Michelle and Josie Duggar, Home Sweet Home

Josie Duggar, released from the hospital in early June for the second time, is finally home! And not just to a rental house in Little Rock, but to the Duggars' rambling, 7,000 square foot home in Springdale, Arkansas.

Josie would have returned sooner, but 12 of her 18 siblings unexpectedly came down with the chickenpox. Michelle and her precious baby were forced to remain in Little Rock for 3 long weeks, while Jim Bob spent his days applying calamine lotion and reminding his kids not to scratch.

Now that everyone is home sweet home, the Duggars are getting back into the swing of things. It's hard to believe that Michelle's last day in Springdale was spent hanging Christmas ornaments and looking forward to Josie's March 18th due date, which arrived more than 3 months earlier than expected. 
"It is good to be home," remarks the mother of 19. "It is surreal to be here."

And everyone is rejoicing because Josie, who entered this world with less than 2 pounds to her name, now weighs in at 9 pounds, 1 ounce. It's no wonder that doctors call her story a fairytale!

Can you imagine having 12 children with the chickenpox? We sure can't! Have you and your kids had the chickenpox yet? 

Your very own Duggar Family Tree!

Remember "19 Kids and Counting" Duggar Heavy Metal, when the Duggar family visited Stone County Ironworks? Do you remember the beautiful family tree that Jim Bob and Michelle created with their children? Now you can have your very own family tree, identical to the Duggars', displayed on your living room mantel! Inspired by the Duggars' visit and their wonderful example of the importance of family, Stone County Ironworks is now selling 2 styles of family trees!
Choose from the Family Tree with Hand Polished Wood Base (the Duggars' Family Tree) and the Family Tree with Hand Forged Base, each with 30 golden leaves and room for many more!

Would you like to have one of these family trees displayed in your home?

Jim Bob Duggar Talks about Fatherhood

Tribute to Michelle Duggar

Happy Birthday, Anna Duggar!

Happy 22nd birthday to Anna, wife of Josh Duggar and mother of Mackynzie. 
Two years ago on this date, Josh flew down to Florida to ask Anna to be his wife. And she said "Yes!"

Duggar Fun Fact

Did you know that TLC's "19 Kids and Counting" receives an average of 1.4 million viewers per week?

Duggar Trivia

How is your summer going? What is your favorite summer activity? Hope you are having some great weather this weekend!
Here's some Duggar Trivia:

1. What is the name of the high school that Jim Bob Duggar attended?
2. How old is Jinger Duggar? (Hint: see the "Duggar Calender: Birthdays and Anniversaries" page on the right sidebar.) 
3. What are Mr. and Mrs. Bates' first names?
4. What program do the Duggars' older children use for home school?
   
How well do you know the Duggars? Post your answers as a comment to find out!

The Duggars at Parrot Mountain

 The Duggar were back in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, for the third time in just over a year. “We’ve been coming here for years, and I’m sure we’ll keep coming,” Jim Bob told the Mountain Press.
Jim Bob and the kids, along with the Bates family, had the privilege of taking a private tour of Parrot Mountain, where they saw dozens of varieties of exotic birds. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, this attraction is made to feel like the Garden of Eden. The Duggars and Bates especially enjoyed listening to some of the birds perform songs like "Rocky Top."
Last year, the Duggars traveled to Pigeon Forge to meet Dolly Parton in "18 Kids and Counting" Duggars Meet Dolly and Duggars in Dixie. At Christmastime, the family was honored to turn on the Pigeon Forge Winterfest lights.

Have you ever been to Pigeon Forge or Dollywood?

The Duggars in a Movie!

Just a few days ago, Jim Bob Duggar brought some of his children to Albany, Georgia, to participate in the movie Courageous, made by the creators of Fireproof. The Duggars were runners in a 5K race that will be featured in the film.
"What they do with their movies is what we do with our show," said Josh Duggar. The Duggar family uses "19 Kids and Counting" to encourage others, just as Sherwood Films, the producers of Courageous, purposes to bring encouragement with their movies.  Make sure to watch for the Duggars in Courageous, in theaters in 2011.

Sherwood Films also produced Fireproof, Flywheel and Facing the Giants. Have you seen any of these movies? If so, what did you think of them?

Pictures of the Duggars, Including Josie!

Click here to see dozens of pictures of the Duggars on the TLC website! There are even some of Josie, who is now home with her family!
Which pictures are your favorite?

Josie's 6 Month Milestone

Josie Duggar is 6 months old today! Now that she is home, Jim Bob and Michelle reflect on the past six months spent in Little Rock, torn between their preemie in the NICU and their 18 other children.
"The first 72 hours in the NICU rock your world. This is like surviving a hurricane," says Jim Bob. The first six months of Josie's life truly was a roller coaster ride for the entire Duggar family.

"This has tested our marriage and family relationships. It tests the foundation of your soul," says Jim Bob, speaking for the rest of family.
The Duggars decided to move everyone to Little Rock in order to stay close together during this trial, but it hasn't been easy.
The family has always stressed that they are ordinary people with their individual weaknesses, and they really want their fame to be an encouragement to others.
What do you like most about the Duggar family?

TLC is Playing "17 Kids and Counting" Reruns in Order

I have been receiving questions about "17 Kids and Counting" reruns. TLC is showing these episodes in order, starting now. Tune in every weekday from 7:00-7:30AM, 10:00-10:30AM, and 3:00-3:30PM.
And if you don't get TLC, you can still watch the Duggars. Just log onto amazon.com to purchase individual episodes for $1.99 each ($1.89 with a TV pass), or purchase entire seasons.

