Tag archive for "awesome news"

“Quints by Surprise” Makes its Return to TLC!!!

Good Times

“Quints by Surprise” Makes its Return to TLC!!!

33 Comments 15 April 2011

We are very excited to announce that “Quints by Surprise” is finally making its return to TLC and you do not have to wait any longer!!  This Monday, April 18th, a one hour special called “Quints by Surprise:  Turning 2” about the Fab Five’s second birthday will air at 9/8c, right after “Cake Boss”!  Follow this link to read the exclusive announcement from sheknows.com:  Quints by Surprise:  Turning 2!

Here is how TLC’s website describes the show:  “The Jones Quintuplets are turning two! Ethan and Casey decide to go all out for the special day and scramble to make an outdoor winter wonderland in Texas. With rain in forecast, will they keep their snow day from becoming a slushy disaster?”

We had Jones Family Sneak Peek night earlier this week and can confirm that if you enjoyed the first season of the show, you are going to LOVE this special!!  For your own sneak peek of what is to come this Monday night, check out the new webisodes just loaded to TLC’s site:  Quints by Surprise Webisodes!

And in other fantastic “Quints by Surprise” news – the official start of season 2 has been announced and May 9th is the big day!

We are really excited for the new episodes to be hitting the air and hope you are as well!  Tune in Monday night and let us know what you think!!

God bless,

Ethan

P.S.  You have no doubt noticed that we have spent some time with our favorite photog, Ella Bella Photography.  Elle once again dazzled us with her photographic brilliance and willingness to combine five two-year-olds, one energetic six-year-old, four baby ducks, and one slightly manic mama for the incredible pictures you see on this page!  See below for more pictures from the shoot!

 

Giving Thanks

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You HEB!!!!

5 Comments 31 January 2009

Ok, so I am officially designating HEB as the Greatest Store With the Most Kind Hearted People In All the World!!! They wrapped up the diaper drive yesterday with quite a few little (and one big) surprises that really blew us away! Seriously, they could not have met the need more head on nor done it in a better, more thoughtful way. They presented us with over 8,000 diapers that the community donated to us! The community outreach alone was phenomenal and we are so grateful to each and every person who pitched in!

Along with the community donation, HEB matched the amount of diapers given in the form of gift cards which worked out to over $2000…on top of that, they had a grocery cart full of other little baby need items, toys, and other goodies…and then on top of that, they had a backpack full of markers, stuffed animals, and other kid stuff for Eliot…and then on top of that, they gave us a personal shopper for a year who will do our grocery shopping for us and deliver them to the house…AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT…it just keeps going!! They gave us a very generous gift of several more gift cards!!

But wait, there’s one more thing that I think puts the cherry on top of the sudae…they contacted the Wilkinsons of Cedar Park – the quint family who has helped us out along the way – and donated to them as well!!! Are you kidding me?? How COOL is that?! They absolutely thought of everything and went waaaaaayy out of their way to make sure they did everything RIGHT!!

WOW!! Thank you so much to everyone at HEB who made this possible, who worked extra to put up displays, who took the phone orders, who moved diapers all over the place, who helped load the truck, who helped in any way whatsoever…THANK YOU!!!!!
God Bless,
Ethan

Giving Thanks

Baylor Comes Through Again

1 Comment 24 January 2009

When I returned to class Thursday evening, my Baylor classmates had a little surprise for me – a very generous group donation! Before class began, one of my classmates stood up and was telling the rest of the group about the diaper drive that was to begin the next day (she didn’t realize that I was there at the time). After her announcement, another classmate got up, said a few good words and then presented me with an envelope filled with donations from everyone in the class. It was awesome!!

You may not be aware that Casey and I found out about the quints four days before I was to begin my orientation week for grad school. I was really torn as to whether or not I should stick with the program given the time constraints and financial burden it would become with the babies on the way. Fortunately, I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that I should wait to make a decision because I’m still with the program today and I have no intention of dropping out.

My classmates, the Baylor staff, the professors, the director, and the university as a whole have been incredible from day one! They have allowed me the flexibility I’ve needed to take care of my family, provided financial support, and have shared in the excitement every step of the way. Thank you again to Baylor University, the faculty, staff, and my classmates for all you’ve done!! To sum it up: BAYLOR ROCKS!!

For more info on the support Baylor University has provided, follow this link to a blog post I did a little while back: http://joneslifeaustinblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/baylor-rocks.html.

