Quads + 2=busy life for parents

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Constant motion. That's how Holy Name School first-grade teacher Ellen Taylor describes her life in the classroom with 12 students and at home with a 7-year-old son, a 4-year-old son and 2-year-old quadruplets.

When Taylor and her husband, Rick, celebrate Father's Day with their children June 18 at their south-side Indianapolis home, that Sunday promises to be as busy as every other day of the year. The Taylors said they never dreamed that God would bless them with six children in eight years of marriage, but now they can't imagine life without their three sons and three daughters. They believe that their naturally conceived quadruplets - Benjamin, Hannah, Allison and Abigail - are the result of many prayer requests for a daughter. Their oldest son, Zachary, is a second-grade student at Holy Name School in Beech Grove, and Jacob attends pre-kindergarten there so they go to school with their mother every weekday. The quadruplets were born at 33 weeks Nov. 28, 2003, at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, and they are all healthy. The Taylors believe their babies' strong start in life is also the result of many prayers. It hasn't been easy taking care of four babies at the same time, Ellen Taylor said, even with help from their parents, other relatives, friends and baby sitters. Fortunately, she said, teaching skills help her stay calm and organized at home, too. Inspiration comes from a special photograph prominently displayed on their refrigerator, which they look at every day. It's a high school graduation picture of another set of Taylor quadruplets - David, Julie, Katie and Laura Taylor, dressed in their caps and gowns - sent by their parents, Holy Spirit parishioners Phil and Theresa Taylor of New Palestine. The Taylor families are not related. The photograph was taken with Phil and Theresa Taylor's firstborn daughter, Lynn, after Cathedral High School's commencement ceremony June 3, 2001, in Indianapolis. "After our quadruplets were born," Ellen Taylor said, "Theresa sent me a picture of their quads on their first Christmas, and another picture taken after their high school graduation, along with a beautiful letter giving me advice that I will treasure forever. "We've had the graduation picture on our refrigerator for two years, and every time the babies cry and it gets stressful we just look at that picture and think, 'They made it. We can, too,'" she told The Criterion, the official publication of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The last two years have passed by in a blur, Rick Taylor said. "It's gone pretty fast. We moved to a larger house in March of 2004. Our family life is different now than it was two years ago, but it hasn't really slowed down. It's still hectic." In spite of their nonstop lifestyle since the quadruplets were born, Rick Taylor managed to find time to complete a master's degree in management. He works in information technology for an employee benefits company in Indianapolis. "We love all our children the same and are so happy to have them," he said. "The experience of having all of them has been the biggest joy for us. It's hectic every day, but fun, too." Faith has helped them trust in God's plans for their family. He is a member of Gray Road Baptist Church in Indianapolis and she is a member of Holy Name Parish, where their children were baptized. "As humans, you can plan but God has a tendency of changing your plans," he said. "It's good to have long-term plans in theory, but with four babies we've learned to live in the present moment each day. You've got to have faith that God will take care of you, and everything will work out." Ellen Taylor said parenting six children has brought the couple closer. "It's taught me to trust more, to be more faith-filled and to pray that God will take care of everything," she said. "It takes a lot of patience and a sense of humor." When doubts creep in, she said, they look at Phil and Theresa Taylor's picture of their quadruplets on graduation day. Theresa Taylor said when their quadruplets were born there were only 25 sets of surviving quads in the country. She said carrying her four children included risks, and raising the quads came with many challenges, too. "My daily prayer to God from the moment I knew I was pregnant with the quads was that he show me a way to cope with whatever came," Theresa Taylor said. "He always has, usually through the most unforeseen manner." Two decades later, she said, their quadruplets "have graduated from college, moved out of the house and found employment. But, more importantly, they are decent human beings who find joy in God and in their lives."

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops