Figuring it Out *COMPLETE*

[Ally3772]

I snuck into Raelyn's room while she was sleeping. I checked her board of badges for her scout and she seemed to be working hard for all of the badges. She wasn't that far into it but I knew that she would get there eventually. I walked over to her bed and watched her for a few moments before leaning over and tucking her in.

"What are you doing?" Johnathan asked, startling me.

"I just wanted to check on her." I whispered.

"She's fine, let her sleep."



"Addison should be waking up for a feeding." I told him.

"Go downstairs and make the bottle and I'll go in there." He smiled.

I headed downstairs, it was hard to believe that in a short while Addison was going to be a toddler. I finished the bottle and headed back upstairs and smiled at the sight of John cuddling Addison who was just peacefully resting in his arms. I felt very proud knowing that I had a happy and healthy family and I was very happy. It was moments like these that I knew that I made the right choice in picking him. I never should have had to choose between family and him in the first place but knowing how good he was at being a father and a husband made me glad of my choice.

"Here is her bottle." I said.

"Thanks baby."



The next day Rae got home from school and just dropped her backpack at the door. She sighed and started for the stairs.

"Hey Rae, come here for a moment." I said.

She shuffled over to me and sat down on the couch across from me. I grabbed her hands and looked at her.

"You are very pretty." I told her.

"Thanks." She said.

She looked down at our hands and didn't say anything else.

"I want you to be honest with me about something, okay?"

She nodded.

"Is there something going on at school? Are there other children giving you a hard time?"

I could tell that I hit the mark by the way her body language shifted.

"You can tell me sweet heart."

I brushed the hair from her face.

"The other kids saw you and dad." She said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They saw that dad was... dark skinned and that you were..."

"White?" I predicted.

She nodded sadly.

"Are they bullying you about that? That your father and I have different skin colors?"

"They're saying that I'm adopted because you are white and I'm not."

"What?! Oh honey, you are not adopted. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with being adopted but you are absolutely your father and I's child."

"But why am I not white like you?"

"Because you have your fathers skin tone, and that is perfectly fine. You aren't less of a person because you come from parents who are two different colored skin. At the end of the day we are all human and it doesn't matter what color skin we have. If these kids continue to give you issues promise me that you will tell your father and I or go to the principal, okay?"

"Okay mama, can I go do crafts?"

"Of course."



...

"I finally figured out what is wrong with Rae." I told Johnathan.

"Yeah?" He asked.

We sat down at the table for a snack while Rae was busy with badges and Addison was sleeping.

"Some kids at school are picking on her because you are darker skinned and I am white and they think that something is wrong with that."

"Well that's not acceptable, they are just misinformed. It doesn't mean that we love her less or that she is less of a human being."

"That's what I told her, and I told her that if it continues to bring it up to us or the principal."

"Good."

"I honestly may just send a email to the principal about the situation so that she can keep an eye out or even address it in a way that the other children won't know that Rae said anything."

"That's a good idea."

Johnathan went to walk Sumo who has been antsy all day. I cleaned up from our snack and looked out the window. I was glad that we found out what was wrong with Raelyn because it was starting to bother me. To think that this was still an issue now amazed me, so what if Johnathan and I had different color skin? I sighed and cleaned up the kitchen until Addi decided that she needed my attention.




...

"It's insane how many leaves we have!" I said walking outside.

It was getting colder now and all the trees were losing their leaves which meant constant raking for us.

"We could have a nice fire with them at least." Johnathan giggled.

"Sumo seems to be enjoying it."

He was on his back with his paws in the air and sleeping.



"He's something else alright." Johnathan said.

Raelyn walked outside holding a box.

"What is that kiddo?" I asked, placing my hand on her back.

"I have a project for school, daddy can you help me with it?" She asked.

"Of course, I will be there in a second."

She went to set up in the front yard so that she had more room.



And just like that, Addison grew up to be a toddler.



It was time to child proof the house now. Welp.

Hello! I am sooooo sorry it's been so long! Blame the new Spider-Man game for PS4 for sucking me in! I'm back though! Hope you guys enjoyed this update!

[Shewolf13]

Bahahaha, another game strikes!  It happens.  Good to see you back ^^ Glad that Rae finally told her mama what was going on.  And oh my, Addison is too cute!

[Ally3772]

"What are you doing outside?" Johnathan asked.

"I'm practicing for the next time I am going to kick your butt." I told him.

He just looked at me as I dribbled the basket ball.

"You think you can beat me?" He asked.

"No, I know I can."

"Whatever you say dear."

I gave him an evil look and continued to do tricks with the ball.



As you could see from the ground, fall was beginning to come to an end and winter was showing it's very cold head. It hadn't snowed quite yet but I knew that it was around the corner. I was excited to see Addison's reaction to snow though so I was ready for it. I went to the mall the other day and bought her some winter clothes so that she wouldn't freeze. I took Raelyn with me and she was able to find a few things as well. It was nice to have some mother daughter bonding time with just her and I because we didn't get to do that very often. I made a note that we would have to do more of that every once in a while. I was in the kitchen making dinner when John walked through the door with a few more things I needed from the store.

"I think I'm getting sick." I told him.

"I told you that you shouldn't be outside for that long in the cold." He told me.

I just rolled my eyes. My nose was all runny and my stomach was doing flip flops and the food was just making it worse. Next time I was going to be putting on some warmer clothes in order to stop this from happening. I was used to warmer weather I suppose.

"Hey hon, will you go tell Rae that dinner is almost ready?" I asked.

"Of course."

Raelyn was going through a phase where all she wanted to do was stay in her pajamas. I was giving it a week before I intervened but for now I didn't see the problem with it.




"So how is school going?" I asked.

Raelyn played with her peas as she shrugged.

"Not getting any better?"

"The principal did have an assembly about it, but I'm still having issues with the other kids."

"I'll go in on Monday and talk to her about it."

"No, it's fine. They'll get bored eventually."

I looked at her for a moment.

"Well, if they don't let us know."

After supper I helped Raelyn with her homework while John read Addison to bed. It seemed like she preferred to have Johnathan put her to sleep which was fine with me. It was nice that she was able to bond with him just as much as she did with me.