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

Giving Thanks

HEB Diaper Drive!!!!

2 Comments 23 January 2009


I am about to head up to HEB at Four Points for the kick off of a week long diaper drive that they are doing for us. This is really cool – apparently, Charles Butt, the son of the founder, Howard Butt, and current CEO, heard our story on the news and wanted to help out. He personally set the wheels in motion to make this happen.
The drive is starting today and will continue until next Friday. HEB is going to match all donations and is planning on making a surprise donation at the close of the diaper drive!! Diapers are probably the one item that we need more than anything as it will be an on-going need for several years. We are so grateful to the HEB family for making this happen!!!!

Check the website for other details!

God Bless,
Ethan
http://www.joneslife.net/

Giving Thanks

Baylor Rocks!!

5 Comments 08 November 2008

This is kinda long-winded, but it’s a great story and worth the read…promise!! Enjoy…

Most of you know that I started grad school this August through Baylor’s Executive MBA Program. I actually started four days after finding out about the quints (at that time, it was actually sextuplets!). Going to grad school and getting my MBA is something that I have had in the back of my mind for years, but never put any serious thought into. My industry (residential construction) doesn’t quite value MBA’s as other industries do so it was never something that seemed relevant to my world, though I never let go of the dream of going back to school. I’m not even sure how the conversation about going back came up this time around, but when it did it seemed to weigh more heavily on my mind than it had in the past.

At the time, I was working for a small custom home builder (a job that was going nowhere fast) and was looking for a career move. I was working with a career counselor and also contemplating starting my own business, but nothing had yet materialized. A good friend of mine, Dean Yeck, had gone through Baylor’s program a few years back and was talking it up quite a bit and I started to investigate the different programs available. Though I have been a Texas fan my entire life and always knew that if I went back to school I would be a Longhorn, something kept tugging me in the direction of Baylor. Though I wasn’t committed, I started the application process and committed it heavily to prayer and contemplation. When the time came to make a decision, I knew which direction I was headed!

Fast forward three months to August 14th. Casey and I are sitting in our fertility doctor’s office at our first sonogram. As we watched Dr. Silverberg label the babies – baby A, baby B (awesome – twins!), baby C (whoa – triplets!!), baby D (hold on a minute…quads!?), baby E (time out, I need to sit down…), baby F (six babies!!! Is this a joke??!!) – the excitement, drama, and tension mounted as the thought of bringing six babies into the world had our heads swirling and our hearts pounding out of our chests. What does this mean? What are the odds? How can we possibly do this?

To be honest, one of my first thoughts was of grad school and how I was going to be able to handle both the time and the financial commitment with six babies on the way. I was supposed to start in four days! What do I do now??

Well, I called the director of the program the next day. “Stick with us,” he said, at least until we know how many babies remain (the viability of the babies at that time was at great risk because there were so many). “We would love to be involved and help out in any way we can,” he said, but he didn’t see how it would be possible for me to continue. I called my dad. “I don’t know how it’d be possible, son,” he said. I called Dean, a man who bleeds green on odd numbered days and gold on even numbered days. He found out his wife was pregnant the day he found out he was accepted to the program; surely he would tell me I could do it. Well, he didn’t. He said beyond having twins, he could not have done it. I prayed. Why, God, would you lead me to go through this program knowing what was to come, knowing that I would never be able to complete it? Why, why, why? And while we’re at it, why am I so selfish?! Why am I so concerned about this when my priorities should be focused elsewhere? Frustrated, confused, and frustrated again…

I decided to continue on for about a month or so, at least until I found out how many babies survived the critical 12 weeks at the beginning of the pregnancy. I went to orientation week in Waco and loved it! I met the Dean of the Business School, Gary Carini. “Stick with us,” he said, “we’ll work with you. We’ll make it work somehow. Just stick with us.” A glimmer of hope – that was a godsend! I kept going to class for the next six weeks as we kept going to weekly sonograms. We lost one of the babies early on, but it looked like our course was set…five babies on the way, getting close to decision time.

Then I got a call from a friend (identity withheld to protect the not-so-innocent). “Hey, stick with the program. Some conversations are taking place and that’s all you need to know. Keep going to class.” Then I had a conversation with Phil Sanchez, the director of the program. “We’re working on something to help out,” he said, “stick with us.” That was all I needed to hear. Keep going to class and let the rest take care of itself. Keep going to class and keep praying…lots to pray for these days!

