Midnight!

Check back at midnight for the big reveal! You won't want to miss it!

4 Days until the BIG Reveal!!!

We've Got News!!!!!

I am so excited!!! We've got something to tell everyone! We've known for a couple of months but wanted to make sure everything was going to work out before we told anyone. Are you intrigued yet??? I will give you all a little hint. It involves the colors pink and blue! The big unveiling will be on January 1 2009! Stay tuned for the biggest news we've had since the kids were born!

Merry Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

BFF

About two weeks ago I began preparations for the kids. I was planning a mini vacation. I don't remember ever being so excited about going on vacation. Where was I going????? I was packing our truck and heading about 3 hours away to the tiny town of Rising Sun. Doesn't that sound peaceful? The name of the town is a really good way to describe how I felt when I was there. It was a new day. A time of rejuvenation. How in the world did I come up with that destination? That is the place where Chandra lives. She was and still is the best friend I've ever had.

We met in 6th grade and have been friends ever since. We did everything together. Every memory I have from my pre-teen years and on include her. We were inseparable. Every weekend and most week nights we were together. All the big days growing up were shared. First boyfriends, kisses, drivers-ed, proms, breakups, mission trip to Peru, and graduation. After high school we both went to USI where life took us in different directions. After our first year we lost touch and went our separate ways. We always kept some sort of contact, but were in different places in our lives. It was really sad to loose touch and be on my own. I got married, graduated and stayed in my hometown and started working. She got married graduated and started working on campus. Despite our separate paths in life, we found each other when the most important day arrived. Our wedding day! We were right there for each other like always. Ready to celebrate in the happiest day of our lives. Once again we parted ways and started our married lives is separate locations. Now we have once again been brought back together to share in the newest and greatest part of our lives. Children!!! Yes, she was there like always, the days before and right after I had the kids. We may not have been able to stay close through the years, but when it counts we are there no matter what. Now I get to do the same for her. McKenna Grace was born on Thanksgiving day. I couldn't wait to get my hands on her. I may not have been there the day she was born, but I would have dropped everything and gotten there as fast as I could if she needed me to. So, I waited for the crowds to die down before I made the trip. Three days to catch up. That is not enough time for two people who have a lifetime of memories and stories to catch up on. I miss her so much. The good thing is that I don't think we will let life pull us apart again.

Chandra is one of those friends that not many people find. If you are blessed enough to have a friend like her you will understand what I'm saying. We may not have cherished our friendship like we should have. Life and circumstances came between us. But, when I tried to move on and find that person who I could confide in and turn to, no one measured up. No one can share in the past because they weren't there, not even my hubby. I can't tell you how relieved I feel to have my best friend back.

Chan, I just wanted to tell you congratulations on your new joy in life. She is beautiful! You and Matt are great parents and I am so happy that I got to be a part of this time in your life. I remember talking back in middle school about all the things we were going to do when we grew up. We have done everything on our list. You don't live close enough for us to raise our kids together, but email and the phone will keep us close enough. I can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks! Merry Christmas and thanks for giving me a mini vacation!

Bah Humbug

That is how I feel about Christmas right now. I was so excited to start our family tradition this year and finally enjoy a holiday. Thanksgiving was a success and it seemed we were over the hump of struggles. I was so wrong. We have entered into toddler stage. Rob and I excitedly loaded the kids into the van for our annual trip to the Tree Farm. We successfully got the kids there and back. While the kids were napping we decorated the tree and had it ready for when they woke up. It was so neat to see their reaction. They were in awe of it all. That lasted a few minutes before mission: "Destruction" was in play. Since then we have lost more ornaments than I can count.

The Christmas tree is supposed to jump start the holiday season and remind us of Jesus' birth. Unfortunately, the tree has had the opposite affect on me. It has reminded me the we are not a normal family and never will be. It has shown me that we are not getting past our struggles, but just entering into the toddler phase of struggles. I am really mad at my kids right now. That is allowed right? I mean every parent gets mad at their kids now and then. Granted, I know they don't know any better right now, but it doesn't take away my frustration of how life is going right now. But I will come back to that a little later in this post. First I will recap on my evening.

