The Smallwood Family Legacy Generation Two: A Sims 4 Story

Chapter Twenty One: Expanding the Brood

I got a phone call from my cousin Dylan Vatore, he was a little shy at first telling me he had some news. He and Tabatha Meade had started dating, and now she was pregnant! They seemed happy and Dylan wanted my blessing, "I know she had a thing for you man, and...well...I just wanted to tell you before the baby comes!" I assured him I was happy for both of them, Dyl had always struggled with his self esteem and never imagined he would find a girl that loved him for him. Me? I never saw what he was so worried about, sure he was a bulky dude, but he was a good guy who would treat any girl like a queen! And that lucky girl just happened to be Tabs! I was relieved that she had found someone too, I didn't want her to avoid love because of me!

Dad was constantly tending to Jude and Chester while their mother and I were tending to our own needs...

...I couldn't keep my hands off of Jessica, well I'd always felt that way, only this time she was being a little more receptive to my advances. I confessed to her that I wanted another baby as soon as, and she was down with it! More than ever, and our latest love making was different, like we were connecting on a much deeper level. I hoped she was accepting that my feelings for her were genuine!

Chester would play with Jude every day, even though the baby couldn't physically play with his big brother, Chester used his imagination and babbled away to Jude constantly. It was an adorable scene, one that I envied, having four big sisters I always wished I'd had a brother to do boy things with. But Raven was a mean substitute, my big sis!

After spending the entire day in bed alone, Jess and I finally surfaced. I decided that she was gonna hear how I felt whether she accepted it or not! "Jessica, I am so in love with you I ache when we're not together! I wish you would believe me!"

"I do!" She replied softly, "And I am so in love with you Landon, I have been since the very beginning!" WHAT??? I kissed her hands and blinked back my happy tears.

"Baby, me too! I...you really love me?" She nodded with a sweet smile.

"So this whole casual thing? Did you...did you mean it?" She shook her head slowly, and the sweet smile transformed into an impish one.

"I hoped you would...gradually fall for me and you wouldn't go looking for your Lady! I wanted so badly to be her, and when I fell pregnant with Chester I...well I didn't know what was going to happen!" I kissed her on the cheek and laughed.

"We've been so stupid huh?" She laughed too and nodded yes. Chester called out to us to tell us that Jude was crying, mum and dad were having some alone time of their own so Jess went to see to our son.

I was so amazed! Jess and I fell in love with each other almost instantly...and hid it from each other for way too long! What if Chester had never been born? I could have lost her! But she loved me, I had to keep hold of that, and we were married now with two beautiful boys! What if would just drive me crazy, so I focused on what we had now!

JESSICA:

When Landon told me he loved me, I was scared to believe it in case it was a dream! But then mum told me the exact same thing, not only that he loved me but that he'd loved me since the night we started casually dating at the Bluffs! And right now I was feeling really sick, like I had two times before in my life...

...and lo and behold, I was pregnant again! Landon had planned this one too, he wanted more babies...and he enjoyed the practice, we both did!

I didn't waste any time breaking the good news to my hunky hubby. "Landon, we're having a baby!" He stared at me for a long time, stunned no doubt that I had fallen so quickly.

But then he suddenly replied, "Jessica that's fantastic!"

"Do you want to tell Chester together or..."

"Man this is awesome! Chester will be so thrilled!"

"What, like you you mean?" I teased him as he danced on the spot like our excited toddler.

"Jessica there is no need to poke fun of my excitement! I take being a father very seriously!" He pouted adorably, I loved him so much!

"Well we can go and tell him together just as soon as you've calmed down!" I chuckled, kissed him on the cheek, and headed to Jude who was grumbling in the nursery.

While tending to Jude, I noticed that my morning sickness was far worse this time than it was with him and Chester! It was almost unbearable!

Jude was about to become a toddler, I was feeling so sick and Landon was super hyper about our boy growing up. I wished I had his enthusiasm, but when your stomach is rolling around like a washing machine it's hard to be anything but nauseous.

