My Childhood

KATHERINE'S POINT OF VIEW

After you were born, everyone wanted the chance to hold you.  Your father wanted even more kids, being family-oriented, but I said that we didn't need anymore mouths to feed.  Having two sets of twins in a row really tired me out.  

I think that part of it was that I wanted to get back to my job.  I had taken up a lot of my saved vacation time taking care of all of my beautiful children.  I know you don't understand what could possibly make me want to work since we had enough money to sustain us for a few years, but I just loved working.  

Even during my pregnancies I tried to work or at least do something related to work.  Your father has taken some pictures of me calling in to check up on work and even working from home (That would be you I'm pregnant with).  Hey, what can I say?  My mother has always called me ambitious.

I know that with my working so hard you hardly ever saw me but at least you got to spend a lot of time with your father, so that was good.  He's always told me that he really liked the fact that he could stay home and didn't have to work as much.  

Finally, it was birthday time again.  You aged first.  I was so happy to finally see you as a toddler.  You were so beautiful and the exact carbon-copy of me with my hair and my eyes.

Lydia and Alicia went next.  I remember Lydia always kept her hair in a long braid everyday and Alicia tied her curly hair together in two pigtails.  This was her favorite shirt because it was her favorite color - pink!

Next, Joshua and Sophie grew up into teens, just as amazing as ever.  

Noah and Holly decided to grow up at the same time.  I nearly cried.  My baby was growing up.

Noah looked a lot like your father without the freckles and long hair.  According to the gossip going around town, many women were jealous of Holly because Noah was so much better looking than her yet he somehow loved her.  Don't tell her, though.  This is between you, me, and your sisters. 

Since Noah and Holly had gone out for so long your brother finally proposed to her.  I helped him pick out the ring!

Much to my dismay, he moved in with Holly and her parents, Vita and Nick Alto.  They seemed a little strict but I knew that they liked Noah.

Even though I worked so much, I did manage to find time with you.  Whether it was feeding you, putting you to bed, or playing with you during weekends.

Your siblings loved you so much.  Their favorite activity was playing blocks with you and building block towers for you to ruin.

Birthdays again.  You were so meticulous about getting your hair to swirl just right.  It frustrated me to insanity.

My other little girls were growing up too.  Lydia and Alicia were beautiful girls.  Would you agree that Alicia's hair was getting curlier and curlier?

With the twins growing up your father had completed his lifetime wish.  You guys cheered so hard for your older siblings who were also growing up.

Joshua and Sophie as young adults.

Not too long after the birthdays, Josh and Sophie left the house.  They decided to rent a huge home with some new friends of theirs they had met in college who had just moved into the city.  They were the party animal siblings, Lacy and Owen Lowe.  Later on, Joshua and Sophie married the two Lowe siblings.  Josh married Lacy and Owen married Sophie.

Josh and Lacy had mine and your father's first grandson, Oberon.  He has dark brown hair and grey eyes.

Sophie and Owen had twins, Dina and Gina.  Dina had my blue hair and Gina had the most beautiful chocolate brown eyes.  We still have no idea where those come from.

Around this this time Noah and Holly had given birth to mine and your father's beautiful granddaughter, Maliah.  She has her mother's brown hair and her father's blue eyes.  She had a great family around her.  Nick and Vita spent some time with her everyday.  They turned out to be very good grandparents once Vita learned to control her, erm... evilness, and was able to prevent herself from stealing Maliah's candy.  Although, I'd have to say, your father and I are her favorite grandparents.

Then it was just you, your twin sisters, and your father and I in the house, but not for long.  Lydia and Alicia grew up into young adults. 

Lydia met a man named Prescott Long.  He had bright green hair, long eyelashes, and bright blue eyes.  He had been her friend during the hard time in college and when she had lost her part-time job.  

He proposed to her in our bedroom.  Of course she said yes!

When they left to live in a house they had just purchased, Lydia announced she was pregnant.  More grandchildren!  The had a girl named, Lane.  She had Lydia's blond hair and green eyes with her father's skin tone.

Now, your sister, Alicia.  She was becoming more moody and getting sick all the time.  Everytime I tried to ask her what was going on she'd just snap at me and say nothing was wrong.  Finally, after I couldn't take it anymore, I fought back at her.  It was not pretty.