I decided to make a meatloaf for supper in an attempt to broaden the kids menu of foods. Keep in mind I am alone with the kids at least 75% of the time which means they have to be left alone sometimes. I was in the kitchen when I heard a crash. That noise seems to be happening all the time lately. I knew what it was right away. I headed around the corner to find Landon in the foyer with a shattered ornament at his feet. I walked over to him and proceeded to tell five toddlers not to touch the broken glass. Anyone with any common sense knows that they aren't going to listen. I had to leave the scene of the crime to get the broom and dustpan. I returned seconds later to find all five of them playing in it. Big Surprise!!! I proceeded to carefully remove the pieces from their hands. As I took what was in Peyton's hands and put it in the dustpan I noticed my hand was clammy. That is when I saw it. My hand was covered in blood. I knew I hadn't cut myself so I checked everyone and found Peyton's hand dripping. The cut was small but it sure bled. So, I held Peyton's hand trying to keep the blood from getting everywhere while I swept with the other hand and held the dustpan with my foot. Talk about multitasking. Once the mess was cleaned up I took Peyton to the bathroom. We cleaned his hands and mine. It was one of those cuts that won't stop bleeding and once it does it will start again if you move the skin. So, I had no choice but to put a band aid on it. I KNOW!!!! Kids won't keep band aids on. I had to try at least for a while till I could get the bleeding stopped. He did really well with it. By that time my meatloaf was overdone and I had to get it out of the oven.

While I was getting their plates ready I noticed that the kids were being really quiet. I walked around the corner to see what was going on. As you can see they don't listen to a thing I say. Might I add, that popcorn was strung and used on last years tree. That was it. I put them up to the table and got them ready for dinner. They won, I can't fight it anymore. Their safety has to come before my need for normalcy and tradition. After dinner, which they didn't eat, I proceeded to take the tree down. It is now bare in the front yard. I am so disappointed.

I love my kids more than life. They have been the most rewarding thing to happen to us. Very few people get to experience what we are and we wouldn't trade it for the world. BUT...our lives are absolutely nothing like we had planned. Everything is 100x harder than we ever thought it would be. I am tired...tired of cleaning, changing diapers, playing, cooking, doing laundry, and thinking. My brain hurts. Everything is so scheduled and planned. It has to be that way, but I am beat. Sometimes, I wish we could be normal. Normal people can have a Christmas tree. I wish the simple things in life were simple again. Nothing is simple...

Oh yeah, the band aid is gone. I'm sure whoever ate it will pass it in the next day or so.

Geniuses!

I have to say, my kids are brilliant. I know I am biased, but they are learning everyday. It took them a while to have an interrest in what is in the books, but now they are learning what objects are. We are really focusing on animals. Sydney has a special place in her heart for the duck. She also loves kitty. The others don't have a favorite, but Peyton has a fascination with pizza in the Cookie Monster book. At least they like to read. That is what we do all day it seems. We have about 10-15 books out all the time. we keep the same ones out all the time because they don't know how to take care of their stuff yet. I can't watch them all the time and they end up looking like this... I have to pick my battles, and this is not one of them. They will learn how to take care of more things when they get a little older. For now I just want them to be interested in learning new things. Sydney knows how to put the shapes into the correct holes. She can do a circle, square, heart, star, and triangle. The others don't have the patients she does. And, it is really hard to do a task with one of them successfully. I hate that. It always ends up being a fight unless we just let them do it by themselves. If I am involved at all it is a fight for my attention. I am so proud of my little munchkins.

My Favorite Movie

Peyton: Do you think mom knows we have watched this 100 times already?

I have a new favorite movie. Any Veggie Tales will do just fine. I know I am a little old for that, but it teaches great lessons and has some funny songs. The best part about it is that I can leave the room for a little bit and know that no windows will be broken. They stand in front of the TV or sit like a zombie glued to the television. They now have an attention span of longer than 30 seconds. In fact, the God Made You Special movie is the best. It is a little over an hour long and they will watch the entire thing. I have to limit them to the amount of Veggie Tales I expose them to. They will forget how to play and just become couch potatoes if I have it on all the time. It does allow me to have a much needed break once in a while. They are starting to sing and dance too. Ethan gets into it the most as you will see in the video.

My five couch potatoes

Jenna: You found me!

Ethan: You're not going to make me sleep in here are you?

Sydney: Okay mom, he thinks I like him. Can I get off his lap now?

(Syd on Uncle Shawn's lap)

Jenna Bell

Jenna,

Today I decided to write my letter to you. I am having a hard time deciding where to start. So, I guess I will start at the beginning. You came out the smallest and have fought hard to stay that way. When I think back to your journey through the NICU I can't think of much. You were small but very strong. You were the only one to breathe room air immediately. Of course you got tired after a while and needed assistance, but none the less, you let everyone know that you were a fighter and could take care of yourself. Looking back, you have stayed true to yourself. I know that sounds weird since you are only 22 months old, but you have always been very independent.

