With Mother’s Day coming up, no one is happier to celebrate than Marcie Dela Cruz, who gave birth to quintuplets over a year ago.
She and her husband, Ray, have their hands full most of the time, but they say they couldn’t be happier and are counting their blessings.
With the quintuplets now 19 months old, the family continues to experience new challenges and heartwarming moments.
At their age, they’re now walking, talking, and showing more personality. The four identical boys and their sister also have their 3-year-old brother, Makaio, in the mix, so play time is as entertaining for mom and dad as it is for the kids.
“It’s fun. It’s really fun. They fight with each other, and they kiss each other, and they love each other, and they love on each other, so just watching all that happen before our eyes is awesome to witness,” said Marcie Dela Cruz.
Marcie works full-time so Ray is the stay-at-home dad. He’s still able to keep them on a regular schedule with naps and meals, although they now tend to spit their food out, so they eat outside and he always has the vacuum cleaner and a leaf blower nearby.
“When it gets messy, he’ll either vacuum it up or just bust out his blower and just blow everything out into the yard,” said Marcie Dela Cruz.
“The blower works faster,” admitted Ray Dela Cruz.
Ray Dela Cruz admits that every once in a while, he has a hard time telling which of the boys is which, but big brother Makaio always knows: Keahi, Kaolu, Kapena, and Kupono.
Then there’s Makaio’s “honey girl,” Kamalii. While she may be outnumbered, she holds her ground.
“She can be very sassy. She keeps up with the boys. She doesn’t let them push her around at all, but she’s also very very sweet and caring,” said Marcie Dela Cruz.
The family will celebrate Mother’s Day at home with other family members. Marcie Dela Cruz thinks back to the time when she thought they couldn’t have any more children after Makaio was born, so every Mother’s Day will always be special.
“I’m honored. I really am honored to be a mom, and to have been given the gifts of all these babies all at once,” she said. “I hope in Mother’s Days to come, they know I am their mom and they will celebrate me, but I celebrate them on this day too.”
When asked if they’re worried about the terrible twos, the couple says not really. They’ll worry about it if and when it happens.