Jude's birthday was quiet, as was he. With those big eyes like his brother, black hair like his father, and my skin tone.

A wild child to rival his charmer brother, he was human like me. But Jude had a modicum of charm himself, you could never stay mad at him for long!

He was a mummy's boy for sure! Always clinging to me. I was madly in love with both of my little boys, handsome and sweet, with their dad's cheeky demeanor!

My close relationship with Jude took a back seat as soon as he and Chester got together. They were as thick as thieves and as close as twins!

Landon was grinning from ear to ear looking at his second born grown up. "Jessica, we do make gorgeous little men don't we?" He chuckled proudly, and I had to agree...

...our little men were adorable! "Hey brotha!" Jude smiled to Chester.

"Hello there!" Chester nodded.

Yes these two were worth a watch and then some! I was happy that my sons were so close, after all the trouble I had with Stacey latterly I wanted so badly for my boys to get along! Maybe they were getting along a little too much!

"Wanna pway hide an seek?"

"Ya okay, in da coffins so we scare gamma!" Yes they were a pair of little tykes indeed! But they were lovable little tykes!

They would often corner Landon and bombard him with silly questions! "Daddy why is da moon so shiny?"

"Well Chester I can't..."

"And daddy why is mummy purple, why we purple too?"

"Um..."

Chester may have been older, but Jude was most definitely the boss and egged his big brother on. He would stand there all innocent while Chester asked the questions and tied their father in knots!

And then he would giggle sweetly and innocently, as if he wasn't expecting half the things to come out of his brother's mouth...even though he planted them there in the first place!

But despite all that, Jude still wanted his mummy at the end of the day. I was his favourite story teller. Where Chester wanted his "Gamma" to read to him, Jude always wanted me and I was touched!

Chester even wanted his "Gamma" to take him to his birthday cake, one she had especially made for him, hamburger shaped. He blew out his candles and he made a wish, mum told me that kids never tell you for fear of it not coming true.

Chester grew from an adorable toddler to a handsome young boy. An outgoing social butterfly, I had no worries about him fitting in anymore. I was afraid that the kids at school would tease him over his skin and his pointy ears, but Chester could more than take care of himself!

And he was happy! That was all that a mother could really ask for! A handsome, outgoing, happy boy!

As I went for a lie down, the rest of the family congregated in the nursery and discussed the impending arrival. Was it going to be another boy? Or were we getting a baby girl this time?

Chester and Jude told their grandmother that if they got a sister, they wanted her to be just like her. They were both excited to be big brothers, Jude was looking forward to having another minion no doubt!

After my rest, I tried a little cake to settle my stomach. This morning sickness lasted throughout the day and was making me feel so tired and run down.

But Landon always knew how to make me feel better, my soul mate! His kisses were the medicine I needed to forget all about my stomach.

And as his father appeared out of nowhere (damn vampires) catching us in our little clinch, Landon whispered to me, "You are so damn beautiful!" My heart skipped a beat! He could still make me weak at the knees, I'd been so in love with him for so long, I never dreamed I could be so lucky that he felt the same way!

"Landon!" I blushed.

"I love you!" His voice was so sweet, soothing and sincere when he said those three little words that every girl from Forgotten Hollow to Brindleton Bay wanted to hear from his lips. Yes every girl wanted Lord Landon Smallwood of Wolfsbane Manor...and I was the girl that got him!

Landon rushed off to work, and I put away Chester's birthday cake as my father-in-law spoke to me. "Cake is not good for baby!" His soft, quiet but commanding voice always made you stop and listen.

"I know!" I simply replied.

"Cake is not good for mother either!" His short and to the point sentences sometimes perplexed me, especially since he barely spoke to me anyway. He'd bought me the easel and told me I'd be a great artist one day, but that was the only proper conversation we ever had, he was so distant!

I'd always got along with Trixie, but Caleb was an enigma to me. He was very close with Landon and the boys, he was devoted to Trixie and his daughters, but me? I had no idea where I stood with him at all!

