Your name is Ruby Jean Olsen, you have blonde hair and blue eyes and you're 21 years old. You're a student at Fordham University and you're pursuing a major in History. Ever since you've come to college, you've always been focused on your studies, you've worked very hard to get into Fordham and need to maintain a certain GPA to continue getting your scholarship money to enable you to continue, the second being you need to be able to get scholarships to go on and further your education.
However, today is the last day of your Junior year of undergrad and you've just taken your final exam, you're thrilled, and feel like you've passed all your classes with flying colors and you could not be more ecstatic. All you want to do now is sleep, maybe watch some netflix, but your roommate, Aubrey Taylor Johnson, insists you accompany her to the party to make sure she gets home safe since she plans on drinking. You loathe the idea, but she did help you out studying for your final in Statistics. So, you accompany her to the party and watch her have a good time and hang out on the outskirts of the party.
Suddenly, a guy comes up to you. You dismiss him at first, but he made a comment about the Millionaires since I was wearing their merch which kind of catches your interest. Horatio Atticus Pender's got black hair and blue eyes and introduces themselves as Horatio, they're 21 years old. You start talking to Horatio and find out about them, they're apparently legacies of the university, went to prep schools their whole life, have traveled the world with their bourgeois family and while that would usually make you feel a bit of a chip on your shoulder, for some reason, it doesn't with Horatio. You find them charming. You also find out that Horatio is majoring in Biochemistry and the way they speak about their major so passionately entices you. You talk for hours before your roommate stumbles over. Realizing you need to get her home, but not wanting the conversation with Horatio to end so you exchange numbers and promise to call them later. You leave with your roommate and head back to your dorm, feeling much happier than when you arrived at the party.
It's been ten years since the night of the party and you honestly cannot help but to look back fondly on it. It's the first night you met Horatio who has now become your husband. You've both graduated from not only your undergrad programs, but from your respective graduate programs and are each working in your dream jobs as a history professor and a biochemist. You and Horatio could not be happier right now. However, there does seem to be something missing. The pitter patter of little feet. So, you and Horatio decide to start trying for a family, you spend 1 year trying and failing to get pregnant, but nothing happens. No pregnancy.
You see a fertility doctor who unfortunately informs you that between the two of you there is a low sperm count and apparently a previously undiagnosed case of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome between you. The chance of you two having a biological child together is next to near impossible. The first thought of it stuns you both, you go home with that knowledge and both discuss some options, but you mostly grieve your loss. Both you and Horatio have always wanted a big family, you as an only child and then Horatio comes from a big family with a slew of brothers and sisters.
It takes you 3 months to finally broach the subject of what you two want to do next, stay childless or look into adoption. It's an easy discussion between you and you decide you want to look into adoption. The first thing you decide is to look into both international adoption and domestic adoption. It takes some time to find an agency to work with and then to get your home looked into and approved for viability. It's a longer process then expected, but a year later you've been set up by the agency and made an adoption book and just hoped that you would be matched with someone; then one day you were.
Your case worker informs you that you've been chosen by a young teen, Emma Mary Vega, who has fallen pregnant. She wants the adoption to be closed. While you feel sorry for the girl, an excitement does well inside of your chest. You and Horatio want this, you want to be parents. You meet with Emma and she comes to your house. You all talk and in the end, you sign the papers. You agree to help pay for the cost of her pregnancy from now on, from making sure her medical bills are paid, new maternity clothes are purchased and help her with getting good healthy food. Other than that there is minimal contact which works well for all parties.
You find out at the six month mark that Emma is expecting a boy. Either sex would have been okay, but you and Horatio are just so thrilled. The first thing you both do is go to half a dozen baby stores and purchase all the things you have always wanted to buy. You spend hours after, well into the night and wee hours of the morning setting up a nursery. It looks so beautiful and you honestly cry. You never thought that first night after seeing the infertility doctor you would ever get to set up a nursery.
The rest of the pregnancy goes by so fast, you work through the whole situation by working extra hours and then well, it happens. Emma goes into labor. It's a quick one and you're there the whole time in the waiting room. Your little one is born perfect with blonde hair and hazel eyes weighing in at 7 pounds and 9 ounces and 23 inches long. Emma signs away her rights without ever seeing him. You feel incredible when you look down and just know August Tobias Pender is coming home with you. Where they belong and you and Horatio feel such joy as you strap them into their car seat to take Gus home.
It has been a year since you welcomed Gus into your family and both you and Horatio love being parents, while at times its very hard considering you both work demanding jobs and with you having been promoted up a position to being tenured, but thanks to help from your mother, Olivia Jane Olsen, you know Gus is always in good hands even if you and Horatio are busy with work.
However, later that week you, Horatio and Gus attend his family's yearly reunion. You're staying with his parents, Vivian Eloise Pender and Roman Elias Pender, while you do so. You love hanging out with all of his siblings, (Eliza Clementine Thatcher, Violet Mae Yates, and Matilda Edith Urban), their spouses, (Oscar Josiah Thatcher, Jasper Montgomery Yates, and Sebastian Phineas Urban), and all your nieces and nephews, (Josie Eliza Thatcher, Natalie Rose Thatcher, Amelia Kate Thatcher, Georgia Claire Thatcher, Isaiah Oscar Thatcher, Daisy Alice Yates, Lucy Violet Yates, Maisie Hope Yates, Zoe Paige Yates, Grace "Gracie" Anna Yates, Milo Sebastian Urban, Sawyer Elias Urban, Fiona Edith Urban, Tess Margaret Urban, and Quentin Anderson Urban), as Horatio is the youngest child in his family. They're always talking to you guys and giving advice about child rearing, relationships, etc and while irksome at times you know it all comes from a good and loving place. Later, when speaking to Violet, they ask you if you plan to have anymore kids or if you guys just plan to have Gus. You offhandedly comment that you would like more kids, but are unsure when you and Horatio intend to look into further adoption and go back to talking about other things, but the thought does seem to stay with you a bit.
The night after the reunion and after coming home from work and putting Gus to bed, you and Horatio are reading in bed when Horatio brings back up the fact that you both still would like to adopt internationally and that that can take quite a bit of time. You agree with Horatio having known other people in the adoption community in online support groups who have waited years, you know you just got very lucky with Gus. You both agree to go to bed and place a call with your case worker and agency tomorrow about paper work considering the likely occurrence of a two to four year wait to be matched up with a child.
The next day on your lunch break you place a call to your agent, Allegra Giselle Smith, and she agrees it would be good to start working through the papers since it could take some time. Allegra explains which countries they have current associations with and informs you that you and Horatio need to pick one to start the process. We chit chat a little more about how Gus is doing before hanging up and heading back to work that day, extremely excited.
That night you ask Horatio's oldest sibling and their spouse - Eliza and Oscar - to watch Gus so you and Horatio can decide on which country you want to adopt from. After leaving Gus you go out and have a nice dinner together for the first time in awhile and savor it, making some small work talk before hitting to harder subjects. You discuss some of the places that intrigue you both, you make it down to your top three locations, Ireland, Ethiopia, and Sweden, eventually you end up deciding on Ethiopia because you feel they have a higher need for adoptive parents.
Later that night you and Horatio send an email off to your agent to get the ball rolling on the process. The next day you pick up Gus from Horatio's sibling and feel refreshed and excited about your decision. Over the next couple of months, both you and Horatio work through the paper work, have your home visits and then hit the dry spell you knew would hit, but you fill it with exciting things including your first family vacation with Gus.
It takes some time for you to decide, but you end up picking the Bahamas to go to Atlantis. You and Horatio pick a less crowded week to take off, not around traditional holidays and then spend said week with your family making memories and taking a ton of photos. You had a lot of fun at the dolphin cay,the water park, rock climbing and even getting to check out the comedy club and the spa but, it definitely was a long flight both ways with a young child.
Sadly, even after that you still haven't heard much back from your agent other then she's still looking to match you and Horatio with a child. You try not to feel disheartened by the time frame and continue to enjoy life as it is now. You get into a routine again with Horatio and Gus, and your monthly discussions with your case worker to check in until it's been about a year and a half since you put in the paper work and Gus is just a month away from turning three! You can't believe how big they've gotten.
While shopping for themed thing for Gus' party, they're having a Despicable Me theme, you get a call from your agent. They've found a match! You ask agent if you can call them back in a minute as your out and not at a computer to receive the file and they agree. You rush through check out and quickly call Horatio telling them they need to get home; you've been matched! You throw everything into the car and drive home and thankfully Horatio is there as well and you call back your agent who informs you that you've been matched with a 2 year old girl and you couldn't be more thrilled. You speak with her for another hour before she sends the file and you open it up, look through pictures and feel your heart melt. You and Horatio browse through it a little more before leaving to go pick up Gus from a day with Horatio's parents.
