Pete Rodman/Daily News(From left)Brandon and Penelope Monts, each 14 months old, eat lunch Monday afternoon at their house in Franklin, Ky.

FRANKLIN — Austin and Brandon Monts looked around sleepily, each held by a parent as they got ready for their late morning nap.

Their sister, Penelope, was already tucked away in her crib – not a surprise as she has already established herself as a leader by being the first of the three to crawl, walk and talk.

“She says ‘dada’ all the time,” Steve Monts said, smiling.

Steve and Julie Monts recently celebrated a year with their now 14-month-old triple blessings. Being new parents was challenging enough, but being the parents of triplets brought its own set of learning experiences for the Franklin couple.

“God definitely watched over us the whole way through,” Steve said as he and Julie settled down for a rare moment of quiet as the triplets napped. “Every child is a blessing.”

When the Montses found out they were having three children instead of one, they were very surprised. Julie said she nearly fainted.

“I was feeling a little hot,” she said, laughing. “God answers your prayers.”

Steve said he was pretty excited.

“I didn’t know how much work it would take,” he said, laughing. “Ignorance is bliss.”

While most people would feel overwhelmed by the idea of taking care of three infants, Steve and Julie were well-equipped to deal with it. Steve, a preacher at 31-W North Church of Christ, could stay home and study while helping Julie if she needed it. Julie is a registered dietitian, so when she developed gestational diabetes, she knew how to eat healthy to protect herself and the babies.

“God certainly knew what he was doing,” Steve said. “We are very blessed.”

Julie went into premature labor at 26 weeks and had to be on bed rest for seven weeks. The triplets were born at 35 weeks by cesarean section on March 15, 2010, at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. Austin and Penelope each weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce, and Brandon weighed 4 pounds, 15 ounces. All three were healthy.

“I’d say for triplets (the pregnancy) went very well,” Julie said.

After a few days in the hospital, the Montses and the triplets went home. Their days were filled with feedings, changing diapers and doing laundry. They weren’t alone, though. They got help from their families and the members of the church congregation, who prayed for the family and brought them meals.

“Steve got very good at using the microwave,” Julie said, laughing.

Steve laughed.

“The first two months were the hardest. I felt like I was a zombie,” he said. “You had two people take a shift, and then another person to help them out. You were good if you got two or three hours of sleep.”

It was different once they started sleeping through the night, but that didn’t mean the new parents weren’t a little anxious.

“You’d break out in a sweat because you just knew they were all going to cry at the same time,” Julie said.

Eventually the family settled into a routine. The babies gained weight and began showing individual personalities. Penelope is serious, Austin likes food and loves to cuddle, and Brandon loves adventure and has an infectious smile and laugh, their parents said.

“It was a joy to see that coming out,” Steve said.

Now that the children are a bit older, the Montses plan to get as close as they can to what normal life was like before they were born. They will take the children with them when they take the Gospel door to door in Franklin. They also want to travel more.

“When we were younger, we used to go to Branson, Mo.,” Steve said. “We’d like to take them and enjoy the things we enjoyed as children.”

As for having more children, the couple agreed they wouldn’t mind adding another one or two.

“Before we had these three, we never thought about having a big family,” Julie said. “I’ll never say I’m bored again.”

Steve said he can’t remember what life was like before the triplets.

“You never get it until you have some of your own. You wouldn’t want life to be any other way,” he said. “You wouldn’t want it to be any different. It’s been the best year of our life.”