Your entire life has revolved around food. Since the moment you were born, our goal has been to get as much nourishment in you as possible. Being the smallest, everyone has coddled you and let you get by on your cuteness. Not me, your momma here has had a rough road. Everyone else could make a valiant effort to get you to eat, after failing miserably, they would say "She will eat when she is hungry." That is because they could go home and rest easy, knowing that their kids were older, bigger, healthier, and easier to deal with. I didn't get to do that. You would have starved to death before you were going to eat. It was my job to keep you alive. I am not exaggerating. This burden your dad and I carried for you in unexplainable. All the doctors, therapists, nurses, family, and friends couldn't get you to eat what you needed. We battled for months. You were one day away from surgery to have a feeding tube put in. I couldn't do it. I gave you one more chance to start eating before the doctors really pushed me into doing it. Thankfully, you started to grow. Slowly, but at least you were growing.

When you were littler, you didn't have much personality. Because of your malnourishment, you had a hard time even holding your head up. You were the last to do everything. I didn't think you would ever crawl. When you turned one year old you took off. Not in size, but you started to crawl and hold your bottle. Dawn, our favorite PT (Physical Therapist) began seeing you weekly. She worked miracles. In no time you were walking. Your personality came out and now you are a talking, smiling, laughing little girl. You never disappoint when we want a hug. Your red hair stands out in the crowd and people quickly associate your hair to your personality.

Everyone has given you a pass on doing the same things as your siblings. Just because you are smaller, they assume you won't be able to do as much. It is true, you do struggle from time to time, but you usually stay right behind the others in the action. The reason I chose to write to you today is because you have done something mind boggling to me today. I got you all up from your nap like usual. After changing five poopy diapers and answering a few phone calls I went to find you in the hallway. You were sitting nicely reading a book. My question to you is, how in the world did you get that shoe on your foot? I wish I could have seen that. You see, you are so special. You make people believe you can't do much so they don't make you do something you don't want to. Then out of the blue you show what you are capable of. When I think of who is the most individual leader I think of you. The others are a pack. They all think similarly and follow each others lead. You are very different. When I take you out with me you are a different kid. I think you are intimidated by your siblings. But, even when they attack you and steal your toys, you fight with all your might. You are strong.

I want you to know how special you are. It took a lot of work to get you here safely. Now that you are here I will do anything in my power to help you and keep you safe. You may not know it, but you need me. I let you think that things are your idea, like eating, but I am behind the scenes guiding you in the direction you should go. You have been such a sweet special baby. You didn't express it much in the beginning, but you love us. Every morning I walk into your room and you give me the biggest smile followed by the tightest hug ever. I love your sweet smile and your strong willed nature. I can't wait to see who you become. I hope that you never feel forgotten or overshadowed by your siblings. You are very different and special. God has a special plan for your life. We will always love you no matter what happens.

Tree Farm!

I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. We got to start a family tradition with our kids that I grew up doing. Today we bundled the kids up and headed to the tree farm to get our Christmas tree. In years to come they will get to come when we tag it ahead of time too. This year I went and did that by myself. Luckily I found one in the first few rows of the farm. The kids didn't know quite what to do. I spent most of the time keeping them somewhat close to us. They enjoyed it and we now have our Christmas tree up. Stay tuned! Pictures of the great decorating to come!

When we got to the farm I realized I had left my SD card laying on the computer desk from my last blog post. So, I had to take pictures with my video camera. They aren't very good quality, but I couldn't go without getting some family shots.

Kisses and Crashes

Last week Rob was gone to Cincinnati for work. When he got home everyone was thrilled to see daddy. Ethan was showering both of us with kisses and hugs. The weekend was great. The beginning of the week was great too. Today was a different day. First of all, Peyton has figured out how to pull the regular outlet covers off. He is consumed with getting as many covers off before I find him and swat his butt and put him on the couch. As soon as I turn my head he is back again doing the same thing. I don't have enough of the good covers to go around yet. So, until then I will have to watch him like a hawk. That is minor compared to what Ethan did this morning. I will let you watch the video to see for yourself.