After a long argument and yelling she finally admitted that she had been knocked up and didn't know who the father was.  She begged and pleaded for me not to get too mad.  How could I not?  I had to hold in my temper and forced myself to take the shocking news in.  I took it quite well and then we put together a deal.  Alicia would take care of the child and not get an abortion like she had originally planned.  Then, she would stay with us, raise the child, and then move out when ready. 

I remembering her considering it and digesting it.  I think she was just mostly relieved that I had not kicked her out of the house.  She agreed with the plan.

You, Calista, grew up into a teen.  I remember handing you those beautiful earrings of mine.  Your face lit up as I handed them to you.  My heart had not felt that much joy in a long time (Awww!!  Mom!!! *blush*).

You father and I grew up into adults.  As much as you kids tell me how young we still looked, I could swear a few moles and hairs emerged.  Also, many more wrinkles.  Your father still looked as handsome as the day I met him though.

You father got promoted to level 10 of his education career around this time.  He was finally a District Superintendent!  

They also did a test on the unborn child of your sister to find out who his father was.  We were very surprised to find out that the father was none other than Xander Clavell.  He had commitment issues and his parents, Bessie and Buster, thought they'd never get any grandchildren with his personality so they were very excited to hear that Alicia was pregnant with Xander's child.

Your sister kept to her word and helped out with chores around the house even though she was heavily pregnant.

One day, while everyone was at work and you were at school, Alicia started to go into labor.  Luckily, she was very quick on her feet and checked into the hospital right away.  Even Xander came for the delivery of their new son. 

The baby was named, Buster, after Xander's dad.  Alicia was very good with the baby.  Unfortunately, that was not the same for Xander.  He loved little Buster but he rarely visited after Buster's birth.  Every once  in a while he would visit and even came to Buster's birthday, but it wasn't enough for Buster to get to know and feel comfortable around his father. 

Buster grew up with Alicia's hair and her eye color and a very dark outline around his eyes giving the illusion that he was tired all the time.  He grew up very bald but we loved him all the more.

Alicia made sure that Xander's seldom appearance didn't effect Buster's growth by setting up many play date's and playing with Buster constantly.  She was an amazing mother and we were all very proud of her.

With the help of Xander's parents and your father and I, Alicia was finally able to moved out and live on her own with Buster.  After she had thanked us a million times, she rode away in her Sloppy Jalopy to her new house.  It was a very small house that was just across town.  It hadn't been doing real well in the market and had been for sale for almost a year.  Fortunately for Alicia, that meant that the price for it was very low.  

Not long after Alicia had Buster and moved out on her own, I had fulfilled my lifetime wish by becoming a CEO of a Mega-Corporation.  

After months of hard work, you had made it on the honor role!  I was very excited for you.  You deserved it, honey.

I remember going out and buying a big tub of low fat ice-cream for you when you brought the honor role note home.  Sometime when you were still a teen, you taught your father to play the guitar.  You were very virtuoso and talented so guitar was pretty easy and quick for you to learn.  I was amazed.

Soon after that more good news came upon us!  It was almost time for you to grow up into the young adult life stage.  Your father and I fixed and decorated the house to get ready for the party.  We bought a drink bar and a buffet table.  Your father spent many nights blowing up many blue and purple balloons which lined the walkway to our house and were attached to all the presents. 

The kind lady, Autumn Cussack, delivered homemade pizzas for the party.  Unfortunately she couldn't stay.

We invited your brothers, sisters, and their husbands and wives.  Some of your school friends came too.  You impressed everyone when you played the guitar for everyone to dance to.

I served the pizza.

Then it was time for the birthday.  I held my breath as you grew up from the stunning, most amazing daughter into a beautiful, young adult.

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CALISTA'S POINT OF VIEW

Once I had finished college I was ready to leave the house.  I bought a small starter home (the weird thing is that my home was mom and dad's second home they owned together), bid farewell to my parents and said hello to freedom and responsibility.  I was now an adult, ready to take on what lay ahead of me.  With my mom being such a business tycoon she was able to help pay for my started home and I was debt free.  People say I am lucky and I am, but now I have the feeling I need to repay her and my father for all they have done.  I know I will somehow....