Jinger Duggar Says Returning to Family's 'Big House' Feels 'Strange'

Jinger Duggar recapped a “wild” visit to her family’s home in Arkansas with husband Jeremy Vuolo and their kids.

During the Wednesday, July 2, episode of their “Jinger & Jeremy” podcast, the couple opened up about making the “last-minute” trip with daughters Felicity, 6, and Evangeline, 4, and son Finn, 3 months.

“It is so exciting, I love going back to visit,” Jinger, 31, explained. “And at the same time, it’s overwhelming … because we live away. There are a couple siblings who live away now, just a few. And when you live away from family and then you come back, everybody wants to see you. Everybody wants to connect with you, and it can be so tough to juggle all that.”

Jinger — the sixth of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar‘s 19 children — noted that “trying to coordinate stuff” has become even more complicated with the addition of so many nieces and nephews. (41 in total, according to the TLC alum.)

While the logistics can be tricky, Jinger was grateful for the time she did spend with her family. “A ton of people went to the Big House and our kids got to see all the animals that they have there,” she recalled, referring to Jim Bob and Michelle’s home. “That was super fun.”

Jeremy, 37, pointed out that it had been “a long time” since they were at the Big House. Jinger added that “it’s wild” to realize how much has changed with her family since she was growing up.

“When we first walked in … everything’s clean,” she said. “It’s like, perfectly clean. Typically, when you walk into the Big House, it’s kinda messy. We would clean the house every night and it would be spotless, ready to go. But when you walk in at, like, 2 p.m. on a weekday and the house is clean, I thought, ‘OK, this is a different season of life.’ Because you have maybe five kids who live there now and they’re all grown … so that’s strange.”

Even Jinger’s daughter was surprised. “She’s like, ‘Where are all the kids?'” Jinger continued. “And [my sister] Johannah started laughing, she’s like, ‘We are the kids.'”

Jinger noted that her youngest sibling, Josie, still “feels like a kid” since she’s only 15, but everyone else has grown up. “It’s a different time,” she remarked. “When you walk in, it was quiet [and] clean. … They have a big farm now. Tons of chickens, goats, sheep, cattle, horses. It’s amazing.”

While Jinger revealed she didn’t step foot in her old bedroom during this most recent visit, Jeremy said he showed their daughters “where mommy would sleep.”

“It was fun stepping back into that old property and just seeing the family,” Jinger continued. “I think my younger siblings, that’s the part that’s really fun. I love seeing how they’ve grown and matured, what they’re into now. Because when I left, that was a long time ago … and those little kids are all grown up. It’s hard for me to picture the little kids as teenagers and as adults now. It’s kinda wild.”