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McCaughey septuplets of Carlisle, Iowa, talk about turning 16 and growing up with 6 siblings the same age.
The McCaughey septuplets, photographed at their Carlisle home last year, turn 17 today. They are Kelsey (top, out of moon roof, scarf and pink sweater) Natalie (far left, pink stripes shirt) Nathan (brown shirt) Brandon (blue&white plaid) Kenny (short hair, button up light blue shirt) Alexis (white stripe, blue shirt with red scarf) Joel (far right, navy blue polo) (Photo: Rodney White/Polaris Images)
DES MOINES — The McCaughey septuplets, who will be turning 18 in November, appeared on NBC's TODAY show Wednesday morning, an appearance that almost brought mom Bobbi to tears.
The children became internationally famous in 1997 because they were the world's first surviving septuplets — Kenny, Kelsey, Natalie, Brandon, Alexis, Nathan and Joel.
Their father, Kenny Sr., told TODAY that he will never forget that day when the septuplets were born nine weeks prematurely on Nov. 19 in Des Moines, joining their older sister, Mikayla, who is now 19 and married.
"For me it was seeing each one of the kids come out of the womb,'' he said. "It was really quite a sight to see that."
The state of Iowa has followed along with the lives of the septuplets for all of those 18 years, watching them grow up through media reports. The rest of the nation has, too.
When they were 4 days old, TODAY featured them on the show. When they turned 17, Oprah Winfrey came calling. In between, there were numerous magazine and national television appearances.
At 16, when the Des Moines Register interviewed them for their birthday, they were focused in on one thing — getting a driver’s license. They were a bit fatigued at 16 and during adolescent years of the attention.
“I really want us to be a normal family, as much as we could be,” Kenny Sr. said on TODAY Wednesday.
But Kenny Jr., for one, isn’t tired of the time in the spotlight now: “It’s fun,” he said.
When the siblings were asked to guess who fit descriptions of each family member, all pointed to Kenny Jr. when the host said “class clown.” Brandon was stubborn and serious, they all agreed, and Joel was the bookworm.
However, Natalie interjected that she is the one who is serious about school and her grades.
The septuplets are starting their senior year at Carlisle High School, and will turn 18 on Nov. 19.
The most touching moments of Wednesday's appearance came when mom Bobbi was asked about the memories when she saw the clips of her children through the years.
“So many things have happened,” she said, her voice breaking. “The memories, the joys, the heartbreaks that have happened. It’s what has gotten us to where we are today.”
She also said the family was thankful for all the people who helped them out through the years, and the strong faith that has sustained them.
But it’s scary, she added, to think of her children going out and making choices on what will lies ahead in their lives.
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