Pregnancy Rumors, Moving Again & Marriage After 3 Kids | Joy & Austin

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: "Pregnancy Rumors, Moving Again & Marriage After 3 Kids"

The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast, Ep. 84

Guests: Joy & Austin Forsyth
Date: February 25, 2026

---

Brief Overview

In this episode, Jinger and Jeremy welcome Jinger's sister Joy Forsyth and her husband Austin onto the show—marking the first time the couple is together as podcast guests. The conversation weaves through major life transitions in the Forsyth family, including moving homes, parenting three young children, persistent pregnancy rumors, their minimalist vs. memory-keeping approaches, and reflections on marriage after kids. Interspersed is practical wisdom on parenting, marriage in the midst of busyness, and insights into their ongoing journey of faith.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Addressing Pregnancy Rumors and Social Media Speculation

[00:37, 02:11, 02:23]

• Joy and Austin confirm they are not expecting a fourth child, contrary to social media rumors, some of which are fueled by AI-generated “announcements.”
  • Joy: “I feel like with AI, everybody's having these fake pregnancy announcements. It's kind of insane.” [00:48, 02:16]
• Joy clarifies she had addressed these rumors in a recent Q&A on Instagram.

2. The Big Move: Renovation, Family Chaos & Settling In

[02:33 – 05:57]

• Joy and Austin recently moved into a new home that was still mid-renovation, hosting Jinger and Jeremy immediately upon moving in.
  • Joy: “We were still living in a construction zone... The electrical had just been turned on the night before, so there was just dust.” [03:36]
• They discuss the challenges of moving with kids and transitioning while actively renovating.
• The Forsyths now live closer to Austin’s family and the familial camp.
  • Austin: “We wanted a little bit more land where the kids could ride their bikes...” [05:57]
• Their current home is viewed as a “stepping stone”—the dream remains “100 acres” for the kids to roam.
  • Joy: “That's always been the dream... raising our kids on that land... but what if we don’t ever get that?” [06:46]

3. The Realities of Repeated Moves & Accumulating “Stuff”

[08:05 – 09:11]

• Each move gets harder as the family grows, both in members and possessions.
• Joy admits to shifting from thinking she was a minimalist to realizing “I don’t feel like I’m a minimalist anymore, but I’m constantly decluttering.” [08:08]
• Austin jokes about his belongings going missing:
  • Austin: “I have to watch out. My stuff disappears.” [09:11]

4. Household Organization & Personality Differences

[12:49 – 17:24]

• The hosts and guests compare strategies for keeping order and the classic spouse dynamic of “where’s my stuff?”
  • Jeremy about Jinger: “I never know where anything is, and she knows where everything is.” [12:49]
• They debate countertop clutter, cleaning routines, and differing standards.
  • Jinger: “Counters would be used to put stuff on. But Jinger wants nothing on a counter.” [15:55]
• Parenting extends to teaching their children about keepsakes and “letting go.”

5. Keepsakes, Minimalism & Gifting Childhood Memories

[18:14 – 29:45]

• Joy and Jinger reflect on their upbringing, holding onto special items, and the challenge of not passing along too many “keepsakes.”
  • Jinger: “My fear is that Felicity is going to have so much stuff from every stage of life, it won’t be special...” [24:33]
• Joy introduces her own “keepsake box” system for her kids—saving only select treasures.
• Discussion about giving kids their own space to decorate and collect, referencing childhood experiences with siblings decluttering personal property.

6. Parenting + Home Aesthetics: The Balance of Living In vs. Perfection

[29:02 – 30:08]

• The panel discusses balancing a tidy, aesthetically-pleasing home with the reality of kids’ chaos and the necessity of giving children their own “safe spaces.”
  • Jinger: “The house is meant to be lived in... a clean wall for a clean wall’s sake is pointless.” [29:02]
• Letting go of perfectionism and embracing family life’s messiness.

7. Marriage After Kids: Intentionality & Seasonality

[30:47 – 33:42]

• Jinger and Jeremy ask Joy and Austin how their marriage has shifted after having three kids.
• Austin notes that while the relationship hasn’t fundamentally changed, “we definitely have to be more purposeful in the time that we get.” [31:11]
• They discuss how marriage dynamics, routines, and challenges change with kids’ ages, referencing which years are hardest, particularly years “four to six.”
  • Austin: “I was just asking my pastor... where do you see marriages struggle the most?... Year four or five or six.” [31:26]
• Jinger and Jeremy share about being in a challenging season with a particularly active toddler.

8. Keeping the Spark: Dating & Shared Hobbies

[34:12 – 36:54]

• Joy shares how taking time for intentional dates—like an antiquing trip gifted by Austin—helped them reconnect after intense months of moving and renovating.
  • Joy: “He gave me a gift to go antiquing... being able just to walk through an antique store was so much fun.” [34:12]
• Austin unexpectedly enjoys antique hunting, forming a new hobby together.