Yep, he did it. I thought it was almost impossible to break those windows. They are triple pane and really heavy. He had a maraca in his hand when we got back there to them. I was in the kitchen and Rob was in the living room with three of them. Ethan and Sydney were in the boys room playing. I heard really loud banging and yelled "What's going on?" As those words were coming out of my mouth I heard the crash. I knew as soon as I heard it. Rob took it a little harder than I did. I told him it was our own fault for not being back there. They aren't old enough to follow our rules when we aren't there to enforce them. They definitely shouldn't hit the windows with things, but what do you expect with five 21 month toddlers? I am taking advice from the Steece's. Yeah, it stinks that the window is broke and will cost at least $215 to fix. However, I am so thankful that no one was hurt when it happened. I am also thankful that the window didn't break completely through. Then the boys would have nowhere to sleep. God is always looking out for us. Even when things don't go our way.

Recovery

After 12 days of sickness we are finally on the mend. The diarrhea has been upgraded to milkshake consistency for most. Eating is starting to come around a little bit. They are starting to play a little more. However, recovering from such a bad virus like that takes its toll. They are sleeping a lot and trying to get their strength back. Hopefully we will be back to normal in the next few days. Thanks to everyone who prayed for us. We certainly needed it.

Day 10...

Still more of the same.

The couch got its first coat of puke this morning. I was in the dining room and when I came into the livingroom Syd was sitting there lifeless with it all over her. She didn't even care. I woke up this morning at 9:20 shocked that no one was up. They must really be sick if they sleep that long. Landon was awake all of about 30 minutes on and off this morning. I hope we get through this soon. They are still asleep right now. It has been 3 hours since I put them down for thier nap. Pray for us. It is so hard to watch your kids suffer.

Tough Times

Wow! We are going on day 9 of having five sick kids. Today I walked into the boys room ready to tackle the day. I opened the door and was hit with a cloud of stench. Poor Landon was covered from head to toe with diarrhea. His precious blankies were soaked and stinky. I got Peyton and Ethan up and ready to eat breakfast. I decided to go get the girls up and get them to the table. Unsurprisingly, my plans were changed. I walked into the girls room being hit with the same cloud as the boys room. I found something much worse in there than the boys room. Jenna had poop everywhere. You can see in the pictures that it was a mess. I thought somehow a sippy cup had gone to bed with her with chocolate milk in it. You can guess what it really is. I had to get Rob up at this time to help me. He got the other kids breakfast and I did baths. During breakfast Sydney wouldn't eat. Rob got her to eat a few bites only to throw it all up a few minutes later. Peyton filled his diaper during breakfast and got it everywhere. It was a good hour and a half before we got things under control and clean.

Thankfully my mother-in-law, Esther, took off work and was coming to help me today. Sydney laid around all morning and felt horrible. Poor things, they were not themselves today. Lunch time rolled around and I fixed Ramen noodles in hopes that they would eat something. Needless to say, they didn't eat. Landon cried and was really upset. Esther was holding him while we were trying to get the others to eat. In an instant he threw up all over her. It was everywhere! So, he had to get a bath and I had to get Esther some clothes. I changed all the bed clothes and disinfected their mattresses. We got them down for their nap and they didn't make a peep.

The rest of the day was filled with more of the same. I am exhausted and so is my mother-in-law. The kids are safely in bed and sleeping soundly. I know tomorrow is probably going to be filled with poop, puke, laundry, and baths. Everything I just described doesn't compare to what I witnessed tonight.

At 5:00 this evening I left for a memorial service. One week ago, November 6, Mason Wyatt was stillborn. My cousin was 34 weeks pregnant expecting a Christmas baby. She noticed that Mason wasn't moving like usual and called the doctor. She went in to be checked and they couldn't find a heartbeat. That was that, in an instant their baby was gone. She was admitted and gave birth 36 hours later. 3lbs 13oz and perfect.

So, I may have a hard few weeks. Filled with poop and crying, but I still have my babies. I have five healthy babies. This Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful for. Rob and I are so blessed. I can't even begin to understand or imagine what it is like to loose a child. Jeremy,Kali, and Crystal, my thoughts and prayers go out to you. Nothing can make it better right now, but you will make it through this. Until then, surround yourself with everything that is good in your lives. Friends and family will be there every step. Mason was such a lucky kid to be loved so much. His life was short, but he was here for a reason. One day, you will be able to use this experience to help someone else. I love you guys and am praying for you.

