A 14-foot custom-made wood dining table transformed multiple Elliss houses into homes.

This table was the centerpiece of family life, where everybody reconvened to eat dinner and, more importantly, check in. They'd go around, one by one, sharing something good and bad that happened since parting ways in the morning. It guaranteed each of Luther and Rebecca Elliss' 12 children received undivided attention before scattering again, whether that be to run outside, finish homework or help clear and clean that colossal piece of wood.

There's a reason this piece of furniture specifically survived four interstate moves and forced two remodels since 2010.

"You can tell it was made with love," Luther said. "I feel like that's our home. Hopefully. Not that it's perfect or anything like that. We have our moments of frustration, when we love each other but we don't like each other, but this table was just the right thing we needed. It allowed us all to be able to sit down and break bread together."

Lots of bread, or whatever Rebecca cooked up that night. Again, there were 12 children under a single roof for a while.

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss is the oldest at 29 years old, while 13-year-old Colsen Elliss is the youngest. Five are biological, including Kaden. Seven are adopted, like Colsen.

The story behind the Elliss family is the reason Kaden partnered with Georgia Kids Belong for the Falcons' My Cause My Cleats game Sunday at 1 p.m. ET against the Los Angeles Chargers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The non-profit's mission is to improve experiences and outcomes for kids in the state's foster care system.

"We can give a child a backpack or school supplies or clothes," Georgia Kids Belong state manager Rebecca Radicchi said. "But the gift of a family is as impactful and special as it gets."

The Elliss family has shown the truth of that statement many times over.

Luther and Rebecca love and support each child as their own. Kaden refers to all 11 of his siblings as built-in best friends. There's no divide.

"You knew they were adopted, they knew they were adopted, but it was a never a talking point," Kaden said."I don't remember ever having a conversation with my parents about it. It was just, 'Yeah, that's our family. That's my brother. That's my sister.'"

— DOUBLE DIAPERS AND SUPERSIZED TRANSPORTATION —

Clutching his youngest son, Christian, to his hip, Luther chased after the family dog, who stole a dirty diaper and bolted like a true thief. That, of course, made the other two kids, Kaden and Olivia, laugh and follow suit, running from room to room to encourage the pup's escape.

As mayhem broke out in the Elliss household, breakfast became the least of Luther's concerns — until it started to burn. Once he smelled that, he made a quick pit stop in the kitchen to handle the food before it set fire.

Meanwhile, the phone kept ringing. It was Rebecca, again. Luther answered the call, admittedly not in the best of moods to have a conversation.

"She's like, 'Hey!' I'm like, 'When are you coming home?'" Luther said. "She told me about her morning, working out with her girlfriend and started talking about this healthy baby boy that needed a home. And then, 'What do you think?' I'm like, 'Think about what?'"

This wasn't the first time Luther and Rebecca considered adopting. It was, however, the first time an opportunity came up.

Still overwhelmed, Luther tried to delay the inevitable by suggesting he and his wife pray before making a decision. Rebecca agreed that was a great idea — for him. She was going to fill out the paperwork.

It was happening.

"In my mind, I'm like OK, I know we talked about it, but I don't know anything about adopting," Luther said. "Honestly, as a dad, will I love him the same as I love these three? Will I treat him the same? It's not like I don't think I would, but I don't know. Those are fair and legitimate questions that you kind of concern and wonder about as potential adoptive parents."

Luther was still a defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions when he and Rebecca first adopted — ultimately playing from 1995-2004 — so the background process was expedited, the couple explained, due to the NFL's relationship with the FBI. Interviews and home studies quickly followed. It's not the normal timeline, but that "healthy baby boy" named Isaiah was placed with the Ellisses within a week.

The second Luther and Rebecca laid eyes on Isaiah, all worries ceased to exist. He was theirs, and they were his.

By April 2000, Luther and Rebecca were parents to four children.

"I felt like when we adopted Isaiah, it was like, 'Oh, I got this. This is a piece of cake,'" Rebecca said. "Maybe it's because I didn't have the pregnancy stuff, which I felt that part, but it was like I had mastered being outnumbered. What was one more?"

One turned into three within a year, doubling the number of kids overall. Noah, who's older than Isaiah, was adopted that November. Isabelle was adopted the following July.

"We went and got an airport shuttle immediately," Luther said.

Not a minivan. An actual 12-passenger van people often mistook for a preschool bus — though, "it's more of a stalker van honestly," Kaden said. Anytime the family ran an errand, Luther dropped Rebecca and the children off in front of their destination before parking in the very back of the lot.

The Ellisses continued to fill it, too.

Because then came Sophia, Jonah, Micah, Elijah, Mia and Colsen — all in a decade's time. Four more adopted children. Three more biological ones.

"If my kids told me they wanted 12 kids, I would look at them right now like they were crazy," Rebecca said. "I'd be like what? But at the time or in the moment, it always just felt right, like that was what we were supposed to do. It's how our family is supposed to be."

— EPIC REUNIONS AND OLYMPIC COMPETITION —

The annual Elliss family Olympics in July are no joke.

Olivia, the oldest daughter, once broke her nose and sustained a concussion during tennis when her own father served the ball — or rather "sent a beamer at her" and "smoked her in the head," Kaden said. She refuses to participate in most sporting contests now.

Brooke, Kaden's wife, tore her ACL during dodgeball this summer. She claims she'll stick to cornhole moving forward.

Kickball and volleyball have been banned for undisclosed reasons. The only event that has proven to be safe — and therefore a given each year — is Super Smash Bros, a video game. The rest of the schedule is voted on and varies in activities.

