Triplets take the same photo for 34 years. Mom couldn’t stop crying when she saw the last one. We take you back to the year 1999 when Karen Schultz and her sons visit their neighbor on a special day. Karen takes a picture of the tough looking triplets. The boys strike a pose and look straight into the camera with confidence.
What Karen did not realize at the time is that this snapshot would be one of many iconic photos. The three brothers posed together for almost 34 years. Try not to cry at the last picture. This photo series started rather unintentionally in 1985. Karen took a photo of the triplets during their first birthday party.
They had mouths full of cake as Karen had made a nice birthday cake for her three boys. What she did not know then was that this photo would turn into a tradition that would last for nearly 34 years. It’s wonderful to see how the boys change over the years. The last photo is exceptionally striking. In the year that followed, they were more aware of their own birthday and were already waiting for their photo moment.
The sign hung and the triplets posed in front of it, laughing. A wonderful next step in a photo report in which you can see how the triplets are getting a year older together, you can already see that each of the boys shows his own personality. Nevertheless, that’s going to get more apparent. When the boys wanted a photo to be taken on their third birthday, Karen decided to make it a tradition. The boys would pose together on their birthday every year.
There were only two requirements. There always had to be a birthday sign and the boys had to stand in the same order Peter on the left, Mark in the middle, and Dennis on the right. What Karen did not know then was that the boys would continue this tradition much longer than she expected. When they turned four, they could go to school for the first time. They were very enthusiastic and soon made friends.
Their new teacher took this creative picture of them. The difference in personalities is clearly visible here. Mark and Dennis were the energetic guys, but Peter preferred lying down quietly. These differences became more and more clear in the years that followed, and this is what makes the last photo so moving. The TRIPLET’S fifth birthday was a little less fun.
Karen suffered from Parkinson’s and had a hard time for a while now. However, that didn’t mean the birthday of these guys shouldn’t be celebrated. She was ready with the cake, the sign, and of course, her camera. The boys posed to keep the tradition alive. Yet the concern can be seen in their faces.
The brothers were proud of each other. All three of them did well at school, especially Peter, pictured on the left, who got excellent grades. He was always the teacher’s favorite because of his gentle nature, his creative mind and clever brain would take him even further. But the future of Peter, unfortunately did not go completely as hoped. The cute boys quickly turned into tough guys and the matching sweaters were changed for the first time this year.
They had their own taste and wanted to wear what they liked, but for the picture, Karen still got all three of them in matching dungarees. The boys change a lot over the years and this will be clear in the future. The 8th birthday marked the last time in the house Karen grew up. In a month after this photo, the house would burn to the ground due to a gas leak. Everyone got out of this unscathed, but losing the house she and the boys grew up in was a heavy blow for the triplets.
The next year they would stay with the neighbor who had become fond of the boys. This year she took the photo with her dear neighbor Wilma. She was a lovely woman with a cozy house, but the boys still miss the house that they lived in all those years. The family lived temporarily in a trailer and would continue to do so until their house was rebuilt. It would take almost a year before they could move in again, but it was worth it because that house would bear a warm memory for the triplets for years to come.
At least this was true for the two of the boys. They would continue the tradition in the garden of their new home. They were happy to have a place to live again. They turned ten and already felt mature. Peter left, had saved up for a new camera and definitely wanted to use it on this special occasion.
He started the timer and the three posed in front of the camera a beautiful photo of the already grown lads, a picture that will be followed by many others. Although nobody could have guessed then that they would take their last photo together in 2018, Peter was the first of the three to have a girlfriend. He was a quiet boy who could speak well. His two brothers, Mark and Dennis, were too little troublemakers and did not like girls at all. But the mild mannered character of Peter was clearly appreciated by one of his classmates.
Peter and Eva often met after school and were very much in love, she said. Unfortunately, the love did not last long. The last year that the boys spent in elementary school was a bit less fortunate. Both Mark and Dennis were happily preparing for high school, but Peter was diagnosed with epilepsy due to an acute and severe seizure. He was often absent from school, but for Karen, this is not the biggest problem.
When Peter was twelve, he had already had 20 serious attacks. The condition made everything difficult and would bother him the rest of his life. Until the very end, Peter’s epilepsy severely troubled him and when his brothers were allowed to go to high school, his parents decided to keep him in elementary school for another year. He didn’t like being separated from his brothers as this happened for the first time in their lives. But he understood the decision.
The attacks were very severe and were also stimulated by new situations. Peter had to take it easy for another year, but his time would certainly come. Peter was doing well, even though everything slowed down by a year. Now he was allowed to join his brothers in high school. In addition, he did it flawlessly.
Peter was the smartest kid in his class and he had one big advantage. He had two brothers with an extra year of experience, brothers who could teach him all the intricacies of being a student. In addition, that’s not all, because the triplets wouldn’t be separated for a long time. The hard working Peter had fought back to his brother’s level. In one year of high school, he was allowed to skip a class.
The tough triplets were finally reunited. They ended the school year with their party and this cool photo. A beautiful picture in which you can clearly see the pop culture of the late 90s. But if you look at the rest of the pictures, you’ll notice that this may be the last year you can call them boys. The year 2000 came and the boys reached the age of 16.
It can be seen in their faces because the boys from before had turned into real men. And for Peter, it was a great year. He met Susan, a person gentle like him, who agreed to be his girlfriend and she was a keeper. Susan kept loving Peter no matter what. That’s why she gets so emotional every time she sees the last picture.
The boys 17th and 18th years of life went smoothly. All three completed their high school successfully and Peter again got excellent grades. Both Mark and Dennis were looking to continue their studies in sports, Mark as a teacher and Dennis as a sports Monsieur. The quiet Peter took a more creative direction and decided to study architecture. He had not suffered from epilepsy for a few years now and started his new phase of life full of positivity.
However, this state would not last long. After a few years of practically no attacks, Peter had one of the most violent attacks ever, just before his 19th birthday. Luckily, someone was there to help him quickly. But this attack had serious consequences that affected his future. Peter suffered from serious concentration problems and anxiety attacks.
He didn’t dare to be alone for too long, but fortunately, his dear brothers came up with a perfect solution. Their studies meant that all three of them had to live in different places of the country. Of course, that wasn’t ideal for triplets who used to be so close. In addition, when Peter needed the help of his brothers, they were more than happy to come to the rescue. They both stopped their studies and Continued them in Berlin, Where Peter lived.
The triplets Were reunited and Peter Could Hardly Hold Back His Tears When He Heard The Good News. Over The Next Few years, the 20 year old Revived Himself. He called These years The Best Years Of His Life. 2008 was A Turbulent Year For The triplets. All three Had Completed Their Studies.
Their great Goal. In addition, Everyone Likes To Share his Or Her Future With The Loved Ones. However, this Turned Out To Be More Difficult Than They Had Expected. Karen, the Mother Of The triplets, Was told she Had A malignant Tumor In her Intestines. Soon, she Needed Care.
Fortunately, The Three Boys Formed A Strong team. They Packed Their things and Moved In With Their Mother. For The Next Three years, they Took Care Of Their Mum. It Was A Period Full Of Ups And Downs, but The Family Was Close Knit and they Got A Lot Of Support From Each Other. Susan, Peter’s girlfriend, Also Moved in and the four of them Shared The Care.