Wow, 11 kids. I can't imagine.

If it was me though, I'd start the drip system small, and learn both what works and what I liked. I did that with my container system. I bought a basic kit with digital timer (for just $33) and made myself not buy any bells and whistles until I had it up, running, and tuned. THEN I had a better idea about what I should do next season.

I still have a temptation to buy parts I won't use right away, but I fight that.

Micro sprinklers are your answer! I serve on the garden committee of an apartment building and I've installed 8 zones over the past 5 years. They are easy to install, fully customizable to your watering needs and fairly inexpensive. We have a mechanical timer on each zone that we set on for the desired duration and walk away. We used to spend 2-3 hrs. watering but those days are long gone. In addition to the convenience, these save water as you place the tiny sprinklers just where you need them and adjust the volume on each one. You can start with a basic kit like this one and expand as you need.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mircro-sprinkler irrigation kit

First rule of irrigation
1.Determine your working pressure and flow. gpm/psi

The worst mistake you can make is put down a ton of pipe and then have it not work.