I was super proud of Raelyn, she was making all A's in her classes and she was even close to being an honor roll student. Other then the students picking on her she was loving school and looked forward to it most of the time. She of course had those few days where she would not want to get out of bed but that was normal for children to do. She however hated the cold so this winter was probably going to be a long one for her.

"Rae sweetie, can you take Sumo out for a walk after you finish your homework?" I asked.

"Of course mama." She said.

"Do you need any help?"

"No, a few more problems in math and I should be okay."

I smiled.




...

"Addi what did you do!" I gasped.

I walked upstairs to find Addison standing in a mess with Sumo looking confused.

"Sumo! What did your sister do?!"

He tilted his head to the side and looked at Addi as she giggled and squealed.

"Let's get this cleaned up, but watch the messes next time silly girl."



A couple weeks had passed and the snow was slowly starting to fall. Johnathan was in the living room watching a movie. I walked in slowly biting my bottom lip and carefully sat down on the couch. I waited a few minutes while he continued to watch the movie that I had no idea what it was about and didn't really care at that moment.

"How is the movie?" I asked.

"It's really good, I can restart it if you would like." He said.

"No, it's fine."

He looked at me and smiled a little, I tried to give him a smile but it came off more awkward.

"Everything okay?"

"Depends." I told him.

"On?"

"On how you would feel about another baby?" I asked slowly.

He gave me a blank stare for a moment.

"You're pregnant?"

I nodded. 

"Wow."

"I know, and I know Addi is still a toddler and it wasn't planned and-"

"Baby, baby it's okay. We'll be fine and figure it out. We always said we wanted a big family, right?"

"So you're okay with it?"

"Of course I am! We're going to have a baby!"

He pulled me into a hug and with that I believed that we were going to be alright.

Baby number three and go!

[Shewolf13]

Oh that picture of Addy and Sumo was just adorable!  Woo, can't wait to see baby number 3!

[Ally3772]

"I feel different." I told Johnathan.

"How?" He asked.

"I don't know, but something just seems off."

"Do we need to go to the hospital?" He asked concerned.

"I don't think so."

"How about you go rest."

I went upstairs and crawled into bed. I wasn't in any pain, but I had this weird sense that something was wrong. I felt fine and I was sure the baby was fine but this lingering feeling just wasn't sitting right with me. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I tried to relax enough to rest.



Johnathan's POV

"I want to show this to mama!" Raelyn said.

"Not now sweetie, she is sleeping." I told her.

"But I made it for her and the baby."

I smiled and looked down at the clay bunny she was holding in her hands. We told her about the baby shortly after we found out and she was so excited. Ever since it was all she talked about recently and all of the people that she knew at school knew as well. We tried telling Addison but I don't think that she realized what was happening because she is still small herself.



"Set it down by the couch and we will show it to her when she is awake." I told Raelynn.

"What do you think the baby will be?" She asked me.

"Well, between you and I? I'm hoping for a boy, but I will love the baby no matter what."

"I think it's going to be another girl."

"That does seem to be the pattern." I giggled.

Most people would think I want a boy for only one reason. The typical father-son bonding over sports and men things, but honestly I just wanted a change. I loved my girls to pieces and I would never trade them for the world, but a boy would be a nice change of pace. I didn't talk about my parents a lot or my childhood. I had that typical father that wanted me to play basket ball and I never argued. He had been through enough with losing mom so I wanted to make him happy. We lost mom to a fatal car crash, it was the summer I got my drivers permit with my entire class. Only I didn't want to drive and the kids never understood that because I didn't tell them about my mom. It took me almost a year to get into a car long enough to learn how to drive it. It wasn't that I hated basketball be cause I didn't, it was actually a good way to take my stress and anger out.

Elisha's family obviously didn't like me and that was clear from the very beginning. I knew she struggled with it and I made it clear that I was not going to force her to choose between her family and I. That would not be fair for me to do to her, but it didn't matter because she knew what her decision was before I brought it up. We get phone calls every once in a while from one of her sisters but never her parents. A very small part of me felt guilty for them not meeting the girls, but that guilt was for the girls' sake. Though in all honesty I don't think I would want them around such hate and ignorance especially with Rae having the same issues at school.



Elisha's POV

I still had the lingering feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I wasn't going to dwell on it. I had two beautiful girls and a wonderful husband, I knew this baby would be fine.

"Addi, come inside it's cold!"

"Outside!" She squealed.

"It's food time you silly thing."

Addison didn't understand the weather changes yet.



"What do you think it is?" John asked.

"I feel like it's going to be a girl." I giggled.

He groaned before bending down to my stomach, which was getting bigger and bigger.

"It's daddy, listen. I know you already have a gender and I will love you no matter what, but you need to come out as a boy okay? I need to prove to your mother that we don't have the only girl curse."

I giggled.

"Good, I think he heard me." He grinned.

"Goof."




"Sumo you're such a good boy!" I told him.

"PEAS!" Addi screamed.

"Yes! Peas!" John giggled.

"You're a strange child." I told her.

"We need to think of the nursery." John said.

"Oh, for the girl?"

"Har har, it could be boy."

"Uh. Huh."



"Goodnight baby." I whispered, tucking Addison into bed.

"Night mama." She said.

I stood up from kissing her and immediately felt a pain.

"Mama?" Addi said, noticing me in pain.

"I'm fine, mama is fine." I told her as I forced a smile.



I quickly left the room before leaning against the wall, it was the worst pain I've felt in a while. Was this my feeling? The last thing I remember seeing before everything went black was Raelynn coming up the stairs as I saw the ground getting closer to my face.

"MOM!"

I'm fine...

Cliff hanger! WOO!

[Shewolf13]

Oh no! So not fair! On the edge of my seat

[Ally3772]

"It's called bed rest for a reason." Johnathan said.

"If I stay in that bed for ANY longer I am going to lose my mind." I groaned.

He led me back to the bed and helped me sit down and prop myself on the pillows.

"It's barely been a week, you need to relax."

"I'm fine!"

"Your blood pressure sky rocketed causing you to pass out in front of our daughter, you are not fine." 

