"Cliff," I said with a sigh, "I don't know how you convinced me to come out today. I told you, I didn't want to celebrate my 30th birthday. It just means I'm old now."

"Nonsense," Cliff smiled, "It just means you're 30 years young, beautiful and full of life experience."

"Yeah, but I don't want to be 30." I mumbled.

"Natalie," Clifford laughed, "Just because you're 30 now doesn't really mean anything. It's just marking how many times the earth has gone around the sun since you were born. It doesn't make you any less beautiful or any less amazing or any less desirable."

I just smiled a little and shook my head, "If you say so, Cliff. I still feel old."

"Just because you feel old, my love, doesn't mean you are."

"I suppose..." I sighed and let a small smile play across my lips, "and I guess that the food here IS really, really good."

"That's my Natalie." Cliff laughed, "Plus, this is your favorite restaurant, yes?"

"Yeah, it's only been my favorite place to eat since, I don't know, forever?" I giggled.

"Do you remember when we used to come here with our families every other weekend?"

"I do!" I laughed, "and after dinner we'd run around down at the old gazebo and play games like hide and seek as well as tag. It was great. My sisters and I loved playing down there. Once, Paige climbed up to the top of the gazebo. My mom got so mad!"

"I remember that!" Clifford laughed loudly, "Your mom had to call the fire department to get her down, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did! Paige was grounded for so long, it was hysterical."

Clifford chuckled, "Let's not forget your shinanagins either, missy."

"You mean that one time at the Neighborhood Grill-A-Thon that we all went to and they had a kiddie pool set up and I ran up behind you and shoved you in?"

"And then I pulled you in to!"

"Yeah, you did! But I escaped and you chased me all the way down to the City Hall building and back." I giggled at the memory.

"We both got in so much trouble for that, didn't we?" He laughed.

"Yeah, I think we were both grounded for like a month."

"I think we were as well."



Clifford gave me a smile and signaled our waitress and paid the bill.

"Natalie?" He asked, breathing softly and taking a step closer to me.

"Yeah?" I said while turning around, gasping a little when I saw how close he was to me. Even after 15 years of being with him, he still could make me forget how to breathe.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and leaned in for a sweet, soft kiss.

"Happy birthday, my love." He purred into my ear.

I giggled softly and kissed him lightly back, "Thank you, Cliff. I enjoyed my birthday dinner."

"You're more then welcome, Natalie. I enjoy taking you out, especially on your birthday."

I blushed a little and he grabbed my hand as we walked back to our car.



"Can you say Mommy?" I asked my little toddler. Clifford and I were once again going along with the I teach our kids to talk, he teaches them to walk, and we both go with the potty training.

Todd just looked at me funny for a moment and shook his little head.

"I know you can! Come on, say Mommy." I said, tickling him a little.

"Mommy!" He giggled squirming around a little.

"That's my boy." I laughed. "Now, can you say Daddy?"

"Daddy!" He laughed a little bit again.

"What about bottle?"

"Bowtle!" He giggled.

"No, its bottle. Can you say bottle?"

"Bottle!" Todd smiled widely.

"Yay Todd!" I laughed, tickling him again. I continued like this for quite some time, giving him different words and phrases to try. He was getting to be quite good at talking, and it wouldn't be long until he had it completely down.

When Clifford came home he came into Todd's room to check on us. Todd saw Clifford open the door and as soon as the door was opened, Todd's little eyes lit up.

"Daddy!" Todd stood up and wobbled his way over to his dad.

"Up, up Daddy!"

"Hey there, Todd!" Clifford grinned as he picked up his youngest son, "Were you talking with Mommy?"

"Yeah!" Todd laughed.

"Good job, little buddy!" Clifford smiled and ruffled up our son's hair, causing him to giggle.

"Daddy?" Todd asked.

"Yeah T-man?"

"I love you!" Todd grinned as he gave his Daddy a big hug.

I smiled and gasped a little, and Clifford was very much taken aback, but he snuggled little Todd and with a soft voice said, "Aww, I love you too, Todd."



"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Layton! Happy birthday to you!"

Layton laughed. He was so happy. He turned five today and in the fall, he'd be starting school. He blew out the candles on his birthday cake excitedly and then demanded he get the biggest slice of cake.

After we ate the cake, it was time for opening presents.

"Here ya go, Layton," my mom said, passing him a small little box.

"Thanks, Grandma!" He smiled as he tore open the little box.

He grinned when he realized that he had gotten a video game that he could play. He was very excited and said that he would play it as soon as the party was over.

Layton loved the outdoors very much, so my younger brother Scott gave him a book on all the different kinds of plants and animals that were in the area.

"Thanks, uncle Scott! Will you read some of it to me?" Layton asked.

"Of course Layton. How about on Saturday night?" My younger brother offered.

Layton shot Scott a big smile, "That sounds perfect!"

Layton was five now, and Clifford and I knew that it wouldn't be long until he'd want to start riding a bike around town. He'd been eyeing the big box in the corner from Cliff and I the entire party. When we finally told him he could open it, he darted over to it and ripped open the paper and the box.