9. Faith, Teaching & Lessons from Judges

[37:11 – 39:54]

• Joy and Austin co-lead a young adults' Bible study and are currently teaching through “Judges.”
• Joy reflects on personal faith lessons, relating to the Israelites’ cycles of doubt and forgetfulness as similar to her own need for daily dependence on God.
  • Joy: “As soon as something goes wrong, I constantly am questioning, like, God, why are you doing this?... how much we need the Lord...” [38:19 – 39:54]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On AI-induced pregnancy rumors:
  • Joy: “I feel like with AI, everybody's having these fake pregnancy announcements. It's kind of insane.” [00:48]
• On minimalist aspirations vs. reality:
  • Joy: “I thought I was [a minimalist]...until we started moving...I don’t feel like I’m a minimalist anymore, but I’m constantly decluttering.” [08:17]
• On keepsakes & childhood memories:
  • Jinger: “My fear is that Felicity is going to have so much stuff from every stage of life, it won’t be special...” [24:33]
• On marital seasons:
  • Austin: “I was just asking my pastor... where do you see marriages struggle the most?... Year four or five or six.” [31:26]
• On intentional time together:
  • Joy: “Just being able to walk through an antique store was so much fun ... now it’s like a hobby we both enjoy.” [34:12, 35:15]
• On faith during smooth and rough times:
  • Joy: “Life is good and ... we’re so blessed. But as soon as something goes wrong, I constantly am questioning, like, God, why are you doing this?...” [38:19]
  • “I just need to trust God even when I don’t feel all of those things.” [39:54]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Pregnancy rumors & AI speculation: [00:37], [02:11], [02:23]
• Moving and new house chaos: [02:33] – [05:57]
• On outgrowing minimalism while moving: [08:05] – [09:11]
• Marriage, years four-six as hardest: [31:26]
• Keepsakes, kids’ memories, and decluttering dilemmas: [18:14] – [29:45]
• A restorative date antiquing: [34:12] – [36:54]
• Faith and lessons from Judges: [37:11] – [39:54]

---

Overall, the episode offers insights into modern family life, the challenges and joys of raising children, the push-pull of minimalism and sentimentality, and the importance of nurturing both marriages and faith through transitions and chaos. The tone is warm, honest, and relatable, peppered with laughter and practical tips for listeners navigating similar seasons in their lives.

Transcript

[Podcast Host (Ad Read)]

This episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking, maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them. But Redfin isn't just built for endless browsing. It's built to help you find and own a home with agents who close twice as many deals. When you find the one, you've got a real shot at getting it. Get [e-mail] own the dream.

[Ginger]

For the first time ever, we've got them together.

[Joy]

Joy and Austin Forsythe, welcome to the podcast.

[Austin]

Thanks, guys. It's good to be here.

[Ginger]

You guys are going through a lot of transition in life. You just moved. You've got three children with a fourth on the way, which we're going to be announcing today. Is that not.

[Joy]

I feel like with AI, everybody's having these fake pregnancy announcements. It's kind of insane.

[Ginger]

Marriage with three kids, how's that been? You guys Doing good?

[Austin]

Where do you think? Where do you see marriages struggle the most? Like, where are people struggling?

[Ginger]

Joy, you're a great co host. Austin, you're a fantastic co host. The two of you together.

[Austin]

We try.

[Ginger]

For the first time ever, we've got them together.

[Joy]

Joy and Austin Forsythe, welcome to the podcast.

Thanks.

[Austin]

Thanks, guys. It's good to be here.

[Joy]

So, so in case you don't know who Joy is, Joy is my younger sister and I was going to try to say what your birth order is, because I do know.

[Ginger]

Number eight.

[Joy]

Eight, Nine. Wait, you said eight? And then I was like, no, because that's Josiah.

Yes.

Joy's number nine of the kiddos and she has three kiddos and she married Austin and he's a great brother in law.

[Ginger]

I don't think we really need an introduction for you guys because especially Troy, you've been on podcast so much.

[Joy]

She's our co host.

[Ginger]

Our co host.

[Joy]

She is our co host.

[Ginger]

So you guys are going through a lot of transition in life. You just moved. You've got three children with a fourth on the way, which we're going to be announcing today. Is that.

[Joy]

Not yet. Oh, that was Instagram. That is the case. Oh, really?

Yeah. I feel like with AI, everybody's having these fake pregnancy announcements. It's kind of. Kind of insane.

[Ginger]

So is there a rumor going around that you were pregnant?

[Joy]

Yes, that are you so dugger of jail.

But I answered it on a Q A and it's right here.

[Austin]

Okay.

[Ginger]

But there is a lot going on in life. This is, first of all, to have you guys on the podcast together is an honor, because it is. It's just. Yeah, it's been great to hang out with you guys, and it's Joy's come on so many times, and we've had such good conversations. But we should get an update from you guys on how life is, on how marriage is, on this new house you moved into, because we literally were there the first day you moved into it.

[Joy]

Basically, we moved in with y', all,

and you were like, wait, are you

going to stay forever?

[Ginger]

And you hosted us the week you moved in.

[Joy]

Amazing.

It was so fun.

It made it.

It made it really enjoyable to have you guys there, too, and kind of break it in.

[Ginger]

Now. That's one way to look at it. To host immediately is enjoyable. I would have.

[Austin]

The fraters.

[Joy]

We were, like, camping out.

It was so much fun.

We had a. I really did feel bad, though, because your asthma was flaring up. So I ordered that vacuum the next day, and I was like, we're gonna get this problem fixed because it was dusty, honestly.

[Ginger]

That was really kind of you. But that vacuum was a magic worker.

[Joy]

It was.

We actually link it here, but it's

[Ginger]

the one that, like, mopped as you vacuum.

[Joy]

Phenomenal. Got all the construction dust up, helped out my lungs. But I felt bad because you were. We were still living in a construction zone. Like, the flooring wasn't completely finished. The electrical had just been turned on the night before, so there was just dust.

They were putting in the can lights.

Yeah. That day. That day that y' all showed up,

[Ginger]

my lungs were constructing.

[Joy]

Yeah, Constricting.

[Ginger]

Yeah, constructing. Constricting.

[Austin]

Because of the construction, he has people working every day. Except for Christmas Day.

[Joy]

Yeah, that's right.