Peyton Joseph

Peyton Joseph

My sweet, cute, rambunctious Peytie. I am writing this letter to you so you will know how much you are loved. You are a fighter and have changed the most both physically and socially. The moment I first laid eyes on you, you took a part of my heart that no one in this world will ever take. It was especially made just for you by God. You were tiny and frail. You were fighting for every breath. But, you persevered and slowly began to grow.

I visited you most everyday in the NICU. You were the same weight as Landon and 2 oz. bigger than your sister Jenna, but you seemed the skinniest. Your tiny hand barely could wrap around the tip of your daddy’s finger. You wrinkled your forehead all the time and had big black eyes. Every time we came to visit you, you were wide awake looking out of your isolette. Ethan led the way thru the NICU with you, Landon, and Sydney following quickly behind. We had assumed Ethan would take the first trip home. You had other plans. To our shock, you surpassed your big brother and got to come home first.

The first week we had you all by yourself. We took you everywhere with us. At night you cried and tossed and turned. You weren’t transitioning very easily. As soon as we brought Ethan home you were a different kid. It was amazing the difference your brother made. We put you both in the same crib to sleep and you slept wonderfully as soon as he was there beside you.

As you began to grow and change you were very somber. No one could get you to smile and you had somewhat of a temper. Everyone commented about how you didn’t ever have an expression on your face. You just took in your surroundings in your own way. The first year you kind of blended in with the pack. Lots of people picked you out of the bunch to be a handful. That was partially true. While you always let your needs and wants known to anyone around, you weren’t showing off your sparkling personality. You trudged along with the rest of the pack reaching your milestones slowly. One thing I will never forget is the way you used to smile really big when you watched “The Song of the Cebu.” It was a Veggie Tales song, and you loved when Dr. Archibald would come out and talk. We got it on video. I never could figure out what it was about those few scenes that was funny to you. It was the only way we knew to get you to smile, so we played that song a lot.

When you turned a year old everything changed. It was like a flip switched in your head. You went from being very similar to the rest to very different. You became the comedian. Everything was funny to you and you would laugh for no apparent reason. It was so refreshing to see you happy. You began passing everyone up on crawling and talking and eating. You just got it one day.

Now you are 21 months old and the happiest part of my day. While I love you all equally, you are all extremely different from one another. I know which of you will fulfill my need whatever it may be. When I need a pick-me-up, you are the kid I go to. As you are all growing you don’t need me as much. However, if I need to be reminded of how much fun you all are I head your way. You never disappoint when I need a smile or laugh. Even when you are in trouble and it isn’t funny, you laugh. Everything is perfect in your life right now. You are completely content and happy with your life. You let me know that all is well with the world everyday. We have our daily cuddle sessions where you bring me an oversized blanket and want to be rocked. After your two or three minutes of snuggling you are off again to share your joy of life with the others.

Even though you love your siblings dearly, you also are very smart. We have to strategically place you in the van because you pick on Landon. You will take his precious blankies and stand on them so he can’t get them, or steal them from him in the van. You tackle any of your siblings from behind and hold on until we have to pry you off of them. You hold toys in front of Jenna and get her to reach for them. Then you mischievously pull them away. You have also been crowned King of the Poop Parties. That honor means that you are forever stuck in full body sleepers that you can’t get off. You are a very sly little guy. Even after taunting and teasing, you always have a hug and kiss waiting for everyone. Especially when someone is laying on the floor for a diaper change. That is when you go in for the ultimate attack. Kisses and hugs galore. They love it and so do you. Never forget the love you have for your brothers and sisters.

Peyton, I pray that you never lose your joy. You have a sparkle in your eyes that radiates through a room. You are very smart and can do great things in this world. I pray that your love for your mommy, daddy, and siblings only grows. Because in the end, all we have is each other. You are so special to me and that special place God made for you in my heart will always be there. No matter what life brings our way, you will always be my Peytie.

Blog Burnout!!

Sorry for the lack of posts. I am suffering from a severe case of blogger burnout. I have two posts I am working on right now. My journey is still a work in progress. I am also writing a letter to Peyton. Eventually everyone will get one, but Peyton is the first. I promise you won't be disappointed. Keep checking in on the family. We are doing well. I promise I will post again soon!

