’d have,” Patty shared.

In fact, a family friend once shared with Patty and Greg that she had had a dream the couple would have 12 children.

They weren’t sure what to think of that, Patty said.

“I was pregnant for the 11th time and sort of wondering

if this might be my

last pregnancy,” Patty said. “I was getting older, you

know.”

She thought that perhaps her friend had been mistaken, Patty said. “But all of a sudden, when I was in labor, Greg said that another baby was on the way. We were having twins.”

Patty loves watching the

kids grow and has enjoyed

every stage of their lives. “I love the baby stage and

will definitely miss that.”

They don’t know what the future holds, Greg said; but for now they believe God has led them to their 40-acre promised land and that each of their children is a part of His plan. “It’s been a spiritual journey,” he added.

Patty hopes that each

child will be able to discern

their own spiritual journey. “That’s my desire as their

mother. I want them to follow God - not me or Greg. Their lives may be very different from ours. That’s okay, as long as they listen to God’s voice.”