[Austin]

I think there were people there New Year's Day, and then the day after Christmas, like, the subs rolled back in 7 o', clock, 7:30 that morning, it

[Joy]

feels like such a blur. But I'm glad that you guys are able to be there with us.

It was.

Made it really fun.

[Ginger]

So are you feeling settled now?

[Joy]

Pretty settled. I mean, it's been. You know, it's been over a month, but I feel like we've had stuff going on in our lives. Like, life has just kept going at full speed. And so I feel like we've had a little bit more routine, but we haven't gotten the house, like, fully decorated, settled, like, that kind of thing. So it's definitely feeling more like home, though.

[Austin]

I think part of it. Part of it is we spent five months, like, concentrating on the house, renovating it and other things got pushed to the side. And so as soon as we were able to move in the house, it was like, okay, let's stop on the house and let's get back to life. So the last, I don't know, since we've been in the house, like, yeah, stuff is pretty much stopped on the house, and there's still things that need to be done. But we've just. We've been so busy trying to catch up on life from the last five months. So we'll get around to it one day.

[Joy]

And you guys are the type of people who. Everyone's probably listening to this thinking, wow, they must have found their forever home. And that's what we thought when we rolled up. We're like, this is a nice forever home. This is so great. Like, you have all space for the kids to run, roam. You have all the rooms, the open concept as you come in the house. It's perfect. Amazing kids playroom. But then as we start talking to you in the middle of the project, you're like, no, we'll probably be here for two years and then we'll move on. Is that true or is that just a rumor?

No, that still is the plan, I think. Right. We said we'll probably be here for like three to five years maybe. But the old house. Would you, like, how long will be in the old house?

[Austin]

Five years. Yeah, that was just supposed to be like a couple of years. The. The goal is, and the reason why we moved to this property was we wanted a little bit more land where the kids could ride their bikes and, you know, just kind of not have to always be keeping an eye. Is a car gonna run them over? Are they gonna run out in a road or whatever? So we're on a little bit of land, and I feel like that's gonna suffice for right now. But I think long term, we would like more land. So I grew up on 100 and. 112 acres with like 30,000 acres of national forest bordering us. So anything less than that feels restricted.

[Joy]

You just need to move next to a national forest.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Joy]

Here's the deal, though. That's always been the dream is to have, like, you know, since we were dating, we talked about 100 acres, raising our kids on that land. And we talked about it, and we're like, what if we don't ever get that?

[Austin]

Like, what would be forever heartbroken.

[Joy]

And I think that's where we're at right now. Like, this is. This is like a stepping stone. But even if we Stay here a little bit longer. Like, it's not going to be the end of it. Like, we're really grateful for where we're at now.

[Ginger]

So. Yeah, the house. The house looks incredible. It's beautiful. I mean, it is a place you could stay forever, but I know you're looking for that hundred acres. Yeah.

[Austin]

One day. Yeah.

[Ginger]

Your parents own a lot of property, and that's where the camp is, right?

[Austin]

Yeah. Yeah. And we. And we move closer to them.

[Ginger]

Yeah. That's great.

[Austin]

The last. The last year we were in a rental, and we were like an hour and 15 minutes from them, and so we were a lot closer to her family into our church, but visiting them

[Joy]

was at least an hour, hour and 15 minutes.

Yeah.

[Austin]

Yeah. So dropping kids off is, you know, half a day ordeal or all day ordeal.

[Ginger]

Right.

[Austin]

Just to take them out there to go visit. So right now we're. We're about in the middle.

[Ginger]

So has it is moving tough for you guys because you've moved a few times since being married and since having kids?

[Austin]

Yeah, I think it's getting harder and harder. Moving is definitely getting harder and harder.

[Joy]

Yeah. The more. I mean, just the more stuff you have, the more life, the more stuff you collect. And I am such.

You're a minimalist, though.

Well, you are. I thought I was ginger until we started moving. And I am such an organizer, probably. Why say that? I try to be.

You are toy.

But it's almost too much to where I'm like, I have to know where everything's at, and I'm constantly reorganizing, and then it's almost more stressful. So like, when moving, we lived in a rental house for over a year, and so we had half the things packed, half unpassed. But. But I was constantly, like, for me to be happy, it has to be looked this way instead of just being like, it's fine. We're in just a crazy season, it's okay. And so. But I did not realize how much stuff we had until we actually fully moved into this house because we had so much in storage already. And then somehow our rental house got full of stuff again within a year's time. And so there was a lot to move. But I don't feel like I'm a minimalist anymore. But I'm constantly decluttering.

[Austin]

I have to watch out. My stuff disappears.

[Joy]

Well, he has. He. I have a spot where I put all this stuff, so it's just a matter of finding.

[Austin]

Finding, like, my wool blanket.

[Joy]

We want to take a break from this episode. To tell you about Cozy Earth. So what we love about Cozy Earth is that they have all of the favorite things. They have the amazing bamboo sheets, they have the pajama sets which I have gifted to so many people already. And they have our favorite bubble cuddle blanket. So I was downstairs right before this podcast and someone was over at our house and they picked up the bubble cuddle blanket, put it on their lap, and they're like, what is this? Is this a rug? And they were like, it's so weighted. I like it. But it's also super luxurious and soft. And I was like, that's our Cozy Earth cuddle bubble blanket. We love it and it lives on our couch. Everybody that uses that, they always ask what it is.

[Ginger]

Yeah, I mean, anything that is from Cozy Earth, they say, what brand is this? And we say, cozy Earth. Share a little extra love this February and wrap yourself or someone you care about in comfort that truly feels special. Head to cozyearth.com and use our code ginger for up to 20% off. And if you get a post purchase survey, be sure to let them know that we sent you.