When he saw the shining red bike and helmet, he got so excited. He ran over to Cliff and gave him a big hug, and then he gave me an even bigger hug, smiling widely.

"Thank you Mommy! Thank you Daddy! Daddy, are you going to teach me how to ride the bike?"

Clifford gave Layton a smile and patted his hair, "Of course, Kiddo. On my next day off I'll help ya learn, okay?"

Layton smiled so incredibly wide, it probably made his poor little face hurt. I just laughed and smiled, loving the fact that something so simple could make Layton so happy.



"C'mon, Todd! Come 'ere my little man!" Clifford said to our youngest son, getting him to walk all the way across the room to him.

"Daddy!" Little Todd giggled when he reached his father.

"Go Todd! That's my lil' man!"

Todd was two years old now, and getting bigger and bigger each and every day. He had mostly learned to walk and was well on his way as far as talking went. He was becoming so big, so fast just like his older brother did.

"I hate to intrude on the male-bonding time, guys, but it's time for Todd to go to bed. It's nearly nine o'clock." I said looking at the two of them.

Right on cue, Todd yawned and laid his head down on his fathers shoulder.

"No sleepy." Todd said, shaking his head. "Daddy playtime!"

Clifford just shook his head, "Nah little man, we'll play more tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Todd sighed and Clifford picked Todd up and then passed him over to me.

"Mommy's gonna go put you to bed so I can shower, okay?" Clifford said to the little toddler now laying in my arms.

"Okay Daddy!" Todd said, smiling, "Ni-ni Daddy!"

Clifford smiled and ruffled up Todd's hair, "Night little man."



"Oh good, you didn't burn them." My mom said as she walked out into the kitchen one morning after I had made some waffles for breakfast.

I nearly jumped and let the waffles fly everywhere, but I regained my composure and set them on the counter.

"Jesus, mom! You scared the hell outta me!" I sighed.

"I'm sorry dear. Move, I wanna see how these waffles turned out." She grinned.

"Let me get mine!" I giggled and we went out into the dining room to eat our food.

"Mmmm," my mom mumbled as she ate her waffle, "you're getting better. You're still not good, but you're better, much better."

"Thanks Mom," I laughed, "What can I do to make these better?"

"Cook them a little longer, maybe 30 or so seconds, and add a little extra flour to the mix when you're mixing the batter, they're a little too moist."

"Anything else?" I asked, sighing. Cooking was hard. I had no idea how my mom became so good at it.

"Practice more!" Mom said enthusiastically, "That's the only way you ever get better. I used to be an awful cook, and I burned everything! However, I kept practicing, and eventually, I became pretty damn good."

I smiled and laughed a little and nodded, "Okay, mom."



"Ugh!" I groaned as I lunged over the toilet just in time, my stomach quickly getting rid of everything that was inside it.

This was the second time I threw up within twelve hours. The only time this ever happened was when I was pregnant. I gave my doctor a call and I went in to see her. Sure enough, the pregnancy test came back positive.

When Clifford came home that night I ran into his arms and giggled, "Cliff! I'm pregnant!"

Clifford gave me the biggest smile and hugged me back tightly,"That's amazing! We're gonna have another little Stephens running around!"

"I know!" I said giggling. I really loved being a mother and taking care of my children, I loved watching them grow and develop their own little personalities.

"Do you think it'll be another little boy?" Clifford asked

"I don't know," I laughed, "If it is, we'll just need to keep trying."

"What if it's a girl?" Clifford smiled, brushing back my hair.

"I would be very, very happy." I said honestly.

"I would be happy too." Clifford laughed.

"How many more children do you want to have, anyway?" I asked giggling.

"As many as you want. I love our kids, and I'll love any more that we have. You have them, I'll feed them." he explained simply.

I just smiled at him and hugged my wonderful husband tightly, "You're the best husband ever."

"I try my best to be, so I can be good enough for you, the best wife ever."

We smiled at each other and I gave him a soft, loving kiss.



Time marched on, and I got bigger by the day. Most days later in my pregnancy I liked to sit and read books on cooking and gardening, as instructed to do so by my mother. I didn't tell her that I enjoyed reading up on it though. At first it was a little boring, but as I became more and more advanced, the more I enjoyed reading and attempting to do the things I was taught to do in the books.



The only reason I was really even able to do this was because my dad would sit and watch the boys while I read for a few hours.

Layton loved playing with Todd. They were really close and even though Layton was three years older than Todd, Layton was more than happy to play nicely with his younger brother through the time I was pregnant. My dad only had to step in and play referee a few times. That was probably mostly due to the fact that the boys' favorite game was peak-a-boo.



Before anyone knew it, it was time for me to bring the newest baby Stephens into the world. My water broke at 2 AM 2 days before she was due. Clifford was still freaking out over it, even though we had already done this twice before



At four-thirty in the morning, Victoria Shea Stephens was born. Welcome to the world, little one!