With three school-age children, two large dogs, a handful of goldfish in the pond out back and a toad named Jack, life at the Mitrecic household is predictably hectic.

Mornings are about brushing teeth, combing hair, finding book bags and making beds. On alternating weeknights the two boys, 6 and 10, go to their separate football practices. When the 7-year-old doesn't have dance classes, she's at cheerleading practice.

Throw in homework, school activities, more than 50 birthday party invitations and volunteering and you have a rather common tale of a busy life most families with young children know all too well.

At ages 70 and 72 respectively, though, Marilyn and George Mitrecic, of McCandless, will concede that life raising their three grandchildren is anything but typical.

"We talk about school activities and our friends talk about Medicare supplements," Mrs. Mitrecic said with a laugh.

The Mitrecics are among the 80,000 grandparents in Pennsylvania who are responsible for the basic, everyday care of their grandchildren, according to the Pennsylvania Office on Aging.

Nationwide, that number jumps to 4.5 million and continues to grow each year.

While the Mitrecics acknowledge the unique challenges of their situation, they will also say they're blessed. The children keep them young and focused on what really matters: family.

"I have always been a stay-at-home mom," Mrs. Mitrecic said. "My whole life has been about the kids. I take after my grandma who always had room for one more."

During their 52 years of marriage, the Mitrecics raised four natural children, the oldest of whom is now 50. They have cared for 53 foster children and legally adopted two of those babies.

They gained permanent custody of their grandchildren 5 1/2 years ago and now baby-sit their 15-month-old great-granddaughter, Tori, from noon to 5 p.m. five days a week.

Mrs. Mitrecic, whose quick wit and outgoing personality play nicely against her husband's quiet, soft-spoken manner, said this isn't the life she envisioned when she first got married.

"Ohhhh," she said as the crinkles at the corners of her eyes seem to draw up the tips of her smile. "We were going to travel."

The Mitrecics grew up in Hampton and met at a community dance when she was 17 and he was 20.

"We fell in love that night," Mrs. Mitrecic said.

"And I went home and told my mother, 'I just met the woman I'm going to marry,' " said Mr. Mitrecic.

When the first of their natural children left home, empty-nest syndrome settled in, Mrs. Mitrecic said.

"When the first one got married, I started to bring in more," she said.

For the next 37 years, the Mitrecic home was a safe haven for infants and children of every color and special circumstance who needed emergency foster placement. The Mitrecics took in children ranging in age from infants to 8. They would keep them anywhere from 48 hours to 1¹/₂ years.

"And I can remember all of them," Mrs. Mitrecic said.

To keep track, they gave the babies names that started with successive letters of the alphabet.

When speaking of a specific baby or child Mrs. Mitrecic describes them as "beautiful," or "gorgeous." She remembers their bright blue eyes or their long, dark hair. She also remembers the long nights and, yes, all the wet and smelly bottoms.

"If I had half a cent for every diaper I changed I would be loaded," she said.

And then she laughed.

"When people tell me I'm a saint, I tell them I'm St. Pampers of the [poopy] diapers."

While sainthood is a bit of stretch, the dedication of the Mitrecics isn't lost on Carole McMahon, executive director of Genesis of Pittsburgh, a comprehensive program located in Bellevue for women experiencing unexpected pregnancies.

The agency is a licensed foster care and adoption agency that also provides a variety of social services for pregnant women.

"They are the most compassionate people I've met," Ms. McMahon said of the Mitrecics, who have been involved with Genesis since 1994. "If we could be half the people they are, this would be a better world."

Ms. McMahon, who has been with Genesis for more than 25 years, said the couple was always ready to take in a child, no matter what.

"I would call in the middle of the night ... no problem. Spur of the moment? No problem," said Ms. McMahon. "If I called her right now, she would drop whatever she was doing, put the kids in the car and go."

Mr. Mitrecic, a retired accountant and systems analyst, said he doesn't think he and his wife have led an extraordinary life.

"It is always rewarding to help the kids," he said quietly. "I don't think of it as doing anything special."

Mrs. Mitrecic said being a foster parent requires a certain mind-set from the start.

The children she and her husband took in were "special guests" who deserved to be treated like royalty as they got ready to go to their "forever homes."

"Had any of my babies gone back to a bad situation, I would have had a hard time [giving them back]," she said.

Pat Kondis, of Plum, met the Mitrecics a little more than 13 years ago when she went to their house to see the little boy she and her husband were going to adopt. The Mitrecics invited her into their home, welcomed her with open arms and made her feel as though everything was going to be just fine.

The Mitrecics were on the second go-around through the alphabet and were calling the little boy a name that began with D. The Kondis' thought that name sounded just fine, so they kept it, although they asked that it not be publicized in this story.

At the time, Ms. Kondis said she was impressed to learn the Mitrecics had cared for and adopted children of color. The baby she was going to adopt was bi-racial, and Ms. Kondis often turned to Mrs. Mitrecic for advice.

"They see beyond color and see that special thing in each of [the children] ... they see that something that makes [the children] special regardless of what the rest of the world thinks," Ms. Kondis said.

Ms. Kondis and Mrs. Mitrecic still keep in touch.

"All they ever wanted was the best for him and for every one of their kids," Ms. Kondis said. "They show that love transcends generations. Love transcends color."

The Mitrecics stopped providing foster care when took custody of their grandchildren. They prefer not to use the children's names in this article because of potential legal issues and to avoid problems within the family, Mrs. Mitrecic said.

Nowadays, the children, who are African American, keep their "Grandma" and "Pap" busy.

In addition to juggling youth sports, cheerleading and dancing schedules, the couple is known for volunteering at a variety of school events. Last year, Mrs. Mitrecic dressed like a Sumo wrestler and marched in the Halloween parade at the children's school.

Mr. Mitrecic volunteered at Earth Day events and for the school's Olympics. This year, he is a youth coach for the 6-year-old's football team.

Neither is afraid that they might be too old to take care of such young children. They're healthy, and they love caring for their grandchildren.

"I feel we have been blessed to be able to do this," Mrs. Mitrecic said. "And we're young at heart."