A baker's dozen: The Diel family believes in working, plaing and praying together

Great story about life, love and learning in a large family... (HEFT ed)

by Amy Siewart (GMToday) Greater Milwaukee 4/13/06

Size does not appear to be an issue for the tight-knit family, whose household is efficiently run, family members are healthy and most importantly happy. It would make any small family stand up and applaud.

To grasp how many years Diane Diel was pregnant or with a baby in her arms, she was 20 when she had James and 45 when she had Joseph ó a quarter of a century. "When I had my first one it was a great experience and I thought one is just fine," Diane laughs. "It really has been a journey. I didnít know they would all come from me!" she exclaims. Early in their marriage, Jim and Diane thought they would possibly adopt children instead of conceiving their own.

That whole idea was set aside after several pregnancies occurred.


The entire Diel family including son James (left) holding his baby with his wife sitting behind him, gathered for this family photo during the 2005 holiday season.

"This is an area of our lives where we are going to trust God," Diane says. "Weíve been blessed. Theyíve all been healthy."

The couple began reading the Bible after experiencing some difficult times early in their marriage. "We started taking God at his word and in the Bible we read that children are a blessing," Diane explains.