Friendly family competition is what the Krauses do best. Whether it be 3-on-3 basketball in the backyard, board games, getting the best grades or playing for their high school baseball or softball teams at Mountain View High School, these quadruplets are always trying to outdo their siblings, but it’s all done with love.

Amber, Jeramy, Calista and Zachary are a lot closer than most siblings, all born just a few minutes apart from each other. Their older brother, Jared, was just four years old when the quadruplets came into the picture.

Rhonda and Paul Krause both knew there was a high possibility of having twins, but they didn’t expect to hear they were having quadruplets when they went in for their first sonogram appointment.

“Even the doctor wasn’t expecting that. She handed us a business card and said we needed to see this doctor because she would know what to do,” Rhonda said. “Paul and I looked at each other and I said, “Well now we have a basketball team.”

Although the Krauses enjoy a friendly game of basketball in the backyard, the kids are all involved in sports at Mountain View High School. Amber and Calista are both starters on the varsity softball team and both boys are starters on the JV baseball team.

Baseball was a big part of Paul’s life but both he and his wife grew up with a love for sports and their relationship flourished because of it.

“When Paul and I started dating we would play basketball with groups,” Rhonda said. “We were also on a co-ed softball team, and we were on a bowling team.”

Rhonda played volleyball, basketball and ran track when she was in high school. She also played softball recreationally but did not pursue it as much as the other sports.

Paul and Rhonda raised the kids to be involved with sports because they wanted them to be active and spend time outdoors together. As the kids have gotten older, they have made new friends and started to find their independence outside of the family but none of them would change a thing about their upbringing.

“It’s like growing up with any other siblings, I feel like,” Amber said. “There’s not very many dull moments. We are all kept really busy and at least you always have someone with you so if you don’t know someone you always have that person next to you.”

Rhonda and Paul helped the kids find their independence at a young age.

“We were always together, but my parents always made it so we were split apart,” Calista said. “At our elementary school there were four classes for each grade so we would always get split up.”

Jeramy agrees that growing up with three siblings the same age was always exciting.

“It’s all that I know. I don’t know anything different,” Jeramy said. “It is definitely a different adventure every day though.”

Jeramy says he is closest with Zachary because he’s the other boy and they play on the same baseball team.

“We shared everything growing up and he’s just the other guy, so we just do more together,” Jeramy said. “But really, every day we all have a different favorite. It could be everyone picking on one person or joking around.”

Jeramy’s favorite thing to do as a family is gathering everyone up for some 3-on-3 basketball in the backyard. Jeramy said he is the best basketball player out of all his siblings while the other kids have their own specific talents.

“I just like to be active and doing something. Since there’s so many people in the house I figured we might as well be doing something together, so I usually try to get everyone to play,” Jeramy said.

Although they claim to have grown apart just a bit over the years, one thing they truly have in common is their competitive nature.

Zachary, the youngest, is also nicknamed “the brain” because he always has the best grades and the most difficult classes. He says this is what makes him different than his siblings, even though they are also good students.

“I actually kind of like the nickname. I have the best grades and the hardest classes in the family. That’s what makes me a little bit different and I like that about me,” Zachary said. “We always try to be better than the other person but that’s where I have the upper hand.”

“It never stops,” Amber said. “We’re all competing for something whether it’s like grades, sports, who can lift more, who can run faster, who can hit more homers.”

Every Krause has their thing. Amber claims to have hit more homers than her siblings, while Jeramy is the best at basketball, Calista dominates in board games and card games and Zachary always has the best grades.

Rhonda and Paul are happy that the kids are so competitive because then they don’t have to worry about them making good grades or getting into any trouble because their competitive nature keeps them in line.

“Honestly, it was stressful then, but now looking back we wouldn’t have changed a thing,” Paul said. “It was a true blessing.”