You get home and Horatio makes dinner and you bring up having a younger sibling to Gus and they seem excited by the idea which eases some of your tension and you call back your agent and talk through the process, you set up to go do a first visit in two months when you'll be off for Christmas break from work. You, Horatio, your mother and Gus fly off to Ethiopia and meet your precious baby, they have black hair and dark brown eyes, for the first time, they're adorable and down right perfect and you fall in love with them, at the end of the week and a half when you have to say good, you can't imagine anything more painful, but your mother and Horatio help you get through it. You'll be returning for them soon enough.
As soon as your family gets home, you start to set up a nursery for your little one. You get Gus involved with painting and helping to set it all up and the next thing you know its been another month and you and Horatio travel back to Ethiopia to go pick up your little one for good, to take home, and when you arrive, Horatio's whole family, your mother and Gus are there with all the food, gifts and babysitting offers you could ever want; of course what they're all eagerly awaiting is news your glad to give as you inform them of the names you've chosen for your newest addition, Juliette Horatia Pender, is welcomed joyfully into the Pender clan.
It has been two years since you welcomed your last child and things have been going well, you're currently in waiting for your next adoption from Columbia, which you settled the paper work on about six months ago. However, before that, you moved the family into a new home considering your growing family you knew you guys would need a little more space, thankfully Horatio got a promotion the previous year to - Head Biochemist - which has increased your house revenue by tenfold. Which helped, you ended up moving to a new house, it has 5 bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths with one bedroom converted into a playroom for the kids. You chose this house because it just gives you that overall 'homey' feel.
It's late at night and you're currently organizing some files for work and are surprised when the phone rings and you see its your case worker, Allegra, as she had already spoken to you earlier today to once more inform you that you were still on the waiting list to be matched up with a child, and it was looking like no movement would be coming soon at all. You pick up the phone to answer and ask your social worker why they're calling so late and she informs you she's got some interesting news and a proposal for you and Horatio it appears that the birth mother of Gus has fallen pregnant again which was a huge blow for her, she's in college and trying to make the most of her life. Once more she's looking to adopt out her baby, and she wanted to ask you and Horatio first since the baby would be Gus' half sibling and she knows it would go to a good home if you both raised the baby. You're stunned. You ask if you have time to think about the decision before giving an answer, you need to talk to Horatio and discuss it before you make any major decisions. Allegra says that's fine, but informs you the quicker the better in circumstances like this so Emma would be able to have more time to find a different family if you pick not to adopt her baby. You inform her you understand and end the conversation.
You finish your work and then a few hours later, Horatio comes home and they just want to go to bed, but you inform them you need to talk. You sit down in your living room with Horatio and inform them about the situation at hand, how Emma is pregnant again and would like your family to adopt the baby. At first Horatio is as shocked as you were, but they bring up how you both want a big family. You agree and bring up all the empty space in your new large home. You both decide to sleep on it and head to bed
The next morning as you're bringing your kids to school and pre-school for the day, you bring up the idea of if they might like a new brother or sister and they respond individually. Both seem to be nervous, and this make you feel nervous as well. You drop all the kids off and think about what your children said and head off to work, you have a pretty good day and your co-worker even brings in her new baby, and you coo over him, he's absolutely adorable and it makes your heart yearn for another child. Later that day, when you go home, you and Horatio seem to both agree, you'd like to adopt Emma's baby. You call back your social worker and tell her that you would like to adopt the baby and she is more than pleased to hear it and you start up the process for it once more, signing things, agreeing to pay for certain costs and such.
Only a few months later you speak with Emma to see how she is doing and how schooling is going for her, and its good, thankfully it seems her pregnancy will be in its latent months over the summer and it won't affect her school work, she also informs you that she's found out the baby's gender that day and the baby is a - girl. You're thrilled and quickly send off a text to Horatio to let them know before wishing birth mother well and heading off your lunch break to get back to work.
When you get home that day you surprise your mother with the news that she'll be a grandmother again and of course she's thrilled. Then you inform the children who still don't entirely all seem so sure, but when you explain that they can help you decorate the room. Juliette is very excited, but Gus seems a little more hesitant so you try and get them involved, but soon enough the nursery is done and looks fantastic. All your children now seem excited, especially Gus.
