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 QUINCY, Ill. -- An Illinois couple has expanded their family again this year. 
 
 Leo and Ruth Zanger just welcomed their 100th grandchild into the family, Jaxton Zanger. He was born April 8. 
 
 Leo and Ruth have been married for 59 years. They have 12 children, 53 grandchildren, 46 great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandson. 
 
 The family says they're very close and love to celebrate. When they throw a party, it includes a shopping list with 50 pounds of ham or 10 turkeys. 
 
 Because their family is large enough to violate fire codes, they usually host their parties at a church hall. ||||| Leo and Ruth Zanger sit with Jaxton Zanger, their 46th great-grandchild, in Leo's real estate office at Zanger and Associates in Quincy. Jaxton was born April 8 to Austin and Ashleigh Zanger. | H-W Photo/Phil Carlson 
 
 Posted: Apr. 22, 2015 8:37 am Updated: May. 27, 2015 7:42 am 
 
 By STEVE EIGHINGER 
 
 Staff Writer | 217-221-3377 
 
 seighinger@whig.com | @StevieDirtWHIG 
 
 QUINCY -- It's a big deal when Leo and Ruth Zanger's family gets together. 
 
 Seriously, it's a really big deal -- with added emphasis on the "big" part. 
 
 The Zangers recently welcomed their 100th grandchild, which makes family functions more than a get-together. 
 
 "We rent out a church hall," said Austin Zanger, a grandson of Leo and Ruth. 
 
 When Austin's wife, Ashleigh, gave birth to their second child, Jaxton Leo, on April 8, it became a historic moment. Jaxton was grandchild No. 100 for Leo and Ruth. 
 
 For the numerically inclined, Jaxton was also No. 46 among the great-granchildren. The Zangers also have 53 grandkids and one great-great-grandchild for a nice round 100. 
 
 "The good Lord has just kept sending them," Leo Zanger said of the grandkids. "We could start our own town." 
 
 He was only half-kidding. 
 
 "There's always room for one more," Ruth Zanger said. 
 
 Leo and Ruth, who have been married 59 years, had 12 children of their own between 1956 and 1984. Daughter Linda, born in 1956, is the oldest at 58. The youngest is son Joe, 31, who was already an uncle 10 times over when he was born in 1984. 
 
 The other kids are Greg, Debbie, David, Donna, Steve, Mike, Daniel, Ernie, Matt and Chuck. 
 
 Many family members currently have or at some point in the future will work for the family real estate business, Zanger and Associates at 1200 Broadway. 
 
 Linda and her husband, Kenny Hardin, possess one of the most important footnotes in family history. Their first child, Jeannine, was also the initial grandkid for Leo and Ruth. Jeannine was born in 1975. 
 
 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. 
 
 It's a labor of love for Donna. 
 
 "(Other family members) always say, ‘Since you already have all of the phone numbers, can you just text (or call) them and let them know about whatever the event is?' " she said. 
 
 Donna also has a special distinction in the Zanger family history. 
 
 "Donna was born in during the snowstorm from hell (in January 1962)," Leo Zanger said. 
 
 Make no mistake about it, the Zangers are a close-knit group and proud of it. 
 
 Most of the family lives in the immediate Quincy area. When they get together, it not only means renting out a church hall. It also involves about 50 pounds of ham or 10 turkeys. 
 
 The family has a well-honed routine for who supplies what and how often. 
 
 "Everyone takes their turn (in helping with food), and they all try and outdo each other," Donna said. "We are always getting together for something." 
 
 The unofficial "mandatory" get-togethers are Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day. And don't worry, there are plenty of other "excuses" for them to gather. 
 
 "We enjoy all of the family get-togethers," Leo Zanger said. 
 
 For those who marry in to the family, it can be an adjustment, but a pleasant one. 
 
 "It took awhile for me to learn everyone's name -- and remember them," Ashleigh Zanger said. 
 
 Ashleigh's mother-in-law, Kelly Zanger, married Daniel Zanger in 1991. She felt the same way. 
 
 "I came from a small family," Kelly said. 
 
 But she adjusted quickly. 
 
 "It's always fun," Kelly said. 
 
 Ashleigh is extremely proud of being mother to grandchild No. 100. 
 
 "I feel a little extra special," she admitted. 
 
 At first, Austin Zanger said he and his wife actually were not aware that Jaxton would the 100th grandchild. 
 
 "We didn't even know until Donna and Kelly figured it out and told us about three months along," he said. "It's pretty special -- 100 grandkids, that's a big deal." 
 
 Austin Zanger says people on the outside might overlook an intangible when it comes to a big family, or at least this particular big family. 
 
 "We're all really close. We get together a lot," he said. "There's always a lot of interaction. We spend a lot of time with each other. I know there are a lot of families half of our size who only get together maybe once or twice a year." 
 
 He also said family members are more than willing to help each other if there is a problem. 
 
 "And there's a Zanger in just about every field," he said. 
 
 Daniel Zanger is all smiles these days, especially when he gets to hold the latest addition to the family. Jaxton is Daniel and Kelly's second grandchild. Jaxton has an older brother, Zeb. 
 
 "It's a very busy family, and we enjoy being around each other," Daniel Zanger said. "There's never a dull moment. We always had a lot of fun growing up." 
 
 An obvious sense of family has been instilled in all the Zangers, a special bond that begins at the top with Leo and Ruth. 
 
 "All the grandkids know us," Ruth Zanger said. 
 
 And that is something that will never get lost in any number, no matter how big a deal it is. ||||| Parents Illinois couple who welcomed 100th grandchild: 'We just love them all' 
 
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 Baby Jaxton Leo Zanger recently became the 100th grandchild for one Illinois couple. Technically, the little guy entered the world as their 46th great-grandchild. He joins 53 grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. 
 
 Not that Leo and Ruth Zanger are counting. 
 
 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. 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. 
 
 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. 
 
 Courtesy Donna Lane The 12 children of Leo and Ruth Zanger. 
 
 The grandchild who lives the farthest away — about a three-hour drive — is also the oldest at 39, said Donna Lane, one of Zanger’s 12 children and the unofficial family historian. 
 
 Everyone still gathers for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, but because of their size, they rent out their church hall for the family dinners. 
 
 “When we get together, it’s big. It's really big," Lane said. "There are a lot of people — a lot of kids — but that’s what it’s all about. We always have a really good time." 
 
 Courtesy Donna Lane Some of the Zanger's 100 grandchildren. 
 
 “Smaller” gatherings, like when the dozen original children and their spouses celebrate their parents' anniversary, usually take place at someone's home. 
 
 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. 
 
 “There was one born in March and it was kind of a race, so this has all been really fun,” he said. 
 
 Courtesy Donna Lane The Zangers have been married for 59 years. 
 
 And there's no immediate end in sight, especially as more of his grandchildren start getting married. 
 
 "I expect there will be more. It wouldn’t surprise me any because there are a lot of young families there yet that are just getting started," he said. 
 
 He said he and his wife will welcome each grandchild as if it were their first. 
 
 "Oh definitely. Birth is a miracle and to have a new one is just a wonderful thing," he said. 
 
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– 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.)