I huffed.

"I'll go make you some tea."

He kissed my forehead and left the room.

Johnathan rushed me to the hospital right after Raelyn got him. The doctors were quick to find out that it was because my blood pressure spiked dangerously high and that is why I passed out. I was given medicine to help along with my favorite part, bed rest. For the entire rest of my pregnancy! I was just suppose to sit in bed all day doing absolutely nothing and I was going crazy. I was allowed to be on my feet for an hour or if I had to use the bathroom. I could also only take baths because showers would mean standing longer. We did find out some good news in all of this mess though. We decided to find out the sex of the baby while we were there and we were having a baby boy. John almost cried right then and there, of course we would have been happy if it were another girl but we were excited for a change. It was also nice to know we weren't cursed with all girls because teenage girls could be a handful I heard. After we got home Johnathan started right away on the nursery because he was that excited.



Johnathan was waiting on me hand and foot. I loved him for it, but I was still struggling with having everything done for me. On top of taking care of me though he was taking care of the children as well. Raelyn had a huge week at school with projects, homework, and they had activities for the kids throughout the week. Addison also has been going through some kind of phase where she wants to constantly be attached to the hip to one of us. A lot of the time though John would take her though so I could sleep, but I didn't mind having her in the bed with me. I felt bad though one day when I walked into the bathroom and found John passed out cold in the bathtub. He was so tired, but I knew that he wasn't going to listen to me when I told him he needed to slow down.



We were having a very mild winter which was already almost over. The snow was slowly starting to melt which meant the kids could be outside some more as long as they were dressed right. I walked outside during my one house up time to find Addison in the backyard absolutely covered in mud.

"Addi!" I scolded.

"MUD!" She cheered.

"Yes, there is mud all over you."

She giggled.



"Come on silly girl."

I walked over and picked her up and walked into the house.

"Pool!" She said pointing to the bathtub.

"No, that is the tub." I corrected.

"Pool." She repeated.

"How about this, we give you a bath and then we will put you into the pool. It doesn't seem too cold out today."

She clapped.




"What are you doing?!" Johnathan scolded as he walked into the back yard.

"Addison wanted to go into the pool." I told him.

"Your hour was up half an hour."

"I'm sitting down!"

He sighed.

"Let me spend some time with her in the pool and I promise I will be upstairs again."

"Fine."



"If I get much bigger I am going to be confused with a whale." I groaned.

"Stop that!" John scolded.

We were nearing the home stretch which I was happy for. I love being pregnant, but this time around it was harder because of my blood pressure and bed rest. I just wanted to be able to move around and do what I wanted to do. I also felt like I was slacking in the mom department because I couldn't be there for the girls like I used to be.



Raeylyn had been a huge help with Addi though, and I was glad to see those two bonding more. They needed to have each others backs through life and now they would have a little brother to add to the mix.

"Addi and Raelyn are in the backyard." John told me.

It was back to bed with me, he covered up my legs with the blanket and made sure I had enough pillows.

"Is Rae done with her homework?" I asked.

"Yes, and she is working on some badges tonight."

"How is that going?"

"She seems to be ahead of everyone in scouts."

"That's my girl."



...

My due date had come and gone and I was still pregnant.

"There has to be a way to get him to come out." I groaned.

"It'll happen when he is ready." John giggled.

"Well I'M ready."

"I know you are."

"Where is Addi?" I asked.

"She is taking a nap in her room and Raelyn is working on homework."

"Good, will you go get my fuzzy socks?" I asked.

He smiled and walked into the laundry room to fetch my favorite pair of socks. I hummed and looked around the room before I felt a sudden gush of water start to spread across my thighs.

"Oh no." I whispered.

My eyes went wide.

"Okay, here are your socks." John said walking back in.

"Uh, John?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"My water just broke."

It took about five seconds for us to enter go mode. John grabbed my bag before getting a neighbor to watch the kids. Because of my blood pressure being a risk the doctor felt it was best to have the baby at the hospital this time. So we got into the car and headed to the hospital, the gowns were very ugly and yellow along with the blue booties we had to wear on our feet.



But, it was all worth it.

Because once we got home we had a little baby boy.

"Welcome to the world, Trenton."

[Ally3772]

"Don't tell anyone, but I'm super excited you were a boy." Johnathan whispered.

I smiled as I leaned against the door way.

"It's going to be you and I against the girls. Now, they have a head start and the lead with three against one, but I think we can handle ourselves."

He was feeding Trent for me while I was suppose to be working on laundry. I smiled and walked back into the laundry room and moved the clothes from the washer into the dryer. I was shocked that being a mother of three wasn't harder then I thought it was going to be. I was extremely tired, but I was slowly getting used to the random sleepless nights. Trenton didn't wake up too many times in the night, but John had a habit of getting up with him. I wasn't about to complain about that though because it meant more sleep for me.



"Smells wonderful!" John said walking into the kitchen.

"Thank you!" I smiled.

He sat down at the island.

"Kid update?"

"Trenton is fed, changed, and asleep. Addi is upstairs talking to her kitty stuffed animal, they seem to be hitting it off. Raelyn is upstairs working on her project for school and then she is going to be working on her final badge for the scouts."

"I can't believe that she is going to be a teenager soon." I told him.

"Addi is going to be a child soon after that as well."

I sighed, "It really does go by fast."



"I love you so much!" Raelyn said as she leaned over the bassinet.

Trent kicked his legs and smiled up at her.

"Mama! He smiled at me!"

"That's great!" I grinned.

I watched as she hovered over her little brother and I could tell that she loved him already.



My phone buzzed and I looked down at it, my sister.

Someone told me you had another baby. ~A

I did.

Were you planning on telling us? ~A

Why should I? So you guys could judge them?

When are you going to drop this? ~A

When you guys come to your senses and realize that Johnathan is a great man.

You know mom and dad, they're stuck in the past. ~A

Doesn't mean that you guys have to be.

Whatever. If this is how you are going to act then have a good life. ~A

Thank you.

I rolled my eyes and walked down the hall. Johnathan was walking out of the spare room carrying Addison.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"She fell asleep on the floor." He whispered.

