Quads Being Raised As Triplets

Teddy, Samantha & Alexis

The kids are eagerly anticipating Christmas morning. I am excited too. Merry Christmas to all!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

To say 2009 has been a crazy year for us would be an understatement by far.

Our year started out with having volunteers in our home every 3 hours starting at 9AM and ending after the 6PM feeding, Monday through Friday without fail we had so many wonderful people helping us, we are so thankful for each and every one that helped. Finally in April I was ready to go it alone, I had many occasions that I really wished that our volunteers were still with us, but we made it through. I still miss seeing and visiting with our new friends who really felt like a new extension of our family.

Before we knew it summer came upon us. We had one trip with the family, up to northern Minnesota for a Riepe family reunion. Alexis and Olivia had a lot of fun with all of their cousins. The babies were ooo'ed and awed over. I enjoyed all of the visiting. We also made a stop, on the way home, to see my Grandma and show off the kids.

We had some fun going to the park and playing. We sure got a lot of attention with our big red triplet stroller. We went swimming at Grandmas house. And spent a lot of time just hanging out at home. I have made quite a few trips shopping with my 5 kids, and for some reason we seem to draw attention and lots of comments. We are starting to get used to all of the attention.

Before I knew it I woke up and it was fall and there was a big yellow bus at the end of the driveway. Yes, Alexis is off to school, in Kindergarten. As I walked back to my house that first morning with the tear in my eye I thought to myself “It felt like yesterday I was holding my brand new baby girl, how in the world can she be in Kindergarten?”. Alexis can read now, it amazes me, she does really well at math. She loves to read science type books with Mom.

Olivia decided one day that she was going on the potty and now she is potty trained. She is 3 going
on 8. She is enjoying her first year in dance. (Alexis is in her 3rd year of dance.) Olivia is quite the helper around the house. After she “helps” the babies climb into high places she runs to tell me that they did it themselves.

Samantha, Bridgette and Teddy, are doing fabulous. Bridgette is running around, Samantha is
walking and getting faster every day and Teddy has taken 3 steps. They amaze me every day.
They are talking, dancing, playing and laughing. They are on track developmentally with where they should be, which is a huge deal since they arrived 3 months early.

Our Angel Madeline inspires me to be a better person and a better Mom. This year a playground at our church was built, a playground that we asked people to donate to in memory of Madeline in lieu of flowers. We are thankful for the many donations made in her memory. Eventually therewill be a plaque near the playground dedicating it in memory of Madeline as well as 2 other people. When we celebrated the birthdays we released 100 balloons to Heaven in her memory, we are thankful to the many family and friends who celebrated our children with us.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a great 2010!!!

Love,

Don, Mary, Alexis, Olivia, Samantha, Bridgette & Teddy

Visit our family online at: www.QBRAT.com

Don's work throws such wonderful kids Christmas Parties. We had a great time, and I dropped and broke my camera so here are the pictures I was able to capture before that happened.

This first one was taken by the Santa photographer of the family. :)

Don with Bridgette & Teddy

Bridgette

And 2 crabby big girls, who really needed a nap. But we found our tree.