As the pregnancy progresses, its time to start thinking about names and you and Horatio talk back and forth having some trouble, but in the end you find some names you like and can agree on for the baby's first name, Athena, but have trouble finding a matching middle name, but decide to leave it be for now. It'll come to you later and its not worth fighting over with Horatio.
Of course, nothing can go as expected and on a hot, July afternoon, Emma goes into labor three weeks early and your baby arrives! They're 6 pounds and 2 ounces and 17 inches long. This time both you and Horatio were in the delivery room for the birth and it was magical, a little scary, but magical. Your children are in the waiting room with your mother and Horatio's parents, who're all very excited to meet their new family member, and so you bring out your blonde hair and hazel eyed bundle of joy and finally express their full name Athena Mary Pender. You decided to give them a middle name after Emma since she truly has given you such gifts in Gus and in your newest baby. As you seem swaddled in their blanket with your mother holding her and your other children watching them with wide, excited eyes you could not find yourself ever feeling this happy before and you're so grateful.
It's been a year since you brought home Athena and things have been great, you love seeing your kids together, playing and just being together. As an only child, you found yourself quite lonely growing up and seeing Gus, Juliette, and Athena all together it makes your heart feel warm. It also gives you major headaches when they fight sometimes, but that's just part of the territory. One thing you also missed greatly when you were growing up was a pet, your family had a dog when you were very little, but you never really grew up with a pet and you want that for your kids. Horatio agrees having been raised with cats, dogs and ferrets his whole life. We decide the most amiable pet would probably be a dog.
After picking which type of animal you think would be a good fit for your family, you and Horatio go over a list of breeds, you take some votes from your friends and other family members, and end up picking a Siberian Husky. You find a reputable breeder and get yourself on the wait list for their upcoming litter of puppies. Its three months later and you hear back, there is a little male puppy with your name on it if you're ready. Of course you are! You bring the little one home and realize you forgot one very important thing - a name! You show off the little new family member to your kids and Horatio, every one of you submit a name into a hat - your youngest child with a little help from Horatio. You choose Cooper, Horatio chooses Picasso, Gus chooses Jesse, Juliette chooses Drew, and Athena chooses Graham. Once they're all written down you put them in a hat, shake it and pick one name - Gus' name gets picked and thus your new family member is Jesse!
Soon enough, your new little fluff is settled and its nice, they're good for helping teach the kids some responsibility as they all have little chores to help out with your new pet. Plus they're cute as can be and have gained your instagram account an odd dozen or so new followers who love pictures of your adorable puppy.
A few weeks after you get your pet, you finally get a call from Allegra that your papers have gone through to Columbia and you've been given a match! You've been matched with a boy who is an infant, from the email accompanying the call, you and Horatio see that the little one has brown hair and brown eyes. Your instantly awestruck and in love. You read through everything and agree, this little one is just meant to be a part of your family.
Thankfully, a month later, its summer vacation and so you leave your kids and lovely pet with one of Horatio's siblings for two weeks while you head off to Columbia to go meet your newest child for the first time in their country and you have an amazing time with them, spending some time alone, but also partaking in some cultural activities related to their culture heritage. You went and saw some of the Amazon, visited some national parks and museums, and ate at some restaurants to get recipe ideas. It hurts to leave them, but you hug them tight and promise you'll be back for them soon. You come back home and spend a few days with yourself and Horatio before you in-law brings your kids and pet back home. You hug them all and show them pictures of your time with their new brother who will be coming home very soon. You all get together and make up their new room in the house for them - nursery.
In fact, its only a month later in August that you fly back to Columbia to pick up your child since overcrowding and needed space you have to just get in and out, its a fast and messy four day procedure, but when you arrive to the airport to see all of your family, your mother, Horatio's parents, your brothers and sisters in law and all your nieces and nephews along with your kids with banners welcoming the family home as you walk over and introduce them now all in person to Leo Gene Pender the newest member of the family.
It's been about two years since you welcomed Leo into your family. Unfortunately, tragedy has struck. As surprising as it is, about two years ago you reconnected with Aubrey, surprisingly at a mommy and me class, and the two of you became friends, she had matured a lot since you last saw her, apparently it was a new thing since she had turned her life around after getting pregnant on a one night stand and having her daughter, Lulu Holiday Johnson. You two started having play dates with your kids and actually gotten along quite so much so that now that she and her boyfriend, Ian Henry Kensington, are expecting a baby and she has asked you and Horatio to be the god parents and you couldn't be happier, sadly something went wrong. Only a few months after their son, Cameron Asher Kensington was born Aubrey and Ian are a part of a tragic car accident and die on impact. Thankfully, the kids were at home that night with a babysitter and are fine.