Our Journey Part #7

The news of our unusual quintuplet pregnancy had leaked to the public the week before and phone calls began trickling in from local media outlets. However, we didn’t want our story made public knowledge quite so early into the pregnancy in case something tragic should happen. I remember one news anchor in particular was extremely pushy. I’m sure her job is to break any big story before the other news stations catch wind of it. I don’t respond well to pushy people (I’d already switched doctors so outwitting an overbearing anchorwoman was a piece of cake!) so that made it easier to keep our big news a secret a little while longer. I also wanted our tiny hometown of Princeton to have the first opportunity to break the story. We had an interview with the Princeton Daily Clarion and 98.1 WRAY one afternoon. After that first interview everything is a blur. Luckily, Rob is quick on his feet and a very smooth talker. I left most of the talking to him, and he did a fantastic job. It was really stressful sitting through all the interviews. We wanted people to share in our story, but what we were going through was a very personal and scary situation. How do you determine where to draw the line? It wasn’t long before readers started weighing in. I didn’t pay much attention, but there are always those people out there who have to put their two cents in even when they have no idea what they are talking about. The comments generated by people from the newspapers were mind blowing. I decided the best course of action was to refrain from reading it, but only after I set one very judgmental, poorly informed person straight about the process of infertility.

I have one memory of my pregnancy that is funny and I hope to never forget it. It was about 6:00am Christmas Eve morning 2006. I was 20 weeks 2 days along. I looked like a big full term pregnant person. I got up to go to the bathroom. Our bedroom was right off the living room and across the hall from the bathroom. As I walked out of our bedroom I looked to my right and saw someone standing in our window. It scared me to death! I immediately turned around and woke Rob up. He got up and looked out our bedroom door into the living room. Sure enough, I was right. Why would I joke about something like that? Rob and I respond to situations like these totally differently. I would like to hide and be quiet and hope they go away. Rob runs out of the bedroom shouting at the top of his lungs, but the guy didn’t leave. Rob then yells at the guy that he is going to get the gun. In the mean time I am asking if I need to call 911. Of course we decide that law enforcement would be a good thing since this guy seems to be unafraid of Rob’s threats. Where is the phone? That is what runs through my head now. Cordless phones are the only way to go these days. I mean, you can take them anywhere in the entire house and leave it. That way, it is close by when you need it next time. So, where is the phone I ask again? On the charger! In the kitchen! About 10 feet away from the window that has a scary man standing in it! So, what does a very pregnant woman do in a situation like this? She crawls on her hands, belly, and knees the best she can to the phone. With the phone in hand, I crawl back to the bedroom, where I ask again…Do I need to call 911. YES!!! So, I sit on the floor by the door and get on the phone with a dispatcher. I’m whispering like I am trying to keep the guy outside from hearing me. I am telling the dispatcher that the cops need to come right now because I don’t want this man to die. Isn’t that silly, my husband is being heroic and protecting his family and I am trying to save the scary prowler outside. I am listening to the dispatcher and the police talk back and forth and know they are near. All the sudden the scary man walks away from the window. We don’t see him anymore. As the police make their way to the door, we realize what has happened. Down the block and across the street is a car dealership lot. They have a huge bright light that is high enough in the air that it shines on our house. At that very time in the morning, our neighbors were loading their car to leave for Christmas. The neighbor was standing in his driveway taking in the fresh air and the light from the dealership cast a life-size shadow of him in our window. We have curtains over the window, so it looked like someone was standing right up to the window. It was the perfect light outside with him in the perfect spot and I getting up at the perfect time to have this situation happen. How crazy is that? Two cops came to the door. One was annoyed and not friendly, the other happened to be a guy I knew growing up. He was friendly, and decided they should look around just to be sure. Looking back, that was hilarious. We were so embarrassed that we didn’t tell anyone what had happened. It had to look pretty real for both of us to think the guy was real. I’m lucky I didn’t go into labor after that stress. Needless to say, I couldn’t go back to sleep after that.

A Day In The Life Of...

Today will go down in history as the worst day we have had to date. I will start from the beginning and work my way through the day. Bear with me, it was a long day. I got up at 8:00 as the kids were starting to stir. I fixed waffles for them and got their milk cups ready. Once I had picked everything up in the living room and raised the blinds and closed all the gates, I headed back to get the kids up. I got my toothbrush and theirs ready for our morning brush. I started in the girls room. When I turned the light on I noticed that Sydney's shirt was off. Their pj's are a little big and they can get them off easily. I handed them their toothbrushes and we started brushing. Once they were going I walked next door and go the boys going. After about a minute in the boys room I headed back to the girls room to finish them up. That is when I saw it. Sydney had a blob of poop on her shoulder. In the 90 seconds I was gone she had stuck her hand down the back of her diaper and grabbed a hand full. So, I had to think on my feet and decide what the next order of business would be. I had to get the others up and fed, but I also had to get Syd a bath. Why not do both at the same time???? That is what I did. BAD IDEA!!!

