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• 25-to-life in prison for man convicted of murder in Lodi beating

• Should fences be installed to protect people from tracks?

• Railroad continues investigation into crash that killed Lodi teen

• Galt City Council approves temporary ban on medical marijuana shops

• Local school districts step up precautions against swine flu

• Regional Roundup

• Deliberations begin in Lodi travel agent's trial

• Corrections

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (72)
• President Obama's first year (67)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future (60)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (49)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
• Many reject the politics of 'no' (39)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (31)
• Time to shed the convenient sham of 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy (30)

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Quads at 16

Lodi's Addington quadruplets — Jared, Hannah, Haley and Heather — just celebrated their 16th birthday. Now, the down-to-earth high school students are thinking about college and getting behind the wheel.

It’s 7 o’clock on a Thursday evening and the Addington quadruplets are all at home, sitting in the living room of the Pine Street house they have lived in since they were brought home one carseat at a time. “Hey, we’re sitting in the order we were born,” Heather announces, excitedly.

Jared, Hannah and Haley — on the couch, look at each other, and then to Heather who is seated in a recliner. A blanket with her face printed on it hangs over the back of the chair.

You may remember the Addingtons. Born in 1993, they were Lodi’s first quadruplets. Last month, on March 31, the siblings celebrated a huge milestone: Sweet 16. Now, the Lodi High School sophomores are each others’ best friends, and they are eager to get behind the wheel.

Though the quadruplets share everything — birthday parties and friends, a cell phone and, soon, a car — their different personalities are obvious through subtleties.

Jared is the oldest, though the girls might argue that fact, and he is slightly reserved and well-spoken. He is tall, blonder than the girls and his cheeks are red from spending nearly every day on the golf course.

Sitting beside him with bare feet and a hole in her jeans is Hannah, the one who seems to be the quietest even though her sisters tell of her hyper spells. She is the only brunette, whose hair is straight with side-swept bangs. Hannah is the second mother of the house, the one who keeps tabs on both her siblings and parents.

“She can keep us on task ... She let’s us know when we’re failing in our discipline,” their father Randy Addington laughs.

Haley is the third of the quadruplets. Her signature golden hair curls in small waves and hangs down around her face, giving her a hippy-child look. Jared describes her as bubbly, and she agrees with him. Haley is addicted to Instant Messaging, and will even send a message over the Internet to Heather, whose desk nearly touches her own. Usually they send messages like, “What did you get for No. 9 on the homework?”

“I think IM is taking over,” their mother, Dawn Addington said.

Dressed in UGGs and a vest with fur around the hood is Heather, the youngest. She’s talkative and blunt. She’s also the fashionista of the group, the sister who wrote out every detail — from shoes to jewelry — of every outfit she planned on wearing during a recent family trip to Disneyland.They are like any other 16-year-olds, full of smiles and jokes, as well as insecurities and curiousness about where life will take them.

They have ideas of what they will do when their time at Lodi High is over. Hannah wants to work in the health field. Jared might become an engineer or drafter. Heather thinks she’ll do something in the English field. Though they all agree San Joaquin Delta College is a smart — and affordable — college option, Haley is the one looking forward to college most.

“I (always say) I want to go to college to find a husband,” she says, and the rest of the family’s laughter echoes behind her.

With college two years away, the quadruplets are thinking about a slightly more attainable goal: Getting their drivers licenses. Last week, each of the siblings passed their permit test. This means mom and dad are in the market for a small Honda or Toyota their children can share, and they’ll soon be getting a $7,500 insurance bill for the year.

Randy, who works for Constellation Wines, and Dawn Addington, a Lodi nurse, are used to paying about four times as much for their kids as every other parent to a teenager.

“We’ve always lived one step at a time,” Dawn Addington said. She sits back in a big comfy chair, a blanket around her shoulders.

There has been a plus side to having all four children at once. They may face one big challenge at a time, but when it’s over, it’s over. They had to buy a lot of diapers, but each of the kids were out of them around the same time. They could go through $60 of formula a day, but they only had to go through it once. The same goes for large expenses, such as car insurance and cars.

You might expect the siblings to want their own cars, to be able to drive wherever they want by themselves or by their own friends, but that’s not the case. They mostly hang out together, whether they’re at home or hanging out with friends from St. Anne’s Church, where they spend a lot of their time.

“We’re used to sharing,” they say together as they talk about sharing one phone, the same friends or bedrooms.

Though the Addingtons cost for raising teenagers is, well, quadrupled, the teens aren’t without. The closets are full of clothes, and they aren’t forced to share clothes. Because homework is a major activity in their household, each of the kids has a computer and desk area. In his bedroom, Jared keeps four sets of golf clubs that he uses to play on the Lodi High golf team, as well as when he sneaks away to golf with his dad.

“They are very, very unselfish kids,” Randy Addington said. “They really don’t want anything. They are thankful for what they have.”

When it came to getting a cell phone, the siblings weren’t that interested; but it was their parents who wanted to be able to stay in touch. And for his birthday, Jared said all he wanted was a contribution in his college fund.

Each sibling finds independence in their own way — in their personal style, their interests and hobbies.

Until recently, the three sisters shared a single bedroom, and they enjoyed it.

“We had good midnight conversations,” Heather said.

Hannah, who likes to wake up early and couldn’t sleep while Heather stayed up late, moved into her own bedroom at the other end of the house. She is kept company by a fish tank full of guppies and her two rats, Ollie and Remy.

At the end of the evening, the quadruplets are gathered closer together in the living room. Haley sits on the edge of the big chair with her mom.

“Even with how big they are, someone is still always on my lap,” she said.

Dawn Addington conceived the quadruplets using in-vitro fertilization. Four eggs were implanted with he hopes that one would survive.

The process is something that has been part of the controversy surrounding Nadya Suleman, who has been dubbed “Octomom.” Though the Addingtons can probably understand her situation a little more, it’s not something they really think about. Dawn Addington actually gets questioned more.

“A lot of people did ask me, but I would say no comment. There are a lot of emotions involved ... and I can’t say what she’s gone through,” Dawn said.

Of course, they heard their share of comments after their four babies were born. People would say things like, “Better you than me,” and “Oh my gosh, just wait until their teenagers,” Randy Addington said.

Little did Randy and Dawn Addington know that the teenage years would be of the best parts of raising the four children.

“I love the teenage years,” Dawn Addington said. “They can do everything (for themselves).”

As the teenage years approached, their quadruplets relationships started to change too.

“I’ve observed that we’ve become closer since (the start of high school,) Haley said.

On New Year’s Eve, they made a pact to share their thoughts with each other, to hold nothing back.

“I think we were afraid we would judge each other, that someone would say, ‘that’s stupid’,” Haley said, still sitting with her mom.

“Now we can give advice back,” Jared added.

Mom and dad didn’t know about the pact, but they’re look says it all: They are proud — four times over.

Contact Lodi Living Editor Lauren Nelson at laurenn@lodinews.com.