To every rule there are exceptions, and while in general, the McCaugheys did not want cameras in their home, the exception was on the children’s birthday.
For their 13th birthday, Bobbi and Kenny allowed Ann Curry from the Today Show to come and meet the children for a special birthday feature. Every child got their own cake with 13 candles. As a journalist, this was a very exciting moment, Ann said at the time.
George W. Bush
In 2001, the McCaugheys were invited to meet with President George W. Bush. This was a big deal for Bobbi and Kenny, so they ensured that they and all the children were appropriately dressed.
Such is the way with young children that some were more interested than others, though we doubt they really grasped who they were meeting with at the time.
Too Much Attention
There was a lot of media attention when the children were born, and Bobbi and Kenny could have decided to allow a reality TV show to be made about their lives, as is the case in other families with lots of children, or unusual sets of children.
But the McCaugheys decided against that. There were, however, times when the children were featured in the press and on TV.
High School Days
In 2012 the septuplets started high school and were enrolled in the Carlisle High School in Carlisle Iowa.
As with most things that they do, they received a lot of attention on their first day, but as time went on and each one of them settled in, they started to be successful in their studies.
Buffet Style
Feeding seven mouths takes a lot of work, especially when it's no longer just milk. Bobbi and Kenny started to serve the meals as buffets.
The spread was pretty impressive. Even more so, was that as the children got older, they too helped prepare the meals. So perhaps you can't have too many cooks in the kitchen!