I left Syd in her bed as I got everyone else up. I changed Peyton because he had pooped. One thing I have learned is that you never put a poopy person at the table. It always gets smashed and seeps out the sides. So, I got him changed and everyone else up to the table with their mound of waffles. They love breakfast, so I thought everything would be fine. I ran to Syd, put her in the tub for a 2 minute bath and we were in the living room in no time. As I was entering the living room I heard a noise. Peyton had decided that Jenna's food looked better than his and he was going to go try it out. He wiggled out of his seat belt, climbed onto the table and over to her. When he decided to get down he fell off the table. That is the noise that I heard. He was stuck under a highchair and it scared him more than anything. He got a scratch down his back, but other than that he was fine. I ran to him and got him wiped off and over to the living room. I looked back to Syd because she was still naked. Not 30 seconds later I glance back to the table and found Ethan on top of the table. Before I could run over there he fell off the table trying his best to get back into his chair. He only whimpered a little and didn't suffer any injury. Once I got him cleaned up and in the living room I finally got a diaper on Sydney.

I forgot to mention that I woke up feeling really bad this morning. My entire body ached. It felt like I was coming down with the flu. I got Rob up at 9:00 so he could see the kids before he had to leave for class. He also works second shift, so he is really stretching himself. I was laying on the floor and he was sitting next to me when he started yelling for Ethan. Landon and Sydney were in the living room and everyone else was MIA. When they didn't come he went to look for them. We thought they were playing peacefully in the boys room like usual. Not today. In the chaos of the morning I must not have gotten the girls door completly closed. Ethan, Jenna, and Peyton had shut themselves in the girls room. They had knocked a rocking chair over, dumped out their tubs full of socks, and drug all the clothes out. The worst part was that they had picked up the Vicks humidifier and dumped the entire thing all over the floor. It was everywhere! We have wood floors in the girls room so it was from one end of the room to the other. Jenna was soaked from head to toe. Ethan was soaked from the waist down. I think he is the one who did it. Jenna is to small to lift that thing and Peyton was completely dry. So, Rob cleaned the kids up while I cleaned up the floor. All of this happened in the first 45 minutes they were up. I was ready to call it a day and go back to bed by that time.

The morning was its normal chaos, but I called a friend to watch them for about 45 minutes while I ran to Walmart to buy a few sleepers for Sydney so she couldn't get her clothes off. My mom thankfully came at 11:30 to help me for the last hour before nap time. I took some Advil and laid down for about an hour to try to feel better. Thankfully, that did the trick and I was fine the rest of the day.

3:45 rolls around and it is time to get the kids up from their nap. I went into the boys room first. I smelled the poop before I even opened their door. When I flipped the light switch on my worst nightmare had come true. Peyton was squatting like a caveman playing in his poop. NOT AGAIN!!! I had showered and gotten myself ready to go to the Mothers of Multiples meeting. Now I had to get him up, leaving everyone screaming from their beds because they wanted up. I took him straight to the bathtub. I ran some water to soak the dried crusted poop off. Once I got all the visible poop off I let the water out and made him stand on the bathroom while I scrubbed the tub with Tilex. After it was clean, I put him back into the tub to give him a real bath. Once he was clean I put a diaper on him and got the rest of the kids up.

I hate to admit it, but I left the poop mess in the boys room for my mother-in-law and the other helpers who were coming. I couldn't bring myself to do it. That sounds terrible, but I was ready to run for the hills. The kids got the best of me today. I wasn't smiling or laughing or enjoying one second today. It was really hard. I will look back at this one day and laugh, but not for a long long time. I am beat. Jon Gosselin said in their latest episode, "It's like being pecked to death by a duck." That is exactly what I feel like on a daily basis. Today was that multiplied by about 10x. I hate to complain, but I am totally spent. It is easy to blog the great things about being a family of quintuplets. I don't want to post about the hard things we go through, but the truth is that this is REALLY hard. My house is nasty, gross, and stinky. Laundry is piled to the ceiling and my kitchen has old, crusty food everywhere. The dining room has clothes all over the floor that need to be washed and sorted for when they are older. I have about 3 bags of shoes to sort by size. Their highchairs have old dried food that is stuck to them. The living room has this awful poop smell that I can't figure out where it is coming from. I have vacuumed under the couch cushions and recliner. I am beginning to think it is in our carpet. I am drowning in filth. That is what I am feeling today. Give me a good nights sleep and I will be ready to go all over again.