The news devastates you when you get the call the night after, and what is even more shocking is that you find out that you and Horatio have been listed in their will to inherit not only a large lump some of money, as well as managing trusts for both of their children, but they would like you and Horatio to be the guardians of their children and adopt them. Aubrey was an only child of a single father who passed away during your time in college and Ian was the only child of parents who are quite old now and are in no shape to take on a three year old and a three month old full time.
While you are stunned at first, you both know there is no one else out there to take in these children, but the two of you. If you decline they will end up in the foster system, will probably end up being separated from one another, it's not a pretty picture. Their best chance at remaining together and being able to have a relationship with their grandparents is you and Horatio. You already adore and love Lulu from spending time with them and your heart breaks at the idea of saying no to her, and so after taking another night talking with Horatio you both decide to go through with it and adopt them.
Most of the paper work is set up and you have Allegra look over it just to make sure everything is correct in the paper work before signing it. They're currently spending the weekend with their grandparents while you and Horatio set up a room for them. As soon as its done you call their grandparents and arrange to pick Lulu and Cameron up from them.
You bring them home and they're quiet at first, but Leo gives Lulu a big hug and takes them over to play some games with Gus, Juliette, and Athena , and it makes you happy to see how intuitive your kids are at cheering Lulu up while you rock Cameron and call up Olivia and inform them of what is going on and asking her to come stay with you for a few days to help out with getting everything settled. Your mother agrees and doesn't mind at all, feeling saddened beyond belief for the poor kids. It's rough at first, Lulu is constantly asking for her mommy and daddy and has some nightmares and the little one still does not sleep through the night, thankfully your mother's help makes it better the first few weeks and it becomes routine for you all and you settle in. Now, you couldn't imagine your life without them both living with you. You and Horatio decide to make everything more official by hyphenating Lulu and Cameron's last names with your own. That way they are a part of your family without loosing their old family.
Three short months later and it seems as if Lulu and Cameron have always been a part of your family. They fit into your daily life and its like they have always been there with you. What surprises you is when you get a call from Allegra, things had been so busy that you had forgotten that before you'd even taken Lulu and Cameron you had been looking into fostering and or adopting another child domestically. There is a child in need of a placement, a little girl who had black hair and brown eyes and was left at a fire station, there is no other information on them, but a doctor calculated a close to approximate age as just about one year old.
You feel stressed about the idea, but Allegra explains that you are the fourth person she's called and the last person on her list before the child will have to be sent to a home. You agree to take the little one in just for now, until they can find another place to stay. For now though, they need a name, so you and Horatio use some names you had considered if you had more children and call them - Kennedy Lavender Pender - instead of jane doe. As time progress though, its been a month, and the makeshift room you've had for Kennedy had become a full on room. They've seemingly settled in and so you agreed to foster them instead of just being a continued emergency placement.
It's been three years since you welcomed home your last child and since then you have officially adopted, Kennedy, who you were previously fostering. Things have been fantastic and recently you retired from your job - you enjoyed the job a lot, but you wanted to do something else. You decided to open your own business - a children's museum where you work on bringing history to youth. Opening your own business has allowed you more time at home, to spend with your kids and to get them involved with your business to help teach them a good work ethic and skills for themselves.
Things have been good with the running of your business, taking time with your children and even playing with Jesse more often. You feel more carefree and at home and with your kids getting older - you can't help wanting to hold another baby in your arms. You speak to Horatio about it and they feel similarly about the whole thing - so you call Allegra and let them know you'd like to be put on the list and that by the and of the week you'll have an updated baby book ready by the end of the week. Things progress amiably and the older kids help make it and everything. It's a fun family bonding experience for you all and once its done you send it off to Allegra so she can set it up.
In fact things have been going so well, and with the expansion of your family and large income increase thanks to how well your business has been doing you decide to buy the home for sale next to your own. You bulldoze the home and have your family move into a one-story condo for 9 weeks. During this time you hire a construction crew and have them expand upon your property and merge things expanding upon your home - adding 6 rooms to your home as well as expanding upon your home adding a library, a theater, a game room, and expanding the playroom.