A couple of weeks later, Dr. Carini pulled me aside before class and told me that Baylor had decided to grant me a scholarship for the entire cost of the program. The ENTIRE cost!! Are you kidding me? That’s almost $70,000!! WOW! That’s all I could say. And, “THANK YOU!!” Decision made – I’m sticking with the program! Sure, the time commitment is still there and it’s a huge one, but how could I ever turn down such incredible generosity? How could I ever pass up on a full scholarship on a world class education, no matter the time commitment? No way, no how…I’m in for the long haul! What an amazing turn of events! God is great!!

One of the main reasons I was drawn to the Baylor program is that everyone I talked to who was involved with the program told me that Baylor was concerned with developing the character of its students along with their business acumen. They told me that Baylor is a family and is committed to each of its family members as you would your brothers and sisters. “They are a Christian organization, founded on Christian principles and it shows in how they approach the program,” they said. They were right. I didn’t ask for Baylor to help us out and I didn’t expect that they would. Baylor saw an opportunity to live their ideals and they jumped on it. They stepped up, big time! To put it simply – BAYLOR ROCKS!!

I believe that God has been hard at work in my life for a long, long time. I believe he led me to enter grad school and that he specifically led me to Baylor’s door. I believe that he has great things in store for my family and that my relationship with Baylor is somehow integrated into His plan for us. I believe that He has similar plans for everyone who allows Him to work in their lives. I don’t know how it’s going to be possible to raise quintuplets, earn an MBA, grow my business, carve out some time to keep my marriage vibrant, and keep my sanity all at the same time, but I believe that God is going to help me figure that out. One day at a time. I don’t know how our story is going to unfold from one day to the next, but I know that we’re in good hands and that life is good…very good!

The Pregnancy

50 Fingers, 50 Toes!

4 Comments 04 November 2008

Before I begin with the update, I want to explain the picture to the left. The sonographer happened across this image as she was measuring the babies today. We can count at least 7 and maybe 8 feet in this picture…can you find them all?! Too cool!!
Updates, updates…we have updates! Casey started partial bed rest today (Monday was her last day of work) which means she is supposed to spend about six hours per day lying down (not counting sleep hours). Unless something dramatic happens, she will not have to go on full bed rest until her body just hurts too bad for her to move.
We had an appointment today with Dr. Berry, our perinatologist, where they did an anatomy scan of all of the babies. All five checked out healthy and all of their measurements were right on track for 19.5 weeks!! This is what we expected to hear, but it feels really good to have it confirmed! The four girls weighed in around 11 ounces, while Big Bad Jack came in at a whopping 13 ounces – that’s my boy!! On a side note, I forgot to mention that Jack got his first baseball mitt last week when my parents came to town…thanks, Mom!
The next 6-8 weeks are critical for the health of the babies and there are several major milestones that we will be focused on along the way. The first milestone is 24 weeks which is the point at which it is reasonable to resuscitate the babies if they are born this early. In other words, if Casey’s body were to go into labor before this point and it could not be stopped, it would be highly unlikely that they would survive.
The next milestone after that comes at 26 weeks. If the babies are born at that time, the likelihood of survival is high, but the likelihood of significant defects is also high. After that, we focus on week 28 which happens on New Year’s Eve. Delivery at 28 weeks is the average for quintuplets and we hope to beat this! If the babies are born at this time, their likelihood of survival is very high and the likelihood of defects is dramatically lower. At 28 weeks, we claim victory! Beyond that, every week is critical to minimizing the time the babies spend in the NICU and to further strengthen their development, but the likelihood of major complications is much lower.
Our goal is to deliver the babies in early February at 32 weeks. For a point of reference, if this were a normal pregnancy, the due date would be March 27! Casey will likely spend the last 3-4 weeks in the hospital on full bed rest (with two nurses at her bedside to help move the belly when she needs to turn over!!). We have a meeting later this month with the NICU doctors and staff at Seton to tour the NICU and go over the delivery plan…apparently this is going to be quite a production with up to 18 doctors (three for each baby and three for Casey) plus nurses in the delivery room!!
Please keep the prayers coming over the next 8 weeks for both the babies and for Casey! Casey’s spirit is strong and positive, but she gets more and more uncomfortable every day as her body literally grows before our eyes! We have been incredibly blessed throughout this experience and we pray that these blessings continue throughout the rest of the pregnancy!
God Bless,
Ethan

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