I have to say, my sitters tonight did attempt to pile the clutter and clean the chairs. They did a great job. Given the chance, I would probably jump at the chance to change some things in my life. I could think of a few things that could make my life easier. One thing that will never change, I love my kids with everything I have. They are what keep me going. I love them more than words can describe. This blog may be different than my normal funny, joyful posts, but today was a tough day for me. I had to record it so I never forget some of the hardships we had to go through. Tomorrow is another day. I will willingly get up and do it all over again. They are my kids. Rob and I worked too hard to get them here. Nothing is too much for us. We will do whatever it takes to survive. God will see us through.

What to do???

What would you do if you had five 20 month kids and two of them left for the day to visit grandma and grandpa? That was the question we were left to answer on Saturday. So, what was the first thing we did? We went to McDonalds! We haven't ever taken the kids to a restaurant by ourselves. It was a lot of fun! They sat and ate their food great. When we were driving home Rob and I talked about how easy it is to have just three! Isn't that funny, I never thought I would say that three kids are easy! I'm not making light of having three kids for anyone who has three, but it is a drastic change from five. We went out to their house after nap time and everyone played outside. It was a really fun day! The best part is that they will take two more next week! We drew names out of a bowl and the last two left got to go. Landon and Jenna were the lucky winners.

Missing...

We have unfortunately lost our camcorder. We think we left it in the van and forgot to lock the doors at church on Sunday. The only thing we can think of is that someone stole it. It is not in this house and we haven't had it since we used it at Mayse Farm. I know I had it on the way home because I watched what Rob had recorded on the way home. We go to New Life Nazarene Church across from the Middle School in Princeton. If anyone hears anything about it or comes across it, please return it to us. It has EVERYTHING on it. We will loose their entire lives on camera if we don't get it back. Please, please, please let us know if you know or hear anything about it. It is a JVC Everio GZ-MG37 Digital Camcorder.

MOMS Fall Party!

Saturday morning we got up and were so glad the weather was perfect. The Mothers of Multiples group was having their annual fall party. It was at Mayse Farm Market in Evansville. I was really excited about going because the kids are finally getting old enough to enjoy things.

We immediately headed for the straw maze. That kept them confined and occupied for a really long time. Once they decided to walk and explore they were roaming everywhere through the maze. They tasted the straw and admired each others stickers. I was in charge of the camera and Rob was doing the video. Between the two of us we have plenty to look back on. After the straw maze we decided to tackle the much bigger corn maze. That was a little bit of a challenge. We took the choo-choos, which worked very well, and started down the path. I don't know if we did it right or not. We came in and left out the same entrance. I think we should have come out at a different spot we found later in the day. Oh well, we got the picture. The problem was that the kids were throwing their cups out and we wouldn't notice until we were far away from where they tossed it. I made a few jogging trips to find some cups. We had to hustle back because we didn't want to miss the hay ride.

That was a lot of fun. We were the last ones on the wagon and got to sit by our friends the Holsey's and Burketts. It was about a 10 minute ride to the pumpkin patch. We all unloaded and the kids scattered to find the perfect pumpkin. Jenna went to the first one she found and decided that it was hers. Ethan and Landon were quick to choose also. Peyton had to search the entire field to find his. Sydney didn't really care about which pumpkin she got. She was more interested in the toys that the littler kids had. In the end we picked out 7 pumpkins and loaded back into the wagon. The trip back seemed a little longer than the ride there. The kids were getting restless and hungry be then.

Once we returned to the barn we unloaded and drug them up to the mini playground made of straw. We couldn't resist letting them go down the slide. Especially since there was a mattress at the bottom to catch them. They all liked the slide, but Peyton couldn't wait to go again. Syd was right behind him in trying to figure out how to get up there too. They are so funny. Landon was amazed at the willy worm Stacey Holsey found. Poor willy worm. I was really careful to make sure Landon didn't squeeze its eyeballs out, but I'm not sure it didn't have a few broken ribs by the time he was set free.

After a few more fun trips down the slide we packed up and headed home. They were exhausted and fell asleep right away. That was a lot of fun. I highly recommend Mayse Farm Market. It is great for families!

Burkett Family

Holsey Triplets