Courtney Rogers, a 36-year-old resident of Santa Fe County, New Mexico, is a woman of remarkable determination and love for her ever-growing family. With her husband, Chris Rogers, a 32-year-old church pastor, by her side, Courtney has been on an extraordinary journey of motherhood that has seen her welcome 11 children in just 10 years, with plans for the 12th already in the works.
Their journey began 13 years ago when Courtney and Chris tied the knot. Since then, Courtney has rarely been without a baby bump or a newborn in her arms. The couple’s 11th child, Caris Audrey, was born on November 28, 2020, but her arrival was not without its challenges. An emergency C-section was necessary because Caris was in distress, and doctors were concerned about her oxygen supply.
Caris, weighing 9 pounds and 3 ounces, spent 15 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) following her birth. For Courtney, this was an anxiety-filled period. She confessed, “I was more scared for Caris than for any of her brothers and sisters. That was the scariest part because you just want to make sure your baby is alright.”
Fortunately, Caris made a full recovery and is now happily bonding with her six brothers and four sisters, all ranging in age from 10 to one. However, the challenges of childbirth have not deterred Courtney’s desire to expand her family further. She expressed her love for being a mother, saying, “I love being a mother, and I would really like to have another one. We’ll probably wait a year or two to try.”
Courtney shares glimpses of her family’s life on their 12-acre property through her Instagram page, @littlehouseinthehighdesert. The Rogers family includes Clint, 10, Clay, nine, Cade, eight, Callie, seven, Cash, six, twins Colt and Case, five, Calena, three, Caydie, two, Coralee, 19 months, and the newest addition, Caris, who is just seven weeks old.
Despite their deep love for their large family, Courtney admitted that the negative attention from outsiders is something they’ve grown used to. People often question how they afford to care for their children or how they manage to give each child enough attention. Courtney responded, “They don’t know how much income we have, or that I’ve never sent the kids to daycare or school.”
Courtney Rogers is a stay-at-home mom who drives a 15-seater van to transport her home-educated family. The Rogers children are homeschooled year-round, which proved advantageous during the pandemic as they didn’t face the challenges of school closures.
The family is now working on their small farm, planning to produce their own meat to reduce their reliance on grocery stores. They have also implemented a budget-saving initiative where, for a month following Thanksgiving and Christmas, they refrain from dining out, making non-essential purchases, or renting movies.
Courtney Rogers, alongside her husband Chris, remains undeterred by the critics. She said, “We just learned to ignore them – people say things but they’re people who don’t even know us, so how they can judge? We know we’re doing what we wanted, and we love it and we’re giving them a good life. We know how we’re raising them, so we try not to let it bother us.”
Their journey is a testament to the incredible love, resilience, and determination that define their family. With plans for the 12th child on the horizon, Courtney and Chris Rogers continue to embrace the joys and challenges of their extraordinary life together.
Their journey is a testament to the incredible love, resilience, and determination that define their family. With plans for the 12th child on the horizon, Courtney and Chris Rogers continue to embrace the joys and challenges of their extraordinary life together.