I shook my head.

"I don't know how she can do that."



...

"We're celebrating your sisters' birthdays today. Raelyn is now a teenager and Addison is a child." I told Trent.

He looked up at me as I rocked him.

"You're growing so fast as well, soon you will be a toddler and that scares me. You kids are just getting so big, it was like I blinked and it was over. I just hope that you guys will still need me just a little bit longer." I told him.



"Of course the kids will still need you." John said, making me jump.

"It's going so fast John, I'm not ready."

"I know baby."

I sighed and put Trenton back into the bassinet.

"We should go back downstairs and do the cake." I told him.

He nodded and followed me downstairs.

Raelyn was now a teenager and Addison was a child.




At least now we had an extra set of hands to help with Trent when we needed it and I know that Rae wouldn't mind because she loved her siblings.



The kids are growing! It seems like Rae was just a toddler not that long ago!

[Shewolf13]

Oh wow! How is Rae a teen anyway!? And welcome little Trent!

[Ally3772]

Johnathan's POV

"Johnathan?"

I turned around to find Elisha standing in the doorway of our bedroom.

"Oh, hey." I said.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

She walked over to me and saw what I was standing and staring at. I didn't know how to answer that question so I just remained quiet.

"You haven't looked at this picture in a while." She whispered as she rubbed my back.

"It's been ten years."

She looked at me as if she was saying sorry with her eyes. She leaned her head on my shoulder and looked at the photo in my hand. The frame was a soft wooden blue and in the middle it held a picture of two people. Those two people were my mother and father, and in the middle of them was a teenage me. It was the last picture we had ever taken together and the last photo I have of them. At the time we didn't know that would be the last because no one ever plans on anything ever being the last. I sighed and put the picture back on the shelf and hugged Elisha close to me. I continued to look at the picture though, and suddenly everything from that night came back.

"I don't understand why you won't let me go!" I grumbled.

"Your mother wants to spend some time with you, and so do I." Dad told me.

"But we need to practice ball!" I told him.

"You can do that tomorrow."

I groaned and went to put my shoes on.

"So the show starts at 5:30, if we leave now we will get there with enough time for popcorn!" Mom said as she walked into the living room with her purse in hand.

"We can't forget the nachos!" Dad told her.

"With extra cheese, just for you." Mom said ruffling my hair.

"Mooom." I groaned as I fixed my hair.

"Teenagers." She giggled.

"This movie better be good." I told her.

Dad sighed as I stood up.

"Can we please just have a nice family night?" Mom asked.

"Fine."

We walked to the car. As usual dad got into the drivers seat, mom got into the passenger seat, and I got into the back and sat behind mom. I put my seat belt on and looked out of the window as dad pulled out of the driveway and headed down the street. It was a fairly nice day outside and the sun was just setting so it was slowly getting darker out. Dad flipped on the radio and I groaned, probably for the twentieth time that night, another oldies station. I fumbled in my sportsman jacket, my basket ball one, and dug out my ear buds and phone. I put the ear buds in and started to listen to my own music. It was loud enough to drown out the oldies music my parents enjoyed so much.

"We're embarrassing our son, even in the car." Dad said, loud enough for me to hear.

Mom glanced back and tapped me on my knee, I gave her a small smile before she turned back around.

"He's a teenager honey, we embarrass him before even leaving the house." She said.

It was true, they were pretty embarrassing. Especially the time when mom came downstairs in her nightgown and robe with her hair curlers and face cream on. It was the one night I had the team over for a get together and she just waltzed in like it was no big deal. The guys laughed at me for weeks after that and I swore I would never forgive her, but she had promised never to do it again. It wouldn't matter anyway because I doubt the team would ever willingly come to the house again.

Mom turned back around to look at me, she tapped me on the knee and motioned me to take my ear buds out.

"We're almost there, where do you want to sit?" She asked.

"I don't care." I told her.

"Oh come on sweetie, where do you want to sit?"

"Mom! I really don't care okay?!"

She sighed.

"Okay."

She attempted to smile, but I knew she was disappointed in my lack of interest.

"Well, you can choose when we get there anyway." She said.

"Fine."

"And please just try to have-"

"DAD!"

I had cut mom off by screaming at dad, mom quickly turned back around in enough time to see the car in the opposite lane fly around the sharp corner and fling into our lane. Dad tried to swerve and stop the car but it was too late. It all happened so fast and before I could register what had happened we were hanging upside down.

"Mom?"

"Dad?"

Neither of them answered, I was stuck because my seat belt wasn't coming undone. I groaned and tried to see clearly but everything was blurry and the car in front of us had their headlights on so I was blinded by that. I could see that the windshield was shattered and mom was laying halfway in the car and halfway on the pavement. She was buckled in, wasn't she? When she turned around to talk to me she was buckled in. Dad was hanging upside down and unconscious but was still in his seat belt.

"MOM!"

"DAD!"

...

I stood with my hands folded in front of me staring blankly a head. The team came and each of them formed a line to pay their respects and to come tell me that they were sorry. It was nice, but at the time I didn't care. Right now I was staring at two coffins that were holding my parents and soon they would be covered in dirt and never seen again and it was my fault. It was just two weeks after I was released out of the hospital and I was still on crutches for my broken leg. The doctor said I should return to basketball after a while, but who cared about that. I didn't even want to go to the stupid movie and if I hadn't made such a big deal about it my parents would have been alive. They were so distracted trying to get me to get excited about family night that they missed the idiot in the other car. He lived, but that's usually how it works out isn't it? The cops charged him with murder and he was responsible to pay for the medical bills and funeral cost. At least he wasn't going to get away with it.

"How are you holding up?"

I looked up and it was coach.

"I'm fine."

"Listen, I worked it out and you are going to be staying with me for a while okay?"

"Thanks coach, but I'll be-"

"I won't hear it, it's settled."

I nodded my head.

My life would never be the same.

