Prevost quads all set
to enter kindergarten
Hazlet detective and wife
are preparing to send
5-year-olds off to school
By cindy tietjen
Staff Writer

UNION BEACH — Next Thursday will be a bittersweet day for the Prevost family.

On one hand, Marie and Rick Prevost will see the last of their seven children enter kindergarten.

On the other hand, a needed break from the kids is on its way.

After giving birth to quadruplets five years ago, Marie Prevost has hardly had time to breathe, much less take a vacation.

So what will she do with her free time when the quads are in school?

"I will probably clean my house," said Mrs. Prevost. "It hasn’t had a good cleaning in five years."

The quadruplets will enter Memorial Elementary School on Sept. 7.

"The last of our [grown] children just graduated from Keyport [High School] this year, and now the boys are starting, so there is no break for us," said Mrs. Prevost. "What’s another 13 years of school, homework, conferences, girlfriends, sports and whatever else comes along?"

In addition to the quadruplets, Stephen, Joshua, Brian and Joseph, the Prevost family also includes Jason, 21; Marlena, 20; and Sherri, 18.

According to Mrs. Prevost, while motherhood certainly has its joys, it also has its’ hardships, most of them financial.

"I wanted to have four children total," said Mrs. Prevost. "When I found out I was pregnant with four at one time, I was overwhelmed."

Mrs. Prevost, who became pregnant with the quadruplets without the aid of any fertility drugs, was immediately put on bed rest by her obstetrician.

Mrs. Prevost said that was when the family’s financial troubles began.

"I had to quit my job as a manager in a plastics factory so I could take the pregnancy to term," she said.

Quitting her job meant a substantial amount of money would not be coming in anymore.

"Before I got pregnant, we were a five-person family with two incomes," said Mrs. Prevost. "All of a sudden we became a nine-person family with only one income."

Mr. Prevost became the sole provider of the family, working as a patrolman for the Hazlet Police Department.

Mr. Prevost is still a member of the police force and has moved up in rank to detective.

According to Mrs. Prevost, the struggle began after the babies were born.

"My mother-in-law was here to help, but she had a bad leg and could not make it up and down the stairs," said Mrs. Prevost. "I learned to prop bottles everywhere and anywhere and learned to live on little sleep."

Throughout the years, the quadruplets have begun to show more and more of their individual personalities.

According to Mrs. Prevost, Stephen is the most affectionate of the four, while Brian is the most active.

"I am always telling Brian to sit down or stay still," said Mrs. Prevost. "He just never stops."

Mrs. Prevost said that Joshua seems to follow whatever his brothers do, while Joseph has the distinction, for now, of being the quickest learner.

"Joey picks up on things so quickly," said Mrs. Prevost. "We saw this when the boys started preschool."

Mrs. Prevost, who said she gives a lot of credit to Union Beach preschool for taking on the four boys, thinks it was good for the boys to be in separate classes.

"Stephen and Brian were in one class and Josh and Joey were in the other," said Mrs. Prevost. "Now, in kindergarten, it is the opposite. Joey and Brian will be together, and Stephen and Josh will be together."

While Mrs. Prevost is excited to see her youngest off for their first day of school, she is not so excited about the extra expenses that will be incurred.

But as they have for the last five years, the Prevost family counts their blessings rather than their problems.

"While it has its ups and downs, so much of it has been absolutely amazing," said Mrs. Prevost.

Now, just when Mr. and Mrs. Prevost thought their baby days were over, they have another surprise on the way.

They are about to become first-time grandparents. Their youngest daughter, Sherri, is set to give birth any day.

Mrs. Prevost hasn’t hung up her baby bottles yet.

When her daughter goes back to work, she will help take care of the new baby.

"We are struggling now, and we will continue to struggle," said Mrs. Prevost. "But we are a family, and we help and support each other in any way we can."