Phil Carlson / The Quincy Herald-Whig via AP Ruth and Leo Zanger sit with their 100th grandchild, Jaxton Zanger, in Leo's real estate office in Quincy, Illinois. “We just love them all and they’re all so precious,” said Leo Zanger, who calls his newest family member, born April 8, "just another precious little bundle.” 
 
 Leo and his wife, Ruth, recently celebrated their 59th anniversary. Seriously, it's a really big deal -- with added emphasis on the "big" part.  Parents Illinois couple who welcomed 100th grandchild: 'We just love them all' 
 
 share tweet pin email 
 
 Baby Jaxton Leo Zanger recently became the 100th grandchild for one Illinois couple. Everyone still gathers for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, but because of their size, they rent out their church hall for the family dinners. He joins 53 grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. Not that Leo and Ruth Zanger are counting. They have 12 children, 53 grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandson. Leo and Ruth, who have been married 59 years, had 12 children of their own between 1956 and 1984. They have 12 children: The oldest is 58 and the youngest, now 31, was an uncle to 10 kids by the time he was born. “There was one born in March and it was kind of a race, so this has all been really fun,” he said. Donna Lane, another of Leo and Ruth's daughters, is the unofficial family historian who keeps immaculate records of births, weddings, phone numbers, anniversaries and just about anything else directly or indirectly connected with the Zanger family. Most of the family still lives in or near Quincy, Illinois, where Leo runs a real estate agency that also employs four sons, one daughter and two daughters-in-law. Because their family is large enough to violate fire codes, they usually host their parties at a church hall. When they throw a party, it includes a shopping list with 50 pounds of ham or 10 turkeys. And there's no immediate end in sight, especially as more of his grandchildren start getting married. Leo, 79, said there was a “fun little competition” going between two of his grandkids to see which one would give birth to the family’s 100th grandchild. Courtesy Donna Lane Some of the Zanger's 100 grandchildren. At first, Austin Zanger said he and his wife actually were not aware that Jaxton would the 100th grandchild. The family says they're very close and love to celebrate. It wouldn’t surprise me any because there are a lot of young families there yet that are just getting started," he said. Birth is a miracle and to have a new one is just a wonderful thing," he said.
– Jaxton Leo Zanger entered the world on April 8, making Leo and Ruth Zanger the happiest grandparents in the world—for the 100th time. "The good Lord has just kept sending them," Leo Zanger says, per the Quincy Herald-Whig. "We could start our own town." Jaxton is technically their 46th great-grandchild, but the couple from Quincy, Ill., had been hoping to reach the 100 mark by adding to the clan of 53 grandkids, 45 great-grandkids, and one great-great-grandchild they already had, Today.com reports. "There was one born in March and it was kind of a race [to get to 100]," Leo tells Today.com. "We just love them all." The Zangers, who recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary, have 12 children ranging in age from 31 to 58; Donna Lane, one of Leo and Ruth's daughters, serves as unofficial family historian and event planner. And planning an event for the entire Zanger family is no small feat: The group congregates for five "mandatory" holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, and Father's Day—for which they order up to 50 pounds of ham or 10 turkeys, per the Herald-Whig. Because their size could violate fire codes, they typically rent out church halls for their get-togethers, notes Fox 13 Utah. In addition to every gathering morphing into a major bash, there's another benefit of such a large family: no petty competition among brothers and sisters. "We don't have issues with sibling rivalry because our parents encouraged us to work things out and be close," Lane tells Yahoo Parenting. But even though the Zangers are celebrating Jaxton's birth, they're ready to break that nice round number. "There's always room for one more," Ruth says, per the Herald-Whig. (Things are more dramatic for this famous large family.)