[Joy]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Co Smart.

[Ginger]

I don't think you need us to tell you the importance of having home security. I mean, it's very important for us. The first thing we've done in every home we've moved into is install a brand new security system. A lot of times it's been incredibly expensive and a lot of hassle. But now with COVID Smart, you can install security all around your home. It's easy to access, it's mobile, you can always check your cameras. There's so many options. Covesmart is really a great solution for security.

[Joy]

Yeah, it is. And I like that it's for just almost like a little under a dollar a day. You are protecting your home, your loved ones, your possessions, and you're able to see what's happening at your place even when you're not there.

[Ginger]

Yeah, they have live streams so you can stream if you're at home. If you're away, you can see what's happening around your house. It's so easy to set up. Their website's really nice. Check it out. You'll find it really convenient. So make protecting your home a top priority. Check out covesmart.com gingerbread or use code Ginger at checkout for up to check this out. 60% off your first order.

[Joy]

Crazy.

[Ginger]

So go to covesmart.com ginger use code ginger for up to 60% off. On your first order, you'll never regret taking more measures to protect your family.

[Joy]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Function Health.

[Ginger]

Yeah. So most people assume that their health, like their heart, is healthy if they have good cholesterol levels. But there are certain tests, like lipoproteins that you cannot be aware of unless you specifically ask your doctor to test them. And they might be wildly unhealthy, out of range, but Function Health shows you. It gives you a 360 degree. Is that the right term or is it 180 degree? It gives you a full orbed view of what's happening in your body to know whether you're truly healthy.

[Joy]

Yeah, it's super awesome because they test for all these biomarkers and you are able to get that comprehensive view of what's happening. And I think that it really would save so many people from a lot of finding out later what's going on inside when you're super tired, super wiped out, and you're like, oh, I'm depleted and everything. Well, go ahead and check out what is happening inside your body with Function Health.

[Ginger]

Own your health for just $365 a year. That's a dollar a day. Visit function health.com ginger and use gift code ginger for $25 credit toward your membership.

[Joy]

Now back to the episode.

[Ginger]

You know, that's a phenomenon about, like a husband and wife. I never know where anything is, and she knows where everything is.

[Joy]

Except for my phone. You always know where my phone is. I never know where my.

Hilarious.

[Ginger]

She will have her phone in her pocket or she'll leave it at home and we'll go somewhere. She. Or she'll go, do you have my phone?

[Joy]

I'm like, babe, you're like in your hand, your phone. Like literally two days ago, I was walking out the door. I had this girl visiting me for the afternoon. And I was walking out the door and I was like, oh, man, I gotta go back in and get my phone. She's like, it's in your hand that

[Ginger]

she felt such a clown, like, didn't want to talk.

[Joy]

She didn't.

[Ginger]

But if I'm like, I'm like, where is this? Where is that? And it's something I placed days ago. And she'll go, oh, it's over in that room. It's over.

[Austin]

I'm like, that's because you're moving stuff.

[Ginger]

They're moving stout everywhere.

[Joy]

You said this even about joy, though. Like when the. When the workers were there for so long at your New house. It's like you would go clean one side of the room, move everything to one side, all their tools, and then you move them, you know, over here and there.

[Ginger]

Oh, yeah, the workers, too. That's where I put my drill down here. It's over on top of the cabinet. That's right. You know what's funny is I started predicting, like, reading into her. It's like I'm like observing an animal in the wilderness. Like, their movements, you know, like, how do they. And you begin. Do you do that often? Get their instincts? Not really. Okay. I'm just thinking of, like, Jane Goodall. But I. I had put books on the stand right next to the door, and I came down this morning, and they were gone. And my literal thought was, all right, where would Ginger have put them? Probably, okay. Joy and Austin are here. So she probably got him out, decluttered this area. So I went right to the office,

[Joy]

grabbed the books, left where they're supposed to be.

[Ginger]

Yeah. Like, knew exactly, like, okay.

[Joy]

Because they just came in the mail, and then they're just on the counter.

Yeah.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Joy]

Where are they going to go? They're not going to sit there for longer than an hour.

[Austin]

I haven't thought about that yet.

[Ginger]

So you're still just going, Joy?

[Austin]

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. What was I looking for the other day? I couldn't find it.

[Joy]

And always. I always forget that I was the one that moved them. So I'm like, I don't know. You must have moved them. He's like, I haven't touched them. And so then I'm like, I either had three spots where I put your stuff. It's like in the mudroom cabinet in your room, like his office room.

Well, it's harder at a new house.

[Austin]

It was my.

[Joy]

That's for sure.

[Austin]

It was my coyote calls.

[Joy]

Yeah.

[Austin]

And did you bring them?

[Joy]

I didn't.

[Austin]

I thought about it, but I didn't.

[Ginger]

We could use some coyote calls out here. Yeah. Those things are getting close.

[Austin]

They're probably protected here. They probably have more rights than I do. But anyways, my coyote calls, I was like, joy, where are they? Can't find them.

[Ginger]

Whatever.

[Austin]

And they were in my tool bin, which she was like, I didn't put them there.

[Joy]

Well, then I thought about it later, and I did put them out. They were out in the shed. Yeah, out in his tool shed.

[Austin]

Anyways.

[Joy]

I do move stuff around, though, but I think I don't if I feel like, especially in my kitchen, in my living room, if it's cluttered in there. I Feel like my mind's cluttered, so I'm constant. Like, if I know I'm walking across the house and I see something that goes in the direction I'm going, I'll just grab it and put it away.

