As you might imagine and as the pictures can attest, Christmas at our house this year was…what else…chaos!  Five not-yet-one-year-olds, three others under age seven, and seven adults made for some interesting yuletide times!  I believe we (meaning Casey and I) hit every one of the major Christmas emotions several times each – joy, contentment, excitement, and of course the lesser celebrated, but ever present buzzkills – stress, frustration, and irritation (fortunately those didn’t stick around long!).  All in all, the day was very different, very chaotic (the adults didn’t open any presents until 5:00 that afternoon because of everything that was going on with the kids!), and in the end, very fun and memorable!

In other news, Jack and Lila got fitted for their DOC Bands on Monday and we are scheduled to get them in early January.  What you see in the pictures is a pair of pantyhose stretched over their heads which smooths out the features of their scalps so that a very accurate 3-D picture can be taken.  The picture is then used to create the shape of the band. Once we get the bands, they will be worn 23 hours a day for 3-4 months (Jack is likely to get a new band at that time and have to go for another 3-4 months with that one).  We will take them into the office every two weeks to have the bands adjusted to the babies’ changing scalps and we will also be doing some stretching exercises with both babies to help loosen up their neck muscles.  It will be a little bit of a hassle, but we are happy to do it so that we can avoid all of the problems that could pop up later in life if we did not go through this.  Plus, we’re really excited to decorate the bands!! :)

And finally, a cool little follow up story from our Thanksgiving trek to Denton.  When we stopped for lunch in Waco, a lady came over because she, “just had to see the triplets!”  Imagine her surprise when she discovered that there were two more babies in the bunch!  Well, her husband came over to see the babies as well and we chatted a bit with them, making a fast friendship there in the tiniest restaurant in Texas.  They were a really sweet couple…they even helped Eliot wash up after her meal as Casey and I had our hands quite full!  On our way out the door, they asked for our address and said they would like to send us some gifts for the babies and, sure enough, when we got home five days later, there was a package on our porch.  As it turns out, these folks own a small manufacturing company in Waco that produces Critter Pillers Neck Pillows and other travel cozies of all types.  What they sent us was one of each of the different animals in their collection of Critter Pillers…I think there were eight in all, of which Eliot quickly claimed six or seven of them! Anyway, I just had to pass on the story because they are such cool people and hopefully they can receive a little business in return for their kindness (they did not know about our website or ask for any type of publicity when they offered to send us a gift).  So if you like doing business with good people and need a cool gift for the travelling kid crazies in your world, check out their website at www.wolfmfg.com!

As you might imagine, there have been many surprises that have come along with life since receiving the big surprise last August when we found out that the Quint Invasion was headed our way.  Not all of the surprises have been good, not all have been bad, and certainly some that seemed one way or the other at first, turned out to be quite the opposite after the dust had settled.  The fact that I am still enrolled in Baylor’s EMBA program is a huge surprise that would not have been possible without the unbelievable support we received from the Baylor community.  The excitement we felt when we heard we were the topic of conversation on 590 KLBJ’s morning show a few days before the babies’ birth will not be forgotten.  Nor will the punch in the gut feeling that quickly followed when we heard all of the awful things that were being said about us by both the callers and the show’s DJ’s…not a good surprise to say the least!  With the diaper drive held on our behalf along with their sizable gift card donation, HEB’s incredible generosity clearly stands out as one of the highlights in the long list of godsends that have helped to turn our response to this adventure from overwhelmed to overjoyed…the list could go on…

But clearly the most gratifying and rewarding “surprises” that have come our way have been the individual acts of love, support, and selflessness that we have experienced from the big hearts of our volunteers and other helpers.  I put the word “surprises” in quotes above because there was a certain level of expectation of this sort of attention when we decided to go public with our story.  We knew that people would rally around us and around these babies in some form or fashion.  We believe in the goodness of people, in the strength of God’s love in the hearts of the faithful, and we knew that our journey would inspire some to get involved.  But the thought, the extent, and the care to which people have gone to ensure that our babies are taken care of, to help us involve our older daughter in the amazing transition for a family of three to a family of eight, and even to give Casey and I some time to each other has been a source of constant amazement, humility, and yes, surprise.  We can never thank these folks enough for the indelible mark they have left on our family’s hearts!

My primary reason for writing this blog is to recognize two of these folks, two of these surprises, two very special ladies who have not only left their mark on our family, they have become family in every sense of the word (we’ve managed to get past the fact that both of them are red-heads…somehow).  The two women pictured below, Tricia Harrison and Jennifer Ericson, are as much a part of this story as anything else.

Jennifer, wow, what a cool story!  She saw us on the news, found us on the web, signed up through the care calendar, and has been here at least five days of every week for the past three or four months…and we have no intention of letting her go anytime soon!  I’m not sure what compelled her to jump into the lives of complete strangers – she’s a little on the shy side, though I’m certain there is a dark side lurking underneath that red hair of hers!  But now she is our total, on-call girl…Miss Go-With-The-Flow!  Casey emails her every day to let her know what time we’ll need her help, depending on how much help has signed up on the care calendar, and that is when she arrives ready to love on babies!  She has even recruited her mom and one of her high school friends for the cause!  Her calm, happy, loving spirit is the perfect antidote for crazy babies and knows a thing or two about quieting an inconsolable infant…which is usually Britton :-).  She loves the Fab Five like nobody else and the Fab Five loves her back!!  Thank you, Jennifer, you are AWESOME!!

We knew Tricia and her husband, Dusten, sort of, through our church group at Riverbend.  And because of her, we are alive today…I’m only barely kidding!  Tricia jumped in red-head first from the beginning, organizing the care calendar, running background checks, cooking meals, and just generally being AWESOME!!  Then, she took it about 1000 steps forward…she started picking up shifts – day shifts, night shifts, weekend shifts, vacation day shifts, back-to-back shifts – you name it, she did it and did it with a smile (a slightly mischievous smile, but a smile nonetheless)!  During the toughest time of this experience, the time when the babies gave Casey and I less than three hours of sleep each night, Tricia was there, every other night, four nights a week, for three months straight to allow Casey and I to sleep, uninterrupted for at least six hours.  Now do you think I’m kidding when I say that we are alive today because of her??!  She even dragged her husband and two high schoolers into the fun, bringing them along to help with all of the above.  They are an amazing family!  Now that calmer nights have arrived and the focus has shifted more to the days, Tricia is still with us, arriving every day before 7:00 so that Casey and I can get ready for our day ahead, walk Eliot to school, and allow us to get other stuff done around the house.  Spirited, fun, giving, selfless, loving…thank you, Tricia, you are all of these and more!!

So we’re getting used to surprises these days in whichever form they choose to present themselves.  They’ve come fast and furious and in the most interesting ways.  And, God willing, they’ll keep coming…red-headed or not!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

I wanted to thank everyone for the feedback on my “God Did This” blog. The comments on the site as well as the emails and other comments I have received were very encouraging, not only to our positive spirit and outlook on the future, but also on the power of faith in people’s lives. Thank you all – your comments are a great source of inspiration!!

God Bless,
Ethan
www.JonesLife.net

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

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/