If my sister can take her toddlers on river trips with her, camping, and living her active life almost as she did (with some adjustments), you can live a life and have fun with kids. I think people who say that either don't have kids, or didn't honestly try their ass off to have a good time (and nothing against that, it's HARD, but doable).

Don't ever let the negative opinions sway you, listen to those who have had kids and still did many an awesome thing, and emulate them. They know what's what. :D

Also, as my mom and I said to the people who say you can't live your own life once you're married and have kids, "So you just keel over and die once you conceive?" Not bloody likely. I"ve gotten a lot of shit because i've said that if I got married today and had kids next year, I would be happy. I mean, what's wrong with wanting to be a good mother? I've lived my "own" life and I've hated being alone, hated the uncertainty, hated having nothing to live for. I don't want some big high power career. I just want to serve others. And not because I"m a woman and I'm giving in to the whole anti-feminism thing, but because I want to serve. I want to be a wife and mom and I want to be a missionary. And if people can't understand how I feel, maybe they shouldn't be telling me how I should feel.