[Ginger]

I got a question, Joy.

[Joy]

What?

[Ginger]

So I. And also, I don't know how you feel about this, but I would assume, like. And call me crazy, but, like, counters would be used to put stuff on. But Ginger wants nothing on a counter. She wants nothing on a sink top in the bathroom. So I would go, hey, our, like, toothbrushes. And that should be next to the sink. She wants it all under the sink.

[Joy]

If you have something.

[Ginger]

I don't understand.

[Joy]

No, if you have something to hold them on the counter, then it's fine to have them on the counter. But if they're just laying on the counter.

[Ginger]

Okay.

[Joy]

Then they don't belong there.

[Ginger]

Okay.

[Joy]

So, like, in the kitchen, if you have fruit in a fruit bowl, that's fine, but if they're just thrown on the counter.

[Ginger]

Okay.

[Joy]

No.

[Ginger]

Yeah. Got it.

[Joy]

It's just.

It's a part of. Are you like this, Joy, whenever you're cooking, do you put everything away and clean up as you go, or do you just leave everything out in the cleanup after?

It depends on how rushed I am. But, like, I know.

Do you clean up as you go, Austin?

Clean up as you go?

Austin's saying no.

He is better about right away doing the dishes. I will leave the dishes till, like, the end of the day, and then there'll be a huge pile. He does after every meal.

Yep.

So that's a different kind of thing. But I definitely. If I. If I'm not rushed with, like, guests coming over, whatever, then normally I will, like, clean up as I go.

I. I think it's so funny because, like, there are different personalities and temperaments. I think I'm like you, Joy, with. With that. Anything on the countertops bothers me so bad. So, so bad. To the point where half the time, I put away something, and I'm like, oh, I was gonna use the olive oil for that dish too. So I put everything away. Like, I'll use it. Put it away. I'm making popcorn in the Whirley pop at night. At night, 9pm Just saying. That's when we eat our popcorn. And I'm over there, and I'm pouring the olive oil in. I'm pouring the kernels in immediately. I put that away as the fire's on. I don't stand there and whirl that. I put it away immediately. And then I come back and it's one of those things that I just can't leave it there.

That's funny. I'm not that rushed. But I do put it away and sitting.

But Felicity now has gotten to the point, I don't know if your kids are like this. They get to the point where they're like, oh, my. Does mom gonna throw this away? So Felicity, every time she gets something that's like, where she feels like is a keepsake worthy thing, she says, oh, mom, I bet you wouldn't throw this way, right? I bet this won't go. I won't be able to find this. You know, like, she really knows already. I'm like, I'm saying, you know what's crazy?

I was just thinking about that, because Evie, she will, like, at church, they have so many different things that they color or whatever. And it's not necessarily. They're not giving it to me. And so those kinds of things, when I clean out the car, I just tend to throw those away. But I was telling Austin, I said, you know what I said, my dad had a box in his office.

Do you remember that? Oh, yeah, I have one now where

we would color pictures. We would color pictures, and he would put all the pictures we drew in that box. He'd say, okay, I have my keepsake box and put it in here. And he wouldn't necessarily, like, put it up on the wall and admire it all the time. But I was wondering the same thing, because just the other week, Evie's like, mama, please don't throw this away. This is my thing from church. And she's like, actually, I want to give it to you. You want to keep it. And she was saying the same thing. I was like, I kind of feel bad because I am a minimalist, and I tend to get rid of things. But I wonder how that makes her feel. Because, you know, it's not something like it's her masterpiece, her artwork that I just don't like. I look at it, I'm like, oh, that's beautiful. And then when she's not looking, she

knows, though I toss it, probably because there's so many.

There's so. Oh, and they are. Yes, there's so.

And that's the side. But I also just did that because I remember Pops always had that in his office next to all of his other file boxes. And so we had a file box in our storage room, and I just pulled it out and made it our keepsake box. See, that's great. And Then it filled up with like. Like a couple things that were, like, school pictures, whatever. And then you put all the keepsake stuff in there. And then I moved it to a bin. Like, any of the special things. I sorted through, found the favorites, saved a few, and then I put those in the keepsake thing. And then the rest you can discard if they're just like, random papers of little things that they're not going to treasure one day. So, yeah, I think that's really it. Is that helpful? And usually after about six months, they're not going to ask you about that old picture.

Yes.

So at least you have it for a length of time. Yeah.

But that was interesting because that was something I was just thinking about. And I want to make sure that I make Abby feel special in that way. And how, I think.

[Ginger]

Have you gone better? I was going to say, have you gone back to your keepsake boxes and look through them? And, I mean, I know you've gone back after being away from Arkansas for so long.

[Joy]

I do. Every couple years, I have, like, a stack of keepsake boxes and I'll go through them and read old things.

[Ginger]

Like stuff from your past as a kid.

[Joy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ginger]

Did you have a keepsake boxes?

[Joy]

Your parents.

[Ginger]

Was it just like his first bullet that he shot, his first deer that he killed?

[Joy]

He had so many things.

[Austin]

It was more like, I don't remember my parent. I don't know if they kept stuff of my. Like, I kept my stuff. Oh, gotcha. So I would. Yeah. I mean, I have knives from, literally when I was four years old. I have toys. I have a Nerf gun from when I was, I think, five. That's still shooting stuff.

[Joy]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about trust and will.

[Ginger]

Yeah. One of the things that can give you and your family peace of mind is having a living will so that, you know, if anything happens to you, your assets, your finances, and also the care and protection of your children will go to whom, where, when you want it to go. So if we were to pass away, we know exactly who gets custody of our children. There's no going through the state because of trust and will. We have a living will, and it really gives peace of mind.

