When Jeni first met Ray, she was certain she never wanted children.

“Ray wanted at least four kids. I thought that was crazy,” she recalled.

Three decades later, they are the proud parents of 16 children.

The Bonell family from Toowoomba, Queensland, includes nine boys and seven girls. With so many family members, everyday life is anything but ordinary.

Jeni spends around $600 a week on groceries, buying huge quantities of milk, cereal, yogurt, and eggs. The family goes through about 50 litres of milk every week and up to two loaves of bread a day.

Even getting a family photo can be a challenge.

“You need an extra-wide lens,” Jeni jokes. “There’s always someone looking away or making a funny face.”

Their busy household runs on organization. Children from age eight are assigned chores, and even the younger kids learn to cook. Jeni also does several loads of laundry every day.

Despite the chaos and financial pressure, Jeni and Ray say they have no regrets.

“It just feels right for us,” Ray says.

Their older children have started families of their own, and the couple are now grandparents.

Sixteen children may not be for everyone—but for Jeni and Ray, their enormous family is exactly the life they wanted.

And somehow, they make the beautiful chaos work.