It never was the same, however a week later I met Elisha. I missed my parents a lot of course, but I had an amazing life at this moment. I liked to believe that they were still with me today and they were looking down on their grandchildren. They wouldn't of had any issue with Elisha like her family had with me. My mother would have ate her up and I could just see her in the kitchen with mom and just baking up a storm. Dad would be the one to brag about how good I was at basket ball, even though she already knew that, and how proud of me he was. I smiled at the thought and kissed Elisha's forehead.

...

Elisha's POV

"Happy birthday Sumo!" I said patting his head.

It was sad, but Sumo was now and elder.



I looked out of the window and Rae and Addison were outside shooting hoops.

"I TOTALLY made that!" Raelyn groaned.

"Yeah whatever! You missed it by a mile!" Addie teased.

"Shut up twerp!"

"HEY!"

I giggled as I watched them bicker.

"HA! Short stuff, you can't make a basket either."

"So I was a little off!"



They played for a few more hours before coming back in and showering.

Raelyn came into the kitchen and smiled at me.

"Hi honey." I said smiling.

"Need help?" She asked.

"I think I'm good for now, but thank you."

"Okay." She said.

A second later I heard Trenton crying from upstairs.

"Shoot, your father is doing the laundry. Would you mind going to see what he needs?" I asked.

"Of course!"

She loved her little brother so I figured she wouldn't fuss about helping.



...

"Ooo what is this?" I asked.

John came up to me smiling and pulled me in his arms.

"Oh!"

He looked me in the eyes and just softly kissed me. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around him.



"What was that for?" I asked.

"For being an amazing mother and an amazing wife." He told me.

"Well now, I should find a way to do an even better job." I giggled.

"No possible, but you will still get kisses."

"I can't complain about that."

He smiled and kissed my nose.

Before we knew it Trent grew up to be a toddler and he was blessed with my bright red hair.



He also tended to be a little more clingy then I remember the girls being, but I wasn't going to complain about that because I would take whatever I could get. If I learned anything after having Raelyn it was that they grew up way too fast. Soon he would cuddle me for the last time, let me pick him up for the last time, and so forth and so on. So I would cherish whatever I could get when he gave it to me.

"This is Sumo, he's the family dog. He tends to stick around me though." Rae told Trent.

They were sitting on the couch in the nursery while John and I worked on setting up his new room.

"SU!" Trent said.

Rae giggled, "SU is fine for now. We'll work on that."

BARK!

"WOOF!" Trent copied.

"Very good!" She cheered.

Trent clapped.

"He's not mean, so whenever you want to pet him you can."



"Your room is almost done little man." Johnathan told him.

"BED!" Trenton shouted.

"Yes! But let's work on our inside voice." He told him.

Trent just looked at him blankly.

"When we are inside we talk normally, no shouting."

"Oay"

I giggled.

"Come here."



"Okay! Trent your lunch is ready." I called.

"I'm going to go back upstairs and keep working." John said.

"Okay, love you."

"Love you too."

I picked up Trent and tried to put him in his seat but he squirmed and kicked at it.

"NO!"

"Come on Trent." I told him.

"No chair!"

I sighed.

"Fine, but if Sumo eats your ham sandwich then it's on you."

I put him back down and he sat on the floor, Sumo was already sitting there like normal. I grabbed his plate and handed it to him as he put it on his lap and grabbed a half.

"Tanks."

"You are welcome."



I walked back upstairs to help with the bedroom. This bedroom was going to be the death of us both.

Sorry it's been a while! I decided to put a little back story on Johnathan this time! I just kind of went with it!

[Ally3772]

"You really like your baths, huh?" I cooed.

Sumo sneezed when bubbles got into his nose.

"You have always love baths, but I don't mind."

Truth was, I was terrified of the day we lost him. He's been with us since Rae was a toddler and just thinking of him not being here was just strange. Raelyn was going to take it harder then any of the children because they are best friends. Maybe we would get another pet but it sure wasn't going to  replace him in any way.



"Today Mr. Shift, my math teacher, fell out of his chair and the whole class laughed at him." Addison told Raelyn.

"Well that wasn't nice of them." I said.

I was at the island making dinner and they were at the dining room table working on homework.

"He made a joke about it though and brushed it off."

"He was always like that with our class." Raelyn smiled.

"You had him?!"

"Yes, I went to the same school doofus."

"Oh right."



"Do you think I could have made it pro?" Johnathan asked.

"In basketball?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"I think that if you wanted to be pro, you could have been pro."

"You think I didn't want it?"

"I mean, you may have wanted it but you seemed to lose interest in after-"

"My parent died." He finished for me.

I sighed.

"You're right, I'm just thinking about what life could have been like."

"Our lives would have been different for sure, but what if we didn't have kids because of it?"

He looked at me, "That's a world I don't want to imagine."

...

"You're going to be a child soon, and the world is going to change." Raelyn said.

Trenton looked up at her. He had just woken up from a nap and she went to check on him.

"But, through it all you will have me and you will also have Addison. We will protect you from any bully you will encounter. You see, when I was a child in school I was bullied..."

I didn't think Trent understood a word she was saying, but I think she just loved talking to him.

"I was bullied because of the color of my skin and how it didn't match Mommy's skin. Now, you have the complete opposite and your skin doesn't match Daddy's skin and that's okay."

He babbled and chewed on his fingers.

"I'll tell you more about it when you're older." She smiled.



"You have it easy kid." Addison said.

Raelyn had just set him down for his lunch.

"You get to eat when you want, sleep when you want, heck if you wanted to poop in your diaper you could. I know mommy and daddy are trying to potty train you, but still."

"You're acting like being a child is the hardest thing ever." Rae laughed.

"Hey! It can be!"

Raelyn rolled her eyes.

"I'm just saying Trenton, life changes when you're a child."



"Hey champ, mama is trying to sleep." John said.

I was trying to sleep, but I kept hearing noises.

Trent babbled as John picked him up.

"Let's go play."

"Does he want me?" I groggily asked.

"No, go back to sleep honey everything is fine."

"Thank you."



...

"Please Trent, you have to use the big boy potty." John said.

"Potty?" He asked.

"Yes, the potty! So you don't have to feel icky in your diapers." I told him.

He looked up at me confused.

"This is hopeless." I sighed.

"He'll get it eventually."