[Joy]

Yeah, I think it's something. It's one of the best gifts that you can give to your family, your loved ones, and so take that time and go ahead and reach out to

[Ginger]

trust and will, protect your legacy and your loved ones today, tomorrow and beyond with trust and will. The most trusted name in online estate planning, go to trustandwill.com ginger and get 20% off. That's trustandwill.com ginger to get 20% off, that's a huge deal. It's a great way to get started. This is probably the reminder you need to really take that step to care for your family.

[Joy]

We want to take a break from this episode to tell you about Nutrafol.

[Ginger]

If you are experiencing hair thinning or hair issues, Nutrafol is for you. You can experience real growth of your hair over time. It happens quickly, not in a flash, but you'll see improvements in three to six months.

[Joy]

Yeah. I have loved Nutrafol, especially postpartum, because I struggled so much with postpartum hair loss. And Nutrafol is an awesome way to be able to supplement to help your hair improve. And so I think that anybody who is walking through that gift it to somebody who is postpartum, it's going to be their best friend.

[Ginger]

Yeah. Nutrifor Nutrifal is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand. And it's the number one hair growth supplement brand personally used by dermatologists. So let your hair become one less thing taking up space in your head and see thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month's subscription and free shipping when you visit nutrafol.com and enter promo code J and J. That's J A, N D J Nutrafool.com spelled N-U-T-R-A F O L.com promo code J N, J.

[Joy]

Now back to the episode.

[Ginger]

So here's the thing is I've thought, because Felicity is, you know how every generation kind of reacts to the previous. So our parents had so much stuff. So now we, we're minimalists. I'm looking at our kids like, okay, they're going to want to collect everything. Am I raising a little hoarder? You know, but there's one aspect of keepsaking.

[Joy]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

Where. Yeah. Like I went home over Christmas last year, a couple year, like year and a half ago, Whatever. And I got my little raccoon, my stuffy raccoon, Ricky raccoon. Significant part of my childhood, which is why I don't like, you know, hunting raccoons.

[Austin]

Okay. Yeah.

[Ginger]

I don't know if people hunt raccoons, but yeah.

[Austin]

To do grab them and shoot them.

[Ginger]

Got it. So, yeah. Okay. Well, again, a little triggering for me just because Of Ricky. Ricky Rat Dune. He was my little stuffed animal. But. But that was actually special. But I wonder if getting that little stuffed animal would have been as special if I had. If my mom had kept 15 stuffed animals. But you know what I mean? Like, and be like, here's all of your childhood. Then you might kind of go, like. Like, my fear is that Felicity is going to have so much stuff from every stage of life. It won't be special because it'll just be a collection of everything she's ever had.

[Joy]

Yeah. You know what I mean?

[Ginger]

Like, not everything she's had.

[Austin]

Well, you could try it with one kid and then try something else with a different.

[Ginger]

You shouldn't have an experiment. We kept all of your stuff. Didn't keep your stuff, to be fair.

[Joy]

So we've had problems with that, with. With the kid. And it is one of those things that we've. We've realized it's tough for some personalities to let go of stuff. And that's one thing that I have tried so hard to not touch is their room. Because I honestly am like, this is their childhood. If they hang up things on the wall that aren't stylish, it's okay. Especially after we redid their room. I think that's where it bothered me more.

Yes.

Before then, it was like, all white walls, nothing in there, mix, you know, mismatch everything. And then once we designed it, I was like, oh, no. It's like, it's too much. It's too much.

Too much.

Because I like it. Very minimalist. But I also was looking at that, and I'm like, wait, this is her space. Unless it's, like, gross. Should I leave it? I don't know. So anyhow, we had conversation the past couple weeks. Okay.

So crazy.

Yeah. The past couple weeks. Yeah. You're looking around at the room and you might go up there and see it with me and help me, because we had a conversation. And anyhow, one of our kiddos was like, oh, yes. Like, I think that maybe I should let go of some stuff. Because a couple years ago, I showed him a clip of hoarding Buried Alive. I was. I'm about to pull it back out.

[Ginger]

You keep one more of those and

[Joy]

this is your life. But I did. I did show them that because it was. It was a little much.

We were.

We were hanging on to every little thing.

[Austin]

That's the same thing with stuff. She's like, I'm going to show you a video.

[Joy]

Well, I know.

Terrible.

But I just show them that.

And then touching the candles. I would show my kid.

[Austin]

Oh, wow.

[Ginger]

Okay. Whoa. The exact parenting. Yeah, I like it. No, I like.

[Joy]

Anyway, but with that, I think. Well, I was thinking it's helpful for me, though, because we do have so many nieces and nephews, and Evie tends to be one that wants to keep all of her stuff, but she also is a giver, and so she is so excited to give her favorite pair of boots to her cousin. And so that's something that's been helpful because we can pass whenever her clothes get too small. Like, I normally keep one or two shirts from each size for them to, like, give to their kids one day. And she's decided to pick out, like, her favorite shirts to give to her kids one day. But other than that, we pass everything on to her cousins, and it's like her. She's, like, giving them a gift. It's so exciting for her. So that's been helpful. But as far as other, like, knickknack things, I have a hard time finding the balance in it, too, because I know we had our lockers, and this is what I was telling him. We had our lockers that had all of our personal items in it. And then I also had a cabinet in our room that was my closet, and whatever was in there was ours. But I remember, not you, but one of the older sisters, when we were gone to music lessons one day, went through our lockers and went through my stuff and decluttered it for me because she thought decluttering. And I remember coming home and being devastated because I was like, that was not yours. That was mine. And, like, my heart was just.