"You don't like me very much, do you?" It was out of my mouth before I could stop it. And an icy chill ran down my back, I was afraid of Caleb Vatore, even though he was a sweet natured vampire who lived for his family. "Tell me what I did to make you feel that way!" Yes I was either brave or stupid as he passed by me with such elegance that it stopped me in my tracks. Not even looking in my direction, as if I didn't exist...

...until finally he replied in that soft and commanding tone, "Jessie my dear, nothing could be further from the truth!" And he was gone! Leaving me with even more questions than I had before I was so brave! And he called me Jessie, no one ever thought to call me that, and I had to admit it was so much prettier than Jess! Caleb was a mystery wrapped in the body of a man, and I was so confused by him!

LANDON:

Jude was a handful, that much was for sure! He defied me at every turn but he did it with cuteness!

"Daddy why you make me say wurds! Why you hurt me like dis?" Did I also mention he was a master at emotional blackmail? "Mummy would neva..."

"Jude I am trying to prepare you for what lies ahead in your life, I am teaching you the ways of life!" He pouted at me and squeezed out a couple of crocodile tears.

"You hurt me with your teaching daddy!"

Jessica appeared and he put on his best baby face and began to whimper, "Mummy daddy so bad to me!"

"Aww what has he done my sweetie?" Thanks Jess, thanks a lot for the support!

"He make me say wurds, I no wanna!" He cried, then slapped his hands over his mouth.

"Aww come here my little baby!" Jessica scooped him up in her arms and I was just totally pissed off! She babied him way too much!

He turned to me and smirked as his mother made a huge fuss over him. Yes my youngest son was a master manipulator! And he did it with a bat of the eyelids and a sweet little smile!

I couldn't stay mad at Jess for too long! And I couldn't live without kissing her at least a hundred times a day. Our son was confused and disgusted by my gesture. "Daddy wut you doin' ta mummy?" He demanded, as Jess laughed and it tickled my mouth. "Stop!" His little voice echoed around the hallway.

We pulled apart reluctantly as the baby began to kick Jess rather aggressively. "You hurt mummy, bad daddy!" Jude exclaimed, as Jess laughed even more.

"No Jude, daddy made mummy better!" She soothed the toddler as he was still giving me the evil eye.

I left Jessica to explain to our son that when I kissed her like that it was a declaration of love. He didn't believe her one bit, he didn't like me touching his mother in any way, shape or form, in fact I was starting to think that Jude saw me as the enemy.

Dad announced that since I was the Lord of the Manor now, that I could finally change the curfew. "It's been a lifelong dream of yours son, so...what are you going to do with it?" After having two children of my own, I understood why the curfew was there, and why it wasn't after 11pm!

"Leave it dad, it's not doing any harm!" He nodded in surprise and left the room.

A few hours later, as I finally sat down with the vampire tomes to read, dad came in with his usual drink in hand. "Son may I have a word?"

"Yeah, sure. I was just getting into the lore, felt it was about time."

"Yes, good! I would like a word!" Dad repeated.

"What about dad?"

"Jessie!"

"Who?" It took me a minute to realise that he was talking about my wife. "Oh! What about her?"

"Well, I think I may have upset her!" This came as a shock to me, dad never upset anyone!

"How so?"

"Well, I have been mulling it over in my head for a while now and...well..." Dad struggled to get to the point, and I was getting more and more confused.

"Dad I'm sure you're just imagining..."

"NO!" He interrupted, then looked away in embarrassment.

"She asked me why...I...didn't like her and well that's simply not true!"

"I know dad, it's probably just her hormones, the baby is due soon and her morning sickness is being a bitch!"

"Language Landon!" My dad scolded, "No, I'm afraid I possibly did give off that impression! But I adore her, she is your perfect fit and I am so happy to have her as a daughter-in-law!" He paused for a moment, then looked at me.