"We've been trying for weeks! Maybe we're doing something wrong."

"It takes time." John insisted.

I sighed, I felt defeated. The girls potty trained almost instantly and without a fight but Trent didn't want to do it for some reason.




It was a beautiful day outside, the girls were in school and John decided to take Sumo on a walk so that he get his exercise in. I was worried Sumo might get arthritis if he laid around all the time so we walked him multiple times a day.

"Dadda!" Trent said.

"Yes, dadda!" I smiled.

Trent splashed in the water. I decided that it would be nice to get Trent out of the house now that it wasn't raining outside. So we were spending the day at the pool, well his kiddie pool.

"Where dadda?"

"He's walking Sumo."

"Puppy?"

I smiled, "Yes baby, puppy."

He picked up his duck and made it float around.



In a few days Trenton would be a child and I was sad. I was almost used to having a small child around that needed me for everything all the time. I had Trenton when Addison was still little so there wasn't much of a time between. John and I hadn't talked much about having any more children but I think we were content right now with just the three of them. If I happened to get pregnant again I don't think it would be a big deal. We were just going with the flow at this point and loving life by the minute.

Trenton is going to be growing up! Where has the time gone?!

[Ally3772]

"I think Sumo is dying." I told John.

"What? Why do you say that?" He asked.

"He's breathing funny and he's barely moving."

"Where is he?"

"Outside."

We both walked outside, Sumo was laying in his favorite spot on the patio. The kids were thankfully at school so they wouldn't have to see this. To me it would be easier for them not to witness it even though I did wish Raelyn was here. She was the oldest and could handle it better then the children. John knelt down by him and brushed his hands down his back, he sighed and looked up at me.

"He feels cold."

"I'll go get blankets."

I walked inside and grabbed whatever blankets I could find. We moved him off of the cold patio onto some blankets, I laid his head on my lap and John sat in front of us. This was definitely the end and I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. John lifted up my head lightly and brushed a tear away.

"I can do this, if you want me too."

I shook my head.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"We started our family by his side, it's only fair that we're by his side for the end."



A Week Later

"How is Rae holding up?" I asked.

"She's still taking it hard." Addison said.

I sighed.

"Honey, he was her best friend. She'll be okay." John said, kissing my forehead.

"I know."

"That's the bus." Addison said.

I looked out the window and the bus was sitting in front of the house.

"Go get your sister." I told her.

"I'll get her." John said.

"I'm right here." She said, scaring us all.

"Hey honey."



"Okay girls, home straight after school you hear me? It's your brothers birthday and we're celebrating."

"Got it."

...

Trenton was a child now. We went to the mall to pick out clothes so he had something for the first day of school. We got home with bags full of clothes that we found on sale at a closing out store. I would be lying if deep down I wasn't worried about his clothing choice. I've always known that Trenton was smart because as a toddler he was a head of other toddlers in the smarts department. That trait carried through to childhood though and he chose to represent that in his style. He chose a nice button down vest with a bow tie and nice dress pants .

"I'm worried that he'll be bullied." I told John.

"He will be fine."

"John, look at his style. You knew exactly what happened to the kids who dressed nerdy."

John laughed, "Yeah I remember."

"See! Exactly my point! We already went through this with Rae, are we really going to let him go to school like that?"

"Opposed to what? Letting him believe that he can't be himself?"

I sighed.

"You're right."

He grabbed my hand, "He will be fine."



Johnathan and I sat down shortly after Sumo died and had the children conversation. After we had Raelyn we originally wanted a lot of children, but now we both were having mixed feelings. We we in adulthood now and finally had a routine down with everything. So, we decided that we were both happy and fine with the three children that we had. It was insane to think that Raelyn was going to be a young adult soon, which meant that shortly after that Addison would be a teenager. Life was going by way too fast for me, but I was loving every second. I hadn't had any contact with my family for a while which is weird because normally around birthdays they would reach out. Maybe they finally got the hint to leave me and my family alone. The kids didn't ask about them either, Rae knew the story but we never really mentioned it to the younger ones.

Another thing we decided on, with the kids as well, was whether or not we would get another pet. It wouldn't be to replace Sumo, because no animal could replace him in our hearts. Eventually we decided since that we weren't having anymore children that we would try another animal. However, the kids wanted to try out a kitten. We made sure to make them aware that they wouldn't have to walk this animal, but they would have to take care of the litter box and make sure it was fed. We also had another room available in the house and no other room for any cat accessories. So we turned what used to be the nursery into a kitty room.



"Welcome Toby!" Trent cheered.

Johnathan and I walked upstairs with our new kitten. We adopted him from the shelter and he was the last of his litter.

"Now, we're going to keep Toby upstairs for now. Just so we can keep him in his area until he is older and can roam around." I told the kids.

"Can we hold him?" Addison asked.

"Yes, but make sure he is okay with it. Cats are more independent so when they signal that it's enough, make sure not to push it."

"He's so cute!"




"Mom said I could put his bed in my room." Trent told Raelyn.

"Lucky you!" Rae told him.

"I don't want to leave him tomorrow, but I'm excited for my first day of school!"

"I want to talk to you about that."



Raelyn sat down on the bed with Trenton and smiled at Toby who was playing with a ball.

"When I was your age, I got bullied at school." She told him.

"For what?" He asked.

"The color of my skin."

He looked up at her.

"People are going to tell you mean things. They are going to tell you that it's wrong that your skin color doesn't match mine, or Addison's, or dad's. They're wrong Trent. You are my brother no matter what and skin color doesn't matter because we are all human."

"I know that."

She smiled and ruffled his hair.

"You also may be picked on for the way you dress and your bright red hair, but you take nothing from no one!"

He smiled up at her and nodded. It melted my heart when I saw my kids being nice to each other.



I guess I was lucky.

So Sumo died and I somehow missed it. I don't remember getting a notification or seeing any of them get sad about it. It was weird. RIP Sumo </3

[Ally3772]

"I'm home!" Addi announced.

"How was school?" I called from the kitchen.

"It was fine! Where is dad?"

"Upstairs."

She ran upstairs with a piece of paper in hand.

"Daddy! Look!"