When did you start watching the Duggars on TLC? Did you start with their first show, "14 Children and Pregnant Again," or did you"meet" the Duggars while watching the emotional birth of Josie on "19 Kids and Counting" Special Duggar Delivery?

Do you Homeschool?

Michelle Duggar has homeschooled her children since her oldest, Josh, was four. Once she teaches them to read, they work online, using the Switched-On Schoolhouse curriculum from Alpha Omega Publications. Many of our readers are homeschool families, as home education is a growing trend. Unlike Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, for a variety of reasons, many homeschool parents opt to place their children into the traditional school system for their high school years.
We would love to hear about your homeschooling experiences!
Does your family homeschool? If so, do you or do you plan on homeschooling your children through high school? Why or why not? Do you do traditional homeschooling, or do you use an online academy?
Thanks for sharing :)

Looking Back: Duggars 2009

Duggar Family 2009

Jim Bob and Michelle 2009

Jim Bob and Michelle with Josh and Anna 2009

Extra! Extra! Josie Duggar is HOME!

For the second time, the Duggars celebrated Josie Duggar's homecoming, but this time it looks like she will be home for good. The doctors have discovered the source of her digestive problems: lactose intolerance.

"We are happy that she is doing so well and fully expect her to continue to thrive," announced Dr. Arrington, Josie's physician. "Today, as she's leaving, she looks like a full-term baby." Born at 1 pound, 6 ounces, Josie has gained a total of 6 pounds. That's right, she has grown to be 7 pounds, 6 ounces!
Jim Bob and Michelle will keep the family in Little Rock for the time being, but they hope to be back in Springdale within the next month.

Josie's homecoming will be featured on TLC in the first episode of a new season of "19 Kids and Counting," premiering on August 10th.

Josie's story has touched millions of lives. What have you learned from her medical miracle?

Politics Leads to "19 Kids and Counting"

According to the Republican state chairman, Jim Bob was committing "political suicide" by running for Senate, but Jim Bob was certain that God wanted him to run for office. Politicians said that he would lose at least 98% of the votes. Jim Bob did much better than that, but he did not win the election.

The Duggars were confused, but they soon learned that it was all part of a plan, which helped bring the family to where they are today. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar were surprised to discover that Associated Press had snapped a picture of their large family walking into the polls on election day. Things fell into place, and in 2003, the Duggars got their "claim to fame," in the form of an article in "Parents Magazine."

Just a few months later, the family was contacted by Discovery Health and began filming "14 Children and Pregnant Again," which soon received more views than any other show on the network. One thing lead to another, and after a few more documentaries, the Duggars signed on with TLC to film the weekly show "17 Kids and Counting," which turned into "18 Kids and Counting" and then become "19 Kids and Counting" with the birth of Josie Brooklyn.

Click here to read the "Parents Magazine" article that launched the Duggars' TV career.

*Just an interesting note. Although the article says it was written by Michelle Duggar, it was actually the work of a freelance writer who wrote it from Michelle's point of view, after interviewing the Duggar family.

Jim Bob Duggar for House of Representatives

Since the Duggars' appearance on "14 Children and Pregnant Again" back in 2004, they have caught the attention of millions of fans worldwide, but they were in the public eye well before that. Back in 1997, Jim Bob felt God calling him to politics. When the local seat was vacant, he decided to run for House of Representatives.
"I had not experience in politics," says Jim Bob, "and I was scared to death of public speaking. I had no credentials to speak of, except that I believed I could vote the right way on important issues, and I could encourage others to do the same."
Michelle and the Duggar kids (this was back when they had only nine children) helped Jim Bob with his campaign. Their hard work paid off. in November of 1998, Jim Bob won the election with 56 percent of the votes.
Just like they did when Josie was born, the Duggars moved to Little Rock and lived there until 2002.
And then Jim Bob felt called to run for Senate. Although he lost the election, the Duggars received an unexpected offer, which paved the way for their reality TV series on TLC.

Come back tomorrow to find out how everything fell into place!

Hot Dog Flavored Potato Chips?

We were at Costco this evening shopping for large quantities (Duggar Style), and we happened to see a large bag of Hot Dog Flavored Potato Chips. We couldn't bring ourselves to pay for these limited edition chips, not knowing how they would taste. (Too bad they weren't being sampled!)

But we're curious.... 

Have you ever tried Hot Dog Flavored Potato chips? If so, how do they taste?    

Behind the Scenes: Josie's Return to the Hospital

In "19 Kids and Counting" Duggars at the Hospital, we saw Michelle Duggar recount her baby's return to the hospital just two days after she was brought home in early April. But what really happened in those dark morning hours of April 8th? Here's a behind the scenes look....
Michelle calls it one of the darkest moments of her life. "I was terrified. I was thinking, 'My baby is going to die. I am losing her now."' During her early morning feeding, Josie Duggar refused to eat and took a turn for the worst when her vitals dropped to dangerous levels. Michelle and Jill dialed 911, while Jessa and Jinger prayed desperately over their baby sister. In the ambulance, Michelle held Josie skin-to-skin to raise her body temperature and desperately asked God to save her infant's life. At the hospital, doctors tried frantically tried to stabilize her, while Michelle continued to pray. When Josie was finally in a stable condition, the Duggars began to breathe easier.
Have you ever experienced a medical emergency like Josie's? How did you find comfort and strength?

Duggar Fun Fact

The Duggar family celebrates at least one birthday in every month, except for February. And in December, they celebrate five birthdays. That's a lot of cake!
Visit the Duggar Calender for a list of Duggar birthdays and anniversaries.