Schoolhouse Little Rock

Following Josie Duggar's premature birth (eight year ago, as of yesterday) the Duggar family relocated to Little Rock to be near the hospital. You may remember that the home they leased, called the Cornish House, and the ironic history behind it.

While living in Little Rock, Jim Bob and Michelle and their older children worked hard to maintain a sense of normality for the younger ones. In this video, filmed in spring 2010, 19-year-old Jill Duggar works with four-year-old Johannah Duggar and two-year-old Jennifer Duggar on reading, shapes, and colors. The cameras also show the makeshift school room set up for the older ones.

Photo/video courtesy of TLC

Josie Duggar Update

On December 10th, Josie Duggar celebrated her 5th birthday. If you have been following the Duggars since 2009, you know Josie was born via emergency C-section, weighing only 1 pound 6 ounces. 

 Josie Duggar soon after her birth in December 2009

"She was pretty fragile there for the first six months, and even the first couple years," Jim Bob Duggar told PEOPLE. "But she's gotten stronger and stronger, and it's hard to hold her down now! We are thrilled with her progress and so thankful to God that she is alive and doing so well."

 Josie Duggar, 2014

When Josie was born at 25 weeks gestation on December 10th, 2009, at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, the Duggars relocated to Little Rock to keep their family together as they gave their 19th child the attention she needed. They rented the historical Cornish House. (Click here to read a post from five years ago about the Cornish House.)

 Jana and Josiah Duggar with Josie Duggar in early 2010

Josie Duggar, 2010

Josie Duggar is alive and well today, thanks to the prayers of millions across the world and the dedication of the doctors and nurses who cared for her in the NICU. The Duggars are grateful to God that Josie survived and is thriving.

To celebrate Josie's 5th birthday, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar took several of their children to McDonald's, Josie's favorite restaurant.

 Jason Duggar, Jana Duggar, Jackson Duggar, Jordyn Duggar, 

Michelle Duggar, Josie Duggar, Jim Bob Duggar

Jordyn Duggar, Michelle Duggar, Josie Duggar, Jim Bob Duggar

"It's a huge milestone for her at 5 years old, because of course she was in the hospital for six months," Jim Bob Duggar told PEOPLE. 

Highlights: Josie Duggar Home At Last!

• The Duggars voiced characters for "Life at the Pond," a radio show that encourages good character and morals. The producer was surprised at how quickly the kids mastered their lines. 
• Jim Bob, Joseph, Josiah, and Joy traveled to Little Rock to pick up what they left at the Cornish house. And they brought Michelle and Josie home with them! 
• "I was so happy to be heading home after seven months of being in Little Rock," said Michelle, who felt nothing but joy. Josie was thrilled as well; she couldn't stop smiling as the kids gave her a tour of her new home.

Have you ever heard of "Life at the Pond?" What shows, if any, do you allow your kids to watch?

Duggars Lease a Home with History

To be close to their 19th child, Josie Brooklyn, born three months premature, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have leased a house in Little Rock, Arkansas. The home is the historic Cornish House, built in 1919 by Ed and Hilda Cornish. Born as Brunhilde Kahlert, Mrs. Cornish started the state's birth control movement after the death of her husband. Her efforts paved the way for the establishment of Arkansas' Planned Parenthood Association. On the contrary, the Duggars believe that children are a blessing from God and desire to receive all the gifts He is willing to give them. They are thankful to have found a house to accommodate their large family, no matter what its history is.