I followed her up there and leaned against the door. He took the piece of paper and looked it over.

"That's great honey! I knew you would pass it!" He cheered.



She had passed her spelling test that she had been studying for all week. She was so nervous because it was a different test where they would complete it on paper first and then do it orally afterwards for extra credit.

"Where are your sister and brother?" I asked.

"Rae stayed after school to talk to the drama teacher and Trenton is in the backyard."

I headed downstairs and outside to find Trenton playing with the dollhouse. I smiled as I sat down and grabbed a doll, all of my children had been at this doll house throughout their childhood and it made me happy. I looked at Trenton who was frowning and looking at the doll in his hand.

"Hey sweetie, how was school?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"Everything okay?"

"They don't understand." He mumbled.

He looked over to me and I knew what he meant before he even said it. I sighed and put the doll down before looking at him trying to figure out the right thing to say.

"Children don't understand a lot of things in life and when things are different they tend to laugh at it."

"I guess."

"You aren't the only one feeling like this sweetie, your sisters were bullied too."

"Yeah, I know. Raelyn told me about it but I just don't understand. I want to dress like this, I like my bow tie."

"Then you go out there and show them that you are proud of who you are."

He looked up at me and smiled.

"I will."



Somehow in all of the craziness Toby had grown up into an adult cat already. The kids loved him, but I knew that apart of them missed Sumo still.

"Toby! Not the counter!" I groaned.

"He's fine." John said.

"He shouldn't be on the counter."

I sighed. Toby's new favorite spot to sleep was the counter even though he had an entire room dedicated just for him. It drove me insane, but at least he didn't do it when there was food on the counter.



...



"Can you believe I'm going to be an adult soon?!" Rae said.

"No, I cannot." John said.

"So, am I suppose to move out when I get out of high school? I've never done this adulting thing before."

"You can stay as long as you would like to stay honey." I told her.

"I can get a job."

"Only if you are comfortable with it." John told her.

"Well I don't want to mooch off of you guys."

"If it makes you feel more comfortable we can sit down and figure out rent."

She nodded.

She wanted us to help her on her school project, one of her last ones she had as a teenager. I couldn't say it enough to get myself to realize that she wasn't a baby anymore. She needed to build a bridge, I had no idea why because it seemed a random thing. We knelt down and started to get to work.

"So, I know what I want to do." Rae announced.

"Oh yeah?"

"I want to be an actor!"

"Wow! That sounds like a lot of work baby." John said.

"It will be, but I want to try."

"I think it's great!" I told her.

"Well, you've been through worse. You'll do great at this."

"I'm nervous, because I've seen how the world can react to the color of our skin." She sighed.

"Some people are stuck in the past, it's our job to show them otherwise."



She wasted no time in starting and picked up ever single book on acting. She was determined and excited for this next chapter and so were we.

I still haven't had a chance to play around with Get Famous. I bought it on release but I have been working on getting pics for updates and a house for the possible next story (shhhh you heard nothing) I hope you guys enjoyed!

[Ally3772]

"KIDS! Let's go!!!" I hollered up the stairs.

One by one they came downstairs, grabbed their backpacks, and began to put their shoes on. Raelyn walked up to me and took a deep breath.

"Last day of school, are you ready?" I asked.

"I think so." She said.

I could still tell that she was nervous.

"It'll be okay." I told her, rubbing her arm for comfort.

She smiled and picked up her things.

"Okay guys, come on." She told her siblings.

I smiled and closed the door behind them.



It felt weird not to have the kids during the day while they were at school. I usually focused on getting chores done and the never ending laundry that I've been needing to get too. John normally did his own thing around the house and we would hang out and watch a movie sometimes. It was our time for alone time without children which was always nice. The hours flew by though and the children came back home after school. They would immediately come home and work on any homework and projects they had. Out of all three of them I would say that Trenton is the one to excel most in school. Not saying the girls were stupid, but he was driven to be the best and learn as much as he could.

"How was school?" I asked Addison.

She shrugged.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Raelyn won't be there when I'm in high school."

I gave her a little smile, she was about to become a teenager.

"I know baby, but she will still be home."

"But she won't have time for me."

"You don't know that."

She just swung her legs lightly on the swing.



At some point in the week Toby had ran away. I felt horrible because I knew that things got hectic enough to where attention for him was lacking. I blamed myself for that even though John told me not too. We put flyers up on every light post and all over town at the shops and restaurants. There was even a website now for lost pets so we put up an ad on there offering a small cash reward for anyone who found him. The kids were sad and missed him, but I tried to keep their minds off of it the best I could. However, a few days later he came strolling up the sidewalk and I promised myself that I would never neglect him again.

"Welcome home Toby! I am so sorry."



Johnathan's POV

I walked into the living room after cleaning up dinner dishes. Raelyn was sitting on the chair playing with the block of clay. I don't claim to be the best father around, but I did know when one of my children were upset about something. They had their own little ticks they did or clues they would give off and Raelyn often played endlessly with something like the clay or a pen.

"You're nervous." I stated as I sat down.

"I'm fine." She said.

"Then why are you playing with the clay? You only do that when you are stressed or worried."

She looked at me before putting it down on the table. She turned to me and took a deep breath.

"I'm scared." She said.

"About?"

"Growing up, following my dreams."

"That's normal to be scared, and even healthy. If you weren't scared then something would be wrong."

"Do you think I can make it?"

"As an actress? Of course I do. It'll be tough but you can do it if you put the work in."

"I really want to do it."

"Then give it your all, and your mother and I will be proud of you no matter what." 

"Thanks daddy."



In a blink of an eye I watched Raelyn go from a toddler to an adult and I was no where near ready for it.

"Happy birthday sweet baby girl!" Elisha smiled.

"You will do wonderful things." I said hugging her.

"Thank you guys."



Raelyn's POV

Was this real?

Was I really an adult?

Did I really just sign with an agency for acting?

So many things in my life were changing so fast and I was not ready for it at all.

"Okay, we got this." I whispered to myself.

I had signed up for an audition, my first audition I would say. I suddenly wished that I would have signed up for the drama club in school. I looked at myself in the mirror, card in hand, and thought to myself for a moment. Could I really do this?