Once the construction is done and you move in you're honestly in-love and so are the kids, they're all happy to have their own rooms and not be so cramped as it was at the temporary housing while you were waiting for the construction to be done. The even better news is just a few weeks after moving back in you get a call from Allegra. She's found you guys a match! A young woman who is in the middle of attending law school, she and her now ex-boyfriend got pregnant and while they had thought about keeping them at first realized they could barely keep a relationship working let alone take care of two - yes two - babies. The woman is expecting twins. However, before she agrees to finalize anything she would like to meet you and Horatio to see if she feels as comfortable with you as she did when reading your family book.
A week later you meet her - Caroline Joanna Harvey - and she's amazing. A well put together young woman, you talk for awhile and find some common ground, a love for hockey, which helps ease you all into conversation. It's much different then when you dealt with Emma - it seems Caroline has a plan for her life and knows what she wants to do and is working for it which impresses you and Horatio quite a lot. After you guys speak for a few hours, Caroline admits she feels rather confident with having her children be adopted into your family. She feels that you two are loving an caring people and in the photo book your family looks happy and you're doing all these fantastic things which is what she wants for her babies. The three of you all agree on wanting this and the only thing Caroline would like you to do is pay for health care costs, nothing more and that is fine so you call up Allegra and they agree to work on a contract for you all to sign soon. You say your goodbyes and head back home to your kids and are excited to see them, you all have a family movie night and settle in.
A few days later Allegra faxes over the contract to you and in it is everything you discussed with Caroline, you'll pay for her pregnancy related medical costs and in addition she would like a nearly closed adoption - she's just like yearly updates on their birthday with pictures and a letter just talking about them and how they've been doing. As long as no contact is initiated you're happy and this is no hardship to complete for the woman gifting you two precious babies to care for and love. You and Horatio sign the contract and move on from their and inform the kids they'll be getting not just one, but two more little siblings - Gus is a little nervous about having more siblings but the other kids are plenty excited. Since Lulu seems to be the most excited, you pair her and Gus up in helping getting things ready for the arrival of the babies.
A month later you get an excited call from, Allegra, as Caroline visited the doctor that day and found out that you will be expecting identical boys and you're thrilled. Allegra promises to mail you the pictures of the sonograms and everything else from the doctor's visit to keep you informed.
Now that you know the gender of the twins, you and the family take one of the guest rooms you have no and change it into a nursery for them. For now they'll share to make life a little easier for you and Horatio when you have to do late night feedings and when they're a little older you'll give them rooms of their own. The new nursery.
The next four months pass in a flurry and you get a call from Allegra that Caroline has started labor before your planned c-section date and so she's going to the hospital now to do it. You frantically call up all your family, your mother rushes over to watch the kids while you and Horatio head off to the hospital. Caroline doesn't want you guys in the room and you respect that, waiting in the lounge as the hours pass, but soon enough Allegra comes out to inform you both babies are happy and health - ten fingers and ten toes. The oldest is five pounds and six ounces and eighteen inches long while the younger twin is five pounds even and nineteen inches long. Caroline spends an hour with each baby, gifting them hand knitted blankets and hats she made for them before kissing each on the head and handing them to you with tears in her eyes, she thanks you for loving them and asks that you move into a different room so she can rest and you do. Staring at your beautiful little ones. Baby A has black hair and brown eyes while Baby B also has black hair and brown eyes and as you look at them you know the names you picked fit them perfect - Logan Harvey Pender and Alistair Joseph Pender - and more than that you know they're meant for your family and with them your family finally feels complete.
It's been nine years since you adopted your last children and a lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same - since these past nine years you've opened not just one, but two more off shoots of your original business-Mini Historians, Split Plants (focuses on the history of plants) and Lil Sapiens (focuses on the history of human life), and Horatio has retired from their own job to help you run the business and you both enjoy working together and it helps fulfill another part of your relationship that you had never done before. Plus with a lot of things going so well, you've enjoyed seeing your kids grow up and become more of themselves.
However, growing up at times comes with certain difficulties and lately some of the children have been having a few problems with their behavior and school.
Gus has no problems.
Juliette has no problems.
Athena has no problems.
Lulu's grades are declining due to a recent breakup.
Leo got a girl pregnant. However, her family doesn't want to raise the baby so the baby lives with us.
Kennedy is starting fights to stand up for her younger brother.
Cameron's grades are declining due to being bullied.
Logan is developing an attitude problem for unknown reasons currently.
Alistair's grades are declining due to lack of interest.
With all of this happening at once, you and Horatio