Story and photos republished courtesy of The Times-Picayune and nola.com
By Marilyn Stewart

As the New Orleans metro area counted its blessings on the eve of Thanksgiving from Edgard to Violet, one local couple might need a calculator. They count twins as twice the love and fun.

Now, times that by three. Yes, three.

Gentilly’s Josh and LaRaye Harris have three sets of twins all 3 years old and under. They have 3 year olds, 2 year olds, and 11 month olds. This Thanksgiving, as the youngest twins Drake and Judah near their first birthday, the couple is grateful for a different family milestone. Josh graduates in December with his “first” college degree, an associate’s degree from Leavell College of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Three pregnancies blessed the couple with three boys and three girls in pairs: one fraternal set followed by two sets identical. People often ask what “system” they use to manage their busy household, LaRaye said.

“We tried that, but it didn’t work for us. We’re not a ‘system’ family,” Josh responded. “And, it’s okay.”

Josh’s plans at first were to pursue a four-year bachelor’s degree, a master’s, then a Ph.D. As graduation looms, the next step is uncertain, but the couple is thankful for how far they’ve come.

“Even this is a big accomplishment,” LaRaye said. “And I’m grateful for a husband who wants to be home and involved on a daily basis.”

Anything but routine

Josh and LaRaye fell in love with New Orleans while on their honeymoon in the city six years ago. Two sets of twins later, the couple moved away from home and family in Shreveport and Natchitoches to a life that is anything but routine.

“Everyone thought we were crazy,” LaRaye said.

Soon after the move with Aniston and Jonah, now almost four years old, and identical twin girls Magnolia and Madeline, 2, they learned LaRaye was pregnant again. Josh was so sure they were expecting twin boys, he printed up the announcement on matching T-shirts that the couple wore to the doctor’s appointment and sonogram.

While twins run in the family. LaRaye’s fraternal brother miscarried before birth; Josh’s father is a fraternal twin. Still, , the news of a third set was unexpected.

Dr. Rebecca Perret, the Touro Infirmary obstetrician who delivered the twin boys, said the odds of delivering two identical sets of twins after fraternal are incalculable.

Perret praised the parents. “They are a lovely couple,” she said. “If anyone is up to the task, they are.”

A third set of twins also meant big changes.

After the largest box of diapers available in stores disappeared in two weeks’ time, the couple opted for cloth, even learning online how to make diapers out of old T-shirts.

“We are thoroughly trained in the old-fashioned way of diapering,” Josh quipped. “Thoroughly.”

Fitting two more car seats into the family’s 2016 Honda Odyssey to make a total of six took “mathematical precision,” Josh said. On outings, people often stop to watch them load through the minivan’s rear door, a procedure that takes about 15 minutes, as Josh lifts the children in over the back row.

Each personality is different, though the children stick close to their twins, LaRaye said. The three-year-olds are “talkative” with Aniston wanting “to herd the others,” LaRaye said, adding that Magnolia is quiet while Madeline is “more spicy.”

“They love each other so much,” LaRaye said. “They fight, but hug each other to make up on their own.”

Grateful

Public outings are difficult and rare, and garner comments as well as looks.

“If you can think of the comment, we’ve heard it,” Josh said.

The talk doesn’t bother them. They are thankful for what they have. Financial worries, stress, anxiety, and health issues for Josh have been part of their lives as they juggle through what the couple describes as a “terrifically hard” season of life. Their faith has kept them going.

“God has blessed us. We owe it all to him,” Josh said.

LaRaye blogs as she can at JoshandRayeNow. Josh writes poetry about the children. One poem includes the line, “I love the sound of little words.” In another, he wrote, “I just wish that time stood still and sat upon my windowsill, where always I could take it down and spend it with my kids.”

Thomas Strong, pastor of Metairie Baptist Church and one of Josh’s professors, said the family is loved by his congregation.

“I have watched as they have consistently come to worship with their three sets of twins in their arms,” Strong said. “Without question, Josh is a man who loves his wife and loves his children.”

LaRaye said the children inspire them and give them something to work for. And no matter what happens at work, the household is filled with the blessings of pattering feet rushing to the door to see daddy.

Josh added, “When I’m having a hard day, when things are not very clear, I get to come home and experience a big family. It’s very humbling, but I love the challenge. I love the opportunity I’ve been given to be a part of something so unique and so rich.”