"STOP! You cannot steal our gold and then our boat!"

Yikes.

That was rough Rae.



In the mean time, Addison turned into a teenager and boy was she something...

Dad was going to need ten guns just for her because she was gorgeous.



"So I say the line about the gold and the boat, and then my co-star would say..."

"HALT! You shall listen to the lady and leave this ship immediately!" Addi expressed.

"I can't do this." I groaned.

"You can!" She assured me.

"I'll look stupid."

"Rae come on."

I groaned and shook all the nervousness out before we continued to run lines.



...

Before I had known it audition day came and went and I got the part! I was going to star in a short film about pirates, okay I'll be honest this script and story line of the movie was stupid. But I needed something to start with and this was my shot. Plus, who could beat being treated special with hair and make up?



"ACTORS ON SET!"

I looked over to the director who had called attention with his megaphone. I took a deep breath and headed to the stage where I decided it would be a good idea to trip up the stairs.

"Sorry!" I apologized.

"Just get on stage!" He ordered.

Friendly...

I'm sure my face was beat read from embarrassment, but I was hoping that the make up was covering that. I picked up the fake sword and held it up and prepared for the director to call action. I could play it safe and do a possible boring scene, or I could take a risk and show the director that I could be awesome. I chose to be risky because dad told me that hard work and risk payed off, and it did! I couldn't believe it! The director also loved it and was actually impressed with me!



Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad thing after all...

I cannot wait to play more with Get Famous, I'm enjoying it so far!

[Ally3772]

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who takes the time to read my story! It doesn't seem like there are many people here as there has been in the past, and I don't get many replies, but I know there's still some people who are reading. So thank you! Especially to my silent readers, I hope you are enjoying it so far! I know there can probably be some boring parts, but I try to make it interesting! On with the story!

Raelyn's POV

6 A.M. and I officially hated my alarm clock. But, I had another gig today so I had to get up and get ready. The pirate movie didn't do so well in reviews, but what reviews we did get mentioned good things about me! So that was a plus, right? This next gig was a small one, just a commercial for TV. But I was going to take every gig serious no matter how big or how small because I was determined to make it. I didn't bother getting dressed just yet as I walked downstairs and to the bookcase. I grabbed my acting book and sat on the chair by the stairs and began reading.

"Already hitting the books?" Dad asked.

"I have too! There are more things to learn!" I said.

He chuckled as he walked into the living room.



I wasn't about to tell anyone this, but I was quite worried because soon mom and dad would be elders. Which in turn meant they weren't going to be around for too much longer. Thankfully though we were all really in the right age for this to be happening. I was a young adult and in theory Addi should be a young adult by the time they pass away as well, and Trent will be a teenager soon. Between Addi and I we would be able to look after him. Hopefully my acting career would help support and raise him.

Later on I went outside where the family was participating in a snowball fight.

"Come on Rae! Join us!" Mom said.

"I have a gig soon, but sure!"

I completed the circle they had formed and got a snowball ready. Before I knew it I was attacked in the face.

"HEY!" I squealed.

"Got you!" Trent giggled.

"You're dead!"

That started the most epic snowball fight I had ever seen, of which I won.



I showered up afterwards and headed to the gig.

The set was huge!



"Ah Raelyn I presume?" The director greeted.

This one seemed a little more friendly.

"Yes! Hi!"

"Wonderful to meet you, do you know the plot of this commercial?"

"You know, I was going to ask you to go over it one more time if you wouldn't mind? I'm a bit confused." I mentioned.

"Of course!"

What I got from it is I was playing the wife of a business man, but the roles were reversed for your typical 'man rules the house' you see on almost every TV show.

"So, I wear the pants in the relationship?" I asked.

"Basically, we're promoting strength in women for National Women's Week."

"Awesome!"

"Keegan is ready for you in makeup and hair."

I smiled and made my way to hair and makeup. Keegan was my makeup artist in my last gig so I was familiar with him already. 

"Hello again." He greeted.

"Hey Keegan!"

I sat in the chair and let him do his work until he told me to open my eyes.



"Uh, Keegan. You do wonderful work, but I don't think this is going to be the image the director is going for." I giggled.

"No, I suppose not." He smiled.

Round two, and this time it turned out better.



I headed to wardrobe after where they dressed me in a purple dress with a red belt and heels. I headed out to find my TV husband so that we could rehearse before shooting the scene.

"Hi, I'm Raelyn." I greeted.

"Tom." He smiled.

"Um, should we practice?" I asked.

"Sure!"

"First time?"

"Yes, you?"

"Second, but I'm still nervous."

He gave me an awkward smile.

We practiced our lines a few times before the director was ready for us.



"ACTORS TO STAGE PLEASE!" The producer announced.

"Good luck you two!" The director said.

I smiled at him as I walked up the stairs and on stage, that's right I did not trip this time.

"You go back to your friends and you tell them that I do not agree with this!" I said my line.

"But honey, it's the guys!"

"I don't care!"



As we continued to do the scenes we both felt more comfortable with each other. That was one of the things I was nervous about, not getting along with my co-star. I'm sure it would happen sooner or later, but for right now I have been lucky. Which was good, because next was the kissing scene. It did feel awkward to kiss strangers but it was part of the job.



"I think it went well Toby."

I was back at home now. Toby looked up at me and meowed.

"No, I think I did a good job at it. I didn't trip this time either."

He just stared blankly at me.

"You wouldn't understand how embarrassing it was for me, and that director was not nice about it."

Meow



I put Toby down and walked into the hall. I saw mom and dad standing by my room and they were holding hands and whispering to each other. I smiled and observed them. They were so in love after all these years. They didn't get much alone time because of all of us, but that didn't change anything. Right now I had no interest in love or finding someone because my career was just beginning and it was important to me. If it were to happen though I want the kind of love they had for each other. They went through so much to be together and both made sacrifices for one another and that was true love.



Raelyn may end up being the main person right now telling the story since she is doing the actress career! I hope that's okay. Also, fair warning the story may come to an end when Elisha and John pass away. But we still have some time before that! So don't worry just yet!