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You have heard me say many times to always do your best. That doesn’t always have to mean the best—as in always placing first—but make it your best! I desire for you a fulfilling life, Mady. I pray that you grow up to love God deeply and allow him to guide your choices. I hope for you a satisfying career, family, and life as a whole.

I’ll be here, Madelyn Kate Rene (the additional middle name added by me and well loved by you!) for you every single step of your way to help you any way I can. If I become annoying someday, just let me know. I just want you to know how very loved you are.

Love forever and always, no matter what,

Mommy

3

BABY STEPS

When our fans think about our travels as a family, they think of the big trips they saw on television—renewing our vows in Hawaii, skiing in Utah, or spending time at the beach in North Carolina. But in those early days, “traveling” to us meant leaving our driveway. And we didn’t do that often. Until the sextuplets were thirteen months old, we didn’t even own a vehicle we could all fit in. People had given us money over the years, and we spent sparingly and saved what we could because we weren’t sure how long our unemployment would last. But once Jon was securely back to work, we used some of that savings to put a down payment on the Big Blue Bus. That bus was the difference between going nowhere and going anywhere we wanted.

After we moved to Elizabethtown, we didn’t stay home all the time. Maybe it was because things finally felt under control—we had a schedule and things were running smoothly. Maybe it was because the kids were a little older and more mobile. But more than anything, I think it was because we missed our church. When we lived on Dauphin Avenue in Wyomissing, our church was only a few miles away; but from Elizabethtown, it was almost fifty. Moving to the new house was necessary because it was so much closer to Jon’s work, but we felt isolated and alone. We wanted to go back to our church.

The Big Blue Bus! What a giant lifesaver.

For many parents, getting themselves and their kids up, dressed, and out the door for church on Sunday is a spiritual hurdle. For us, it was the biggest logistical challenge we had ever undertaken. When Jon and I started talking about going back to our church, we weren’t sure it was something we could pull off. But we wanted to try.

On the first Sunday, we got the kids up, fed them breakfast, and loaded them into the car. By the time we pulled out of the driveway, we knew we were going to be late. The service started at 9:30, so that meant we had to leave no later than 8:30 to allow time to get there, get the kids unloaded, and get everyone in their proper places. Being late meant we were a little stressed by the time we sat down for the service. But other than the timing that first week, things went smoothly and the kids did well. On the drive home, we discussed what we could do differently the following week.

When the kids were that little, much of our time together was spent thinking about logistics, planning, or implementing plans, because nothing was easy. Jon and I would work through the details of an upcoming outing together. To me it was a challenge and I took pride in it. If something didn’t work, I’d think it through until I came up with a workable solution.

The next Sunday, we made a few adjustments to our schedule. But we still ran late. “There has to be a way to make this work, Jon.”

“This is a crazy idea…” he said, pausing as he merged into traffic. “But what if they ate breakfast in the car?”

“What could the kids eat that wouldn’t be messy?”

We reviewed several options, but they all ended with food on the floor mats or eighty sticky fingers needing to be cleaned.

Then I had an idea: “Dry cereal! They’d have their juice cups to drink from, and if we could somehow attach the cereal to their seats, they could eat it with one hand.”

Easter purses that became breakfast pouches.

“Let’s try it.”

My inspiration came later that week while