"I'd never seen a berry sim before you see. And I am a little starstruck around her!" My dad was adorable. He loved different sims, even had books all about fairies and witches and zombies, so I suppose to be in the presence of a sim he had only read about must have been an experience for him.

"Dad just tell her that, she'll understand!"

"But I'm ashamed Landon! Ashamed that she thought I disliked her, I mean, did I really give off that impression?"

"You need to tell Jess all this dad, and you know that!" Dad sighed and nodded.

"I will, just give me time to be a little less ashamed!"

I felt sorry for my dad, he was always a gentleman and for Jess to think he didn't like her just broke his heart. He was a quiet man, he kept to himself, especially after Darick Bludstone's death. He knew what being a vampire could do, it could destroy lives! So what did I go and do after boning up on vampire lore?

Yeah I enchanted my wife, as if I needed to, we were so loved up! But I wanted to practice, and it worked! She was under my thrall...

...but as soon as I had done it, I felt sick! I was no different to Darick Bludstone! The man who destroyed lives! So as soon as I cast the enchantment, I stopped it and let her go. I was so angry with myself, and ashamed, that I kept the secret to myself!

No I didn't need to bewitch her! I looked up at the photo dad took of us when we were expecting Chester and I smiled. Mum was right, we did make a handsome couple!

I thought back to my past fixations, Mizuki and Leah, and I realised that Jessica was truly my soul mate! I'd never been in love before, I'd lusted and I'd obsessed...but never had I been in love! Not until I bumped into Jessica at the Bluffs! I felt a warm glow in my heart, we were going to be just like my parents! And our kids would be loved just like me and my sisters! Everything was going to be okay!

That night my parents were talking in hushed voices, I knew there was something bothering them...so I confronted them. "Okay guys, what's going on?" They both looked at each other with worried glances, and it began to worry me. "Seriously, what is it?"

"Landy, darling..." My mother looked me in the eyes with sadness, "...we're moving to Newcrest!"

"What? NO! I forbid it!!!"

"Darling, we feel it's time..."

"God damn it mum no!" I couldn't believe they were thinking about this AGAIN!

"Landy, your third child is on the way! We must go and make room for your babies!"

"Your mother is right son, we're just in the way!" Dad backed her up.

"Bullshit!" I yelled, "Is this because Jessica thinks you don't like her dad? Huh? Because we can fix that no problem!"

"No Landy, this was my decision, it's a painful one but it has to me made!" I didn't believe her, this was all about Jess and dad!

"I'm not listening to any of this! You're going nowhere, this is your home and I won't have it! Do you hear mother?" She closed her eyes and let out a huge sigh as dad looked on helplessly. Then I saw relief wash over him, he wanted to stay, I just knew he did!

I felt like shit, my parents felt out of place in their own home and it made me so angry and sad! I went upstairs to wallow in Jessica's arms, but she was standing giggling to herself. When she saw me she patted her belly and giggled even more. "Landon, feel!"

I placed my hands on her round belly and felt the strong kicking of our baby! We both laughed together, it was a beautiful moment we shared! And it was a turning point in our relationship because I'd never touched her stomach during the last two pregnancies.

"Oh my God Jessica that's...amazing!" Her sweet laugh made me want to kiss her. We were definitely closer than ever, we were a real couple! We knew how much we loved each other and we were comfortable around each other now that it was out in the open!

"Yeah this one is a little more kicky than Chester and Jude!"

"I think we have a footballer on our hands!" She smiled and looked off into the distance,

"No Landon, a dancer!"

And this time it was Jess kissing me! And I didn't mind one bit that she was taking the lead! Jude came waddling in and disrupted our moment of intimacy.

"Baby you'd better not let Jude see you doing that, he'll kill me with his death stare!" I chuckled.

"Or make a mess on the carpet?"

"What?" And to my dismay, Jude was in fact making a mess on the carpet!

"Now now little man!" Jess scooped him up as he grumbled, probably annoyed at getting caught out!

"No mummy I didn't do it!"

"Well I saw you my sweetie, you can't back out of this one!"