Because it was our staple. Yeah, it was our staple thing that's in there.

House trash, anything. Like all of my stickers that I collected over the years, they scraped them

off the locker with Grandma Bennett's address on it.

Yes, Grandma Bennett's address. Like, and so all those things. But I remember, like, I don't want. I want to find the balance, because there does need to be a place of, like, yes, we're the mom, but also, they need to have their own personal space.

[Ginger]

And. And the house is meant to be lived in. Like, yeah, like, a clean wall for a clean wall's sake is pointless. Like, I've sometimes thought, you know, you don't want to be the grandpa who's saying, you know, hey, don't touch that and don't break that. And then you realize you're living in a glass.

[Austin]

Do you know my granddad,

[Ginger]

he'll run down the halls, but Then you're living in a glass house that nobody isn't warm. Right. And then you go. A house is meant to be lived in.

[Joy]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

And so there's a measure of it where you're like, okay, they colored on the wall. Great. You know. Okay. Don't go around coloring on everything. It's a learning lesson. But you're also not freaking out, because that wall is so precious. You realize. Yeah. You know what? Like, after this little stage, we're probably

[Austin]

gonna paint the wall.

[Joy]

Yeah.

It's just stuff, you know?

[Ginger]

And then we're gonna have grown kids, and they're gonna color on it, too.

[Austin]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

But, you know, that is an interesting aspect of this, having a little, like, safe place. Because you guys had. You had so many siblings, and then you lived in a huge room, so you didn't have, like, your own space, so your own little locker is.

[Joy]

That was our safe.

[Ginger]

Yeah, that's. That's. I. This is my home. You know, I've designed this with my stickers.

[Austin]

I think it's important. I mean. Yeah. I only grew up with Austin, like your sister.

[Joy]

Austin had all the space he wanted in his room.

[Austin]

Yeah.

[Joy]

I had my own room, and it was bad.

[Ginger]

I remember seeing your room.

[Joy]

His mom didn't touch his room.

[Austin]

Really?

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Austin]

My parent. My parents didn't care. I Hungry pictures. I'd, like, stapled pictures to my walls. They didn't care.

[Ginger]

I just remember you on your bunk bed looking like for the TV show you filmed as a kid.

[Joy]

I will not the Duggars.

[Ginger]

So, okay, this is.

[Joy]

We veered way off.

[Ginger]

I don't even know where we are. But marriage with three kids, how's that been? You guys are doing good lessons? You learning what?

[Joy]

What's.

[Ginger]

What's.

[Austin]

I wouldn't say that having three kids has affected our lifestyle or our relationship, would you?

[Joy]

No, I think. I think we definitely have to be more purposeful, probably in the time that we get. But.

[Austin]

Yeah, but I mean, it's easier now. Like, the kids, they're older. They play with each other.

[Joy]

Like, with Gunner being older. Yeah, it's definitely made a difference.

[Austin]

I was. I was just asking my pastor, I don't know, last week sometime, like, out of all the counseling and stuff you do, like, where do you think. Where do you see marriages struggle the most? Like, where. Where are people struggling? And he was saying year. Like, four and five and six and

[Ginger]

year four or five and six.

[Joy]

Yeah.

[Austin]

Yeah. Some. Somewhere there. Four to four to six.

[Ginger]

Like, we're past five.

[Austin]

Well, that's what I was Thinking.

[Joy]

No, I think year seven was probably right. Six or seven.

[Austin]

No, I think it was probably five or six.

[Joy]

Or maybe it was five.

[Austin]

Well, yeah, it was five or six.

[Joy]

Because every towel now, Evie, is five.

[Ginger]

Yeah.

[Austin]

Was probably so far. Yeah, probably.

[Joy]

That was like, probably the hardest.

[Austin]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

Well, there are like. See, like, for us, we're in the season of Finnegan is so, like, Finnegan's just mobile enough to be dangerous. You know what I mean? Like, he's not where you can have him just playing in the other room. Yeah. Everything's going in his mouth. He's walking everywhere. Yeah. And so still clingy. Yeah. So that means we don't get time together until he's down.

[Austin]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

So all of a sudden, if he gets a power nap at 7 o' clock at night, then he's up till 9:30 and then, you know, mom's been in watching him all day mode. Well, she's still in that mode until 9:30 and then we're both tired, so.

[Austin]

Yep.

[Ginger]

That kind of. But once you get through that as well. Not to say we're not enjoying that season because it's a sweet season with little Finny boy, but there are, like, different dynamics to different seasons.

[Austin]

Yeah. I think that hit us like, gunner, he's almost three, so.

[Joy]

Yeah.

[Austin]

When. When your kids eight, 10 months old and they're putting everything in their mouth, it's just. It's a hard time.

[Joy]

And they're living on your hip.

[Austin]

Yeah. So we're.

[Ginger]

Yeah, he's living on hip right now, isn't he?

[Joy]

Oh, yeah.

[Ginger]

He just wants mama, like, anybody who

[Joy]

goes to pick him up, he's like,

[Ginger]

yeah, he'll hang with me. I'll come. You know, he loves that he hangs out with me. But then see his mom, you know how they just shift all their weight.

[Austin]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

They just communicate by, like, going, all right, I'm gonna fall towards mom now. And you're like, okay. He wants.

[Austin]

So it'll be interesting if Win. If we have another kid to see how that.

[Ginger]

Okay, so you're not.

[Joy]

Now it's time for the announcement. Is this the announcement time?