"Very chaotic," said Jonah, the eighth Elliss child. "People get pretty aggressive. That's probably when our family is the most split, is during the 10-day period of family Olympics."

Somehow, this year, there was a three-way tie among teams captained by Jonah, Christian and Kaden.

The concept of captains was recently implemented because teams were deemed unfair.

Remember, Luther was a 10-year NFL player and Kaden plays for the Falcons.

What's more, Luther now coaches at the University of Utah, where Elijah plays under his tutelage. Christian (New England Patriots) and Jonah (Denver Broncos) are also active NFL linebackers. Noah was a defensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles and is currently an NFL free agent.

Those are all professional athletes. For a contact sport, no less.

"Like you guys are in your own bracket competing," Rebecca said. "And their wives. They're all crazy athletic, too. Then, the rest of us are going to be in like a lower bracket. Because it's not fun playing with you guys."

That's basically how it started with the inaugural family Olympics in 2016. Rebecca and Kaden decided on the teams, trying to find the best balance of athletic abilities.

After that, a point system determined teams. Family members allegedly accused Kaden of cheating after he won multiple years in a row, though, so the format changed again to its latest iteration.

How captains choose their teams is a whole ordeal now. There's a draft night.

"It's more important than the NFL's," said Kaden, who has been called the mastermind behind family Olympics. "I'm suited and booted like (Falcons general manager) Terry Fontenot, and we get it going."

The 2024 family Olympics featured nearly 40 competitors.

In the end, the quantity is better than the quality, because the purpose of family Olympics is to bring everyone back together at least once a year. By its debut, two of the Elliss kids were in college, with a third and fourth on their way. That number was only going to grow.

"It was a weird vibe when you had 12 kids running around and it started slowly decreasing," Jonah said. "When you say eight, to most people, that's still a lot. But to us, it was like dang, the house is empty."

That's part of growing up.

Luther and Rebecca knew these parental milestones would come. It didn't make them any easier. Kaden, as the firstborn, was the most difficult to send off. He attended the University of Idaho, which was an 11-hour drive away.

When Kaden moved out, it was a reality check. The family went from constant contact to periodic updates. That's why when the idea of family Olympics was pitched, there was no hesitation from anyone. All members of the Elliss family inked their calendars with the promise they'll reunite no matter where their individual lives take them.

"It's hard to put into words, but it's a true blessing," Luther said. "It's one of those things that's kind of priceless."

— FUTURE PLANS AND AN EMPTY NEST —

Luther and Rebecca entered the room of an unknown newborn at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. They did so as a favor to a friend, who serves as the director at A Act of Love, the adoption agency the couple used in Utah. All she asked was that the Ellisses visited this baby after his open-heart surgery so he didn't wake up alone. His original adoptive family backed out after the parents learned he was born with a congenital anomaly.

At just six days old, the baby underwent his first open heart surgery. He'd need two more by age 3.

"Here is this little baby boy, who was just born, can't breathe and has had this crazy surgery — and yet, his face is radiant," Luther said. "He's smiling. … Here we go again."

They named him Colsen. He's now a healthy 13-year-old, the youngest Elliss sibling.

Truth be told, in 2011, Luther and Rebecca didn't really plan on adopting another child. Sure, they were open to it, mainly special needs cases from out of the country. But they weren't actively searching.

Five years had already passed since Elijah and Mia joined the picture, so that put the youngest in kindergarten. Kaden, Olivia, Noah and Christian were in high school, which increased involvement with extracurriculars. Everyone always had somewhere to be, someone to see or something to do.

There was just a lot going on, and that factored into the parents' decision.

"They kept telling us we were stuck at 11," Kaden said. "We were like, 'No, Cheaper by the Dozen beat us!' They kept telling us, though, 'We're not going to do anymore. No more. No more.'

"God had a different plan."

And they wouldn't have it any other way.

Colsen is the only Elliss child currently living at home with Luther and Rebecca full-time. Others come and go still, as they navigate adulthood, but the house is definitely quieter.

That's all right. Luther and Rebecca are ready for the next stage in their lives. They want to enjoy their four grandchildren, not more of their own.

So, instead of adopting themselves, Luther and Rebecca work with A Act of Love and help other parents build their families. Although the Ellisses made it seem easy, deciding to adopt is anything but.

"For us, it's been through prayer and where God has led us," Rebecca said. "Whether you're a person of faith or not, I would say just follow your heart, follow your gut, follow your faith – whatever that looks like for you."

That advice goes for their own kids, too.

Kaden and Brooke have two biological children in 2-year-old Amaya and 4-year-old Tuitele but would embrace the opportunity to adopt. Like Kaden's parents, they trust God's will, which could mean zero, one or multiple additions.

"They lived a life that I view is worth repeating," Kaden said. "That's what I want to do. Not 12. Because that's too many. But I want to have my family."

Luther and Rebecca would love that for their son. Whatever he wants. Whatever any of their kids want. It has always been that way. Always will.

Neither parent knows how they'll handle being empty nesters once Colsen graduates — "they're going to go nuts," Kaden said — but at least they'll have a dozen different places to visit.

In the meantime, the 14-foot dining table hangs from the ceiling in their garage. They haven't had time to remodel their latest house in Utah just yet, but they plan to — have to. That slab of wood is too symbolic not to have in an Elliss home.

"I'm hoping my kids maintain their relationships and stay close, even after my wife and I are gone," Luther said. "Not just our kids. But our grandkids and everyone else. The only way I know how to do that is you have to sit down and break bread together."