But Jess couldn't stay mad for long, his sweet little smile always melted her heart. I wondered if she was creating a monster, would Jude be a spoiled brat when he grew up?

Mum came in with a ghostly Buzz in tow, and scolded Jude for the mess he made. And he did exactly the same thing to my mother as he did his own, batted his little eyelashes and she melted into a puddle of mush! I groaned behind her and she muttered "Oh hush Landy, you were exactly the same at his age, you had all your sisters wrapped around your little chubby finger!"

That evening my niece Zuri Goth came round to visit her grandmother. My sister Vivaana had taken Alexander's last name since she wasn't the heir. Zuri was the double of her mother, but as moody as her Aunt Raven!

Chester interrogated Jessica wanting to know when the baby was coming out. He couldn't wait, he said that he and Jude wanted another brother to boss around! Jess didn't like the sound of that at all. I wondered if it would be another boy, would I be like my parents in reverse and produce only boys? Time would tell!

Dad asked me to help him get trim since his love of drinks had piled on the pounds, and he was finally addressing the issue. I was more than happy to help.

He was back to his old self in no time, and contemplating his next cocktail! I hoped that all of our hard work wasn't going to be wasted!

Chester came to me asking to teach him vampire lore, something his Gamma had done when he was a toddler. "I'm a bit rusty, and I can pass it onto Jude!" Maybe his brother would take it better from him than from me, so I agreed.

They were so close, it warmed my heart and made me a little jealous too. My sisters were great, but it would have been nice to have a partner in crime, like Jude was to Chester.

I spotted Jessica's latest painting on her easel, it had writing on it in the corner that said "To dad, with love from Jessie x" It was a peace offering for my father, and he was going to be so touched!

She came breezing into the room, pressed her very large belly into my abs and kissed me on the cheek. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy!

"What was that for?" I chuckled, not that I was complaining.

"Just because!" She shrugged, and then she grabbed her stomach and cried out...

"Oh wowza that hurts! The baby's coming!" It was go time!

Jessica wasn't in labour for long, being our third the baby didn't wanna wait around!

Jess gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl who we called Hazel Smallwood!

When she came out she was all smiles and giggles, so happy! Jessica snuggled her and soothingly called her by her name for the first time, "Hello my little Hazel nut!"

Her happiness didn't last, as soon as her mother put her in the crib, she balled the place down! But a nappy change and a breastfeed soon settled her.

Jude was the first of Hazel's brothers to meet her. He was very happy with his new sister, "Hi Hazel, I'm yo big brotha Jude!" Hazel napped, not paying any attention to him whatsoever, but he didn't care, he was loving having her around.

Chester then came in to meet her, while Jude was fishing around in the toy box for an appropriate gift to give a girl.

He found a toy horse, "There ya go!"

"Jude she's way too little to appreciate that!" Chester laughed, forgetting that when Jude was born he did the exact same thing!

Dad must have heard Hazel stirring as he appeared almost instantly to see to her. They bonded straight away, she adored her grandfather! "Wow grandpa you're so good with her!" Chester smiled in admiration. "How do you know what to do?"

"Years of practice son, I did have five babies of my own to take care of!"

Chester and Jude continued to be as thick as thieves. They were closer than ever and vowed to protect and look out for their new baby sister.

"We save her from monsta's and aliens!" Jude proclaimed.

"Jude not all monsters are bad..." And so it began, Chester's lecture on how Sully and Hulk were good monsters.

Jessica was loving having a baby daughter, she couldn't wait to dress her up and do her hair. Something she used to do when Stacey was a little girl. Chester and Jude still stood guard, making sure Hazel was safe.

Dad was trying to find the right time to have a chat with Jess, to say thank you for his painting, and to put to bed the myth that he didn't like her. But the boys were always around and he was rather shy about talking to Jessica and getting things wrong.

When they weren't watching over their little sister, Jude was following Chester everywhere around the house, like his little shadow. And Chester was so good with him, he let him tag along!