[Austin]

I wish.

[Ginger]

You know, we're gonna tease that with this episode. That's great.

[Joy]

Big time.

[Ginger]

Has it been a sweet season for you guys? I mean, it's nice to be in the new house. The kids are obviously like, you know, kids take a lot of work, but they're in a sweet season. They're playing together.

[Joy]

It has been. It has been a really sweet season. I feel like we have been so busy That I feel like there are times where I just feel like we're kind of lost in all of it. And so we actually. It was two weekends ago. You actually gave me for Christmas, he gave me a gift to go antiquing for, like, as a Christmas present. He's like, I'm gonna plan it all. I'm gonna get the babysitter, and we just gotta find a weekend, you know, sometime in the next two months or whatever. And so his mom was available. He called. His mom was like, hey, can you keep the kids for the night? We're gonna go antiquing. And that was like, finally. I felt like after all the house projects getting moved in, like, getting past all of the crazy rush of it all having a weekend to just breathe and, like, being able. Just to walk through an antique store was so much fun. And then Austin actually found a new passion of. I was gonna say that was for you.

That he did that. And little did he know he caught the. Little did you know that you were gonna actually feed his new addiction now.

Yeah, now it's like a hobby that we both can enjoy because Austin has been. He found a pair of earrings that he.

[Ginger]

Dude, I gotta say, they look good on you. I didn't think you were the earrings type.

[Austin]

I know, but they do look. They look on a. I'm not a one earring kind of guy either. Both of them.

[Joy]

Well, he found a pair of earrings that were gold earrings, and he got a deal on them. He's like, I think they're gold. And sure enough, he got them tested, and they were gold. And he got. I mean, he got them for a fraction of the price of what they're worth. And so now he's. The next day, we went and picked up the kids, and the next day we went antiquing the whole day with the kids. They were exhausted. But he's like, I'm gonna catch.

[Ginger]

We will.

[Joy]

Antique. So the next day, he found, like, a gold. What is it called? A gold brooch.

[Austin]

Yeah, like this ugly, like, grape cluster brooch.

[Joy]

Well, he's.

I'm just walking around the store shopping for, like, antique furniture, and he's standing at the counter. Can I see this pair of earrings? Can I see this gold brooch? And he's like, I'll take that gold. The. The grape. The grape cluster. She's like, oh, this is a beautiful.

[Austin]

She, like, puts it on, and I'm

[Joy]

like, like, it could be a pin.

I'm gonna melt this down.

[Ginger]

She's not picking up. What kind of shopping you're doing. No, she's like. Peculiar taste, that boy.

[Austin]

Yeah.

[Ginger]

She's going to own to her husband just over. Over.

[Austin]

Interesting young man today.

[Ginger]

You know that great brooch we talked about?

[Joy]

No, I.

For 20 years. Just.

[Ginger]

Interesting young boy came in today.

[Joy]

But anyway, he.

He's been so. So that was a fun weekend.

I feel like for us to be

able just to breathe and slow down and enjoy each other. Enjoy like the kids and. Yeah. Just since all the craziness, it has been. It's. It's definitely been crazy, but I feel like we're getting back into our routine.

I love it. So, so good.

[Ginger]

What's. Is there something the Lord's been teaching you guys in your life recently that would convict us or encourage us or give us something to think about? You've been teaching a lot at church. Do we want to talk about that or no?

[Austin]

Sure.

[Ginger]

Okay.

[Austin]

What are you teaching through right now in the young adults? We kind of co. Teach that class at our church. We are. We just started going through judges, and so it's been good. It's been good for me. Helps me. It's one thing if you're just reading your Bible in the morning, especially if you're trying to check off a list. That's another if you've got to prepare and not that you should just read a check off a list, but it's another thing if you've got to prepare and try to come up with something insightful and try to pour into other people. So it's been really. It's been really good for me. I've really enjoyed it.

[Joy]

I feel like I've been learning what we were talking about the children of Israel and how back in the Old Testament and you. You hear it a lot. But back in the Old Testament, God would do these incredible things for them, like, you know, just deliver them from their enemies. And then it would be like 80 years later they're asking God, what are you doing? Are you even real? Like, do you even care? And I feel like I go, I see myself. And this is what God's been showing me, even just in the lesson that he was teaching this last week of talking about the children of Israel. And I was like, I see myself going through those patterns. And you think, oh, I cannot believe that they are like that. But in reality, I feel like God showing me, like, your faith is not strong. Like, you can look down even on children of Israel, like from thousands of years ago. But this is something that you struggle with, too, is, you know, life is good and we're going through a good season and we're so blessed. But as soon as something goes wrong, I constantly am questioning, like, God, why are you doing this? Or do you care? Do you love me? And so I think that it's been a. I'm growing in, I guess in faith, but seeing how I need to even grow more and I need God every single day and I need his help has been something eye opening for me because it just shows you how much we need the Lord and how much our faith just.

We need to.

I need to just trust the Lord more and not. I don't have to rely on all the good and the feelings. I just need to trust God even when I don't feel all of those things.

[Ginger]

That's good. Well, it seems like you guys are doing really well. We had a sweet time visiting you guys over Christmas and we're excited you're here in LA to hang out for a little bit. And thanks for coming on and sharing a little update on the four sights.

[Joy]

Yeah, it's been fun.

It has been fun. Thanks.

[Ginger]

Always having us, you guys. Joy, you're a great co host. Alston, you're a fantastic co host. The two of you together.

[Austin]

We try.

[Ginger]

Great duo. All right, guys, well, thanks for hanging out. We will see you next week for another episode.

[Austin]

Bye.