Seven adopted kids complete couple's family tree
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers HAPPY TOGETHER--Thousand Oaks residents Troy and Angela Rockwood, center, have one biological child, four adopted kids and three foster children. From left, Ela, Anna, Daylin, Liesel, Linnea, baby Carolyn, Gabrien and Ethan. All the children are being homeschooled.

Adding seven children to their family in two years has been a dream come true for the Rockwoods of Thousand Oaks.

Angela Rockwood, the oldest of 10 children, had always envisioned following in her mother's footsteps and having an extra-large family. Her husband, Troy, oldest of five, also wanted a lot of children. But after Angela gave birth to their daughter Anna in 1996, no other biological children followed.

The two knew what their options were and decided not go the fertility-treatment route, Angela said. Instead, they contacted Ventura County social services and became foster parents. That opened the door for them to adopt Gabrien, 10; Daylin, 8; and Ethan, 5, in 2004.

Since then, Ela, 5; Liesel, 3; Linnae, 16 months; and 3-month-old Carolyn have joined their family.

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers STARTING CHORES-- When it's time to tidy up, Angela plays music while the kids put on costumes. Once the energy level is built up, work begins. Anna, left, watches Daylin, top right, and Gabrien play as a cowboy on his horse.

"I've always been a little baby crazy," Angela said. "When I was a little girl, I remember praying for my mother to have another little baby."

From her mother she learned how to organize a large family. And maybe her mother learned a few things from her oldest child as well. Along with loving children, Angela Rockwood loves peace and quiet and tries to always stay calm. She gives her children time-outs for things like hitting, she said.

"They have to go be on their beds until they get control of themselves," Angela said.

She also sometimes gives herself a time-out during the day to collect herself so she can be a calming influence on her children.

The family has a cocker spaniel named Gretel and three nearly identical brown tabby cats with green eyes--Cleo, Paws and Fleck.

"Gretel is one of the first friends a kid will make when they come to our house. When everything else is strange and scary, Gretel is just the one to warm them up," Angela said.

With 10 family members, how does Angela keep her home from being overrun by toys, clothing and food everywhere?

"My only organization secret is that all the toys stay downstairs, and all the food stays in the dining room. Bedrooms are for clothes and a few personal things. The kids are not allowed to play upstairs.

"My house is comfortably cluttered," she said

Still, she likes to have it clean at least once a day for peace of mind, Angela said. The children must clean up their rooms before homeschooling starts each morning around 9 a.m. They also must straighten up before Daddy comes home from work. Troy is a research scientist at HRL Laboratories in Malibu.

Although the time set aside for homeschooling ends at around 2 p.m., the children's education continues outside the "classroom," Angela said. They like to explore museums and spend time on farms, where they learn about beauty and life, she said. Angela's expertise is in fine arts.

"Having lots of children means they always have friends and someone to play with," she said. Neighbor children visit frequently because it's like there's always a party going on, Angela said.

While they don't watch TV or have video games, the children may watch recorded shows such as "Little House on the Prairie," one of their favorites, their mother said.

"When the show is over, one of them will say, 'I get to be Pa,'" Angela said.

Make-believe games are a common source of the children's entertainment.

Using their imaginations, they pretend they are horses or dress up and make a game of cleaning the house, their mother said.

It hasn't always been easy. Other foster children have come in and out of their home. Some they hoped to keep went to other families, resulting in heartbreak.

Also, Troy Rockwood was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease affecting the nervous system, and later testicular cancer.

"The MS was detected early on and has been fairly controllable with modern medicine," Angela said. "Cancer was less forgiving."

Troy had two surgeries and two rounds of chemotherapy. Through all of it, the family has relied on prayer, she said.

"The Lord has enlarged and blessed our family so incredibly in the last year or so," Angela said. "What a blessing that a couple with the infertility problems we have could still be blessed with such a beautiful family."