Dad had recently put together a new plasma cocktail, he was pretty proud of himself. "Trixie, baby you really have to taste..." But he thought about how he'd put on so much weight before...

...and after listening to my advice, decided to put the drink making aside for a while and take up another hobby.

He stuck with seeing to Hazel to take his mind off of the drinking. His granddaughter was a much better tonic anyway. He told me that his family was his life, and that he would do anything for each and every one of us!

And I felt exactly the same way. So when Chester kept going on about getting a pet, I decided it was time to listen. I bought him a rat he named Ratty and he was over the moon the day he came home from school and found the cage upstairs.

"Oh wow, my dad is the best!" Yep I'd gained major brownie points for that one, if only his younger brother would see what a great guy I was!

And that night, they both came out to greet me when I got back from work. It was Chester's idea though, I could tell by the way Jude was giving him the stink eye that he was not in the mood for this!

The house underwent some refurbishment, my old bedroom became Chester and Jude's. I bought Chester an art station remembering how much he admired his mother's easel, but he was more interested in the violin...unfortunately! He really needed to practice...badly!

Jude took his job as protector of his sister very seriously, he sat in the nursery and kept guard when Chester was at school and we were elsewhere.

I transformed one of my sister's old bedrooms into a study/fitness room. I put all my spy stuff in there and I liked to go there to think and to work on my skills. But Jess liked to join me, and I was not complaining! Kissing her was my favourite pastime.

"Landon? I want another baby!" I was thrilled to hear her say that, because so did I! The more the merrier, although we only had room for one more if I wanted mum and dad to stay, which I did! There was no doubt about that! Four was a good number for me anyway!

We planned to try for another baby as soon as possible. But right now Hazel was our priority, we felt that mum and dad needed some time to themselves, so we took care of our daughter without them for a while.

TRIXIE:

"Caleb?"

"Yes baby?"

"I have something I want to...er...read to you!"

"What is it honey?" I felt a lump form in my throat, I was not good at poetry but I had written something for my darling Caleb to tell him how much he meant to me.

"Will you...listen to this?"

"I have long forgotten what it was like to feel my heart beat, but with you I can almost feel it again! My darling Caleb, you are like sunshine on a dark day, you warm my soul with your everlasting love!"

"Oh Trixie!"

I looked up into his beautiful face, still so in love with him after all this time, and I smiled. "I love you Caleb!"

"And I love you Trixie!"

Caleb gestured me to follow him and whispered "Come on, follow me!"

"Let's..." Caleb wouldn't stop giggling, it was infectious.

"What Caleb?"

"Let's do the bat thing, it's been a while!" I laughed nervously, I knew what he meant and although I was all for it, I was afraid one of our grandchildren would catch us!

But life is for living, so I grabbed my Caleb and kissed him with all of my strength!

Out bat woo hoo was uninterrupted, and it was blissfully wonderful as always! Our love was eternal, like Landon and Jessica! And we still made each other feel alive, despite being undead!

LANDON: 

I couldn't stop thinking about Jessica and having a fourth child! Even my yoga session couldn't clear my head! I lay in the bath and decided that tonight would be the night!

After all, Hazel was becoming a toddler that very night too! It was the best time! I held my daughter in my arms as she smiled up at me, she was such a smiley baby!

And she grew into a beautiful little girl! Black hair like me, skin like her mother! An adorable little angel!

An inquisitive little human girl!

"You are daddy's beautiful girl!" She giggled and tugged my hair.

"Daddy bootiful gurl!"

Jessica came in and told me that Hazel would most definitely be a daddy's girl, like Jude was a mummy's boy!

I got a phone call from my sister Vivaana. Her older twins were now young adults and moving out of Forgotten Hollow to Newcrest. The younger ones were now children and doing well in school.

Ezra got married to his vampire boyfriend, Micah Lutz, and they moved into a spacious home with Zuri and her new husband who happened to be Micah's brother Benson.

Ezra and Micah soon adopted two children, toddler Annalise and baby Carson Goth-Lutz.

Zuri was pregnant and in her second trimester. Everyone seemed very happy together!

Zuri later gave birth to twins, Rylie and Douglas Lutz. All was well with them and Vivaana was both thrilled and confused over being a grandmother!

Abi and Charley's twins were now gorgeous teenagers, and boy were they gonna break some hearts...the first ones being their mothers!

Celeste, Daniel and Victoria Straud were all growing up too! Esme and Vlad were so proud of their kids, all brain boxes, taking after both of them!

And as I had said, tonight was the night! We had only ever done it in a coffin once, and that resulted in the conception of Chester. Jess had been reluctant that night...

...but not this time! She almost killed me when she leaped in, not that I was complaining!

It was so much more magical than I remembered! We fell out again, but I picked her up as she looked up at me and smiled.

"What do you want, if we've...girl or boy?" I didn't mind, as long as the baby was healthy, I really didn't mind at all!

"Whatever you want Jessica, that's all I want!" I replied, and it was true, I only ever wanted her to be happy!

"I want to have your baby, and for us to be together forever!"

"Well..." She exhaled loudly, "...I'll go take the test!" I was so excited, we'd been through this whole thing three times before, but I just felt so buzzed this time around for some reason! She went off to take the pregnancy test, I hoped we'd managed to make a baby!

I heard whoops and shrieks from the bathroom, and it made me smile! Jess always got so excited every time the tests were positive!

She came running out and broke the news, I had to laugh, I heard everything and I already knew! But I couldn't take that away from her, so I acted all surprised!

As I did with my old room for the boys, I re-decorated Raven's old room for Hazel. We made use of it for the time being as she was still a toddler. Although she danced her little heart out as we played our Llama game rather loudly.

Jude noticed that his mother was looking a little round again, and he guessed that a new baby was on the way. He took the news in his stride though, he wasn't against having another sibling.

We continued to bond as a family, we always did things together and Jude continued to favour his mother, while Hazel still preferred me. Chester only had eyes for his Gamma!

Wild little Jude tried to lead inquisitive Hazel astray, he seemed to get everyone to dance to his tune...

...but little Hazel was having none of it! Good girl, she made daddy proud.

My collection was building up and soon I was going to bring the boys up to see it, I was going to tell them all about my adventure in Selvadorado!

But for now I had to contend with Jude and his wild nature! He stood in a mess in the kitchen with his little hands folded, looking up at me with those big eyes...

"I dint do it daddy it was Hazel!" Yeah he was clutching at straws with that one!

But I let him away with it, I was learning that silence was better than shouting. So I cleaned up and grumbled to myself as Jude toddled off to create even more mischief no doubt!

At least I didn't have to worry about Chester! He was doing so well in school, he even did extra credit every night.

Yeah he was a good boy, if only his little brother would be as good then all my worries would go away!

I told my dad about my concerns, and he gave me one of those looks and said "Don't worry son, I have your back!" The last thing I remember was hearing Jude say,

"Oh hi ganpa!" And he was rather silent after that!

So I was the heir, I was Lord of the Manor...so I got a television! Something we never had when I was a kid, dad hated them, but I felt that my kids could do with one...

Yeah, my kids...and Jessica!!!

Jude and Hazel continued to disagree. She wanted to be good, and he wanted to cause as much trouble as possible!

As for this rat I got Chester, he was causing explosions in his cage, EXPLOSIONS?!?! Chester said that sometimes Ratty disappeared, but then he came back and had presents for him. Was this a rat or a shape shifter???

Jessica and I decided to involve Jude in the baby naming. It was a big mistake, "Call it Higgeldy!"

"Um no Jude!" I huffed.

"Or...Kickibutt!"

"I think daddy will take those into consideration!" Jessica mediated. Nope daddy would not!

Jude and Hazel were learning their skills fast, Jessica helped in any way she could but they were so independent that they wanted to learn on their own.

Unlike his brother before him, Jude mastered walking pretty well and was running around like the road runner!

Chester was looking forward to the new baby coming, and he was enjoying having somewhere to go and hide from Jude...the attic where me and his mother first met.

Chester loved to hear all about that story, when Kittie went missing and Jess came round here looking for her. He passed the story onto Hazel, who loved it too! "Mummy and daddy fell in love upstairs!" Chester smiled. Yeah we probably did, we just didn't know it!

"Chesta, what happen to Kittie?"

"She was fine, she was home when mum got back!"

"Ah-ha-ha!"

Jude had maxed all his skills, and he was having a birthday soon! He was still wreaking havoc all over, but he was doing it in a sweet way! As usual!

Mum and Jess were talking excitedly that night when I returned from work, it was ll baby this and baby that. I heard my name and the word curfew being mentioned as I sat in the laundry room.

"Dad told me you don't want to amend the curfew, is that right?" My mum enquired as Jessica waddled in.

"That's right, I want my kids to be safe. I understand why it's there now mum!" Mum smiled proudly and patted my leg.

Jude was being his usual mischievous self, and Jess was scolding him in her usual mocking way. Hazel was an angel, and I was grateful for that, two of them at the same time would be just too much!

Luckily though, mum had baked a zombie cake and adorned it with candles for Jude's birthday. Perhaps he would be a better behaved child...

He blew out his candles in his mother's arms and made a wish. Hopefully it was a wish to be a good boy and respect his father!

My erratic, rambunctious scamp! Yeah I was probably still in for a wild ride with this one!

Even as a child, Jude was stuck to his mother like glue!

"How long mummy? How long until the baby comes?"

"Oh soon!"

Jude watched t.v. while his mother read a book, I could hear his giggles from all the way up in the attic!

Yep, he was still a mummy's boy alright!

"Don't worry mum, if dad messes up, I'll marry you!" Yeah like that was ever gonna happen!

"Aww Jude, you're mummy's sweet boy!"

While I was at work, mum and dad helped Jessica out with the kids. Chester was always with his Gamma, Hazel was more than happy to have her ganpa as a substitute for me, and Jude...

...well he was never too far away from his mama!

"Whoa that's a kicky baby!"

"Hazel was much kickier believe me!"

And Jude wanted to help out too, the little girl he always tried to lead astray when he was a toddler was the little girl he now wanted to teach to build a tower. But she was having none of it!

Jess tried to prove to Hazel that her brother was only trying to help her as my parents got all cuddly. Jess then felt a pain in her stomach, a familiar pain she'd experienced three times before...

...she tried to ignore it, after all it was a bit early for the baby to arrive...

...but it was no use! Our baby was definitely coming!

We welcomed our fourth child, a second daughter, into the family! We named her Monica Smallwood!

And like her big sister before her, as soon as she was put into her crib she was inconsolable!

Mum let Jess have a lie down while she tended to Monica. But someone else had crept into the nursery to say hello...

Hazel was not happy at all with her new sibling! The first of my kids to be unhappy about a new baby!

Chester went into my study/fitness room to do his homework in peace...

...while Hazel came out to greet me upon my return from work, I got promoted and I was excited to meet my new daughter! Hazel came stomping out with a sad face...

"Daddy, I no like da baby! Takes it back!"

"She's your little sister Hazel, and you need to look after her!"

She was having none of it! I hoped that soon she would warm to Monica!

Jess had called me at work to tell me about our new baby daughter. We both agreed on her name, and when I got into the nursery to finally meet little Monica, she grinned up at me! I was in love!

I was besotted with our last baby! And I made the most of her. I politely asked dad to step aside and let me spend as much time as I could with the new baby!

She was so cute! I was a little sad that she was our last, but I had four amazing children and a wonderful wife! What more could I ever want?

And when she aged into a toddler, I was not disappointed! She was the only child of ours to have my skin and her mother's hair!!!

She was human, and she was angelic! What could possibly go wrong?

She seemed to cling to me like her sister, and I wondered what Hazel would make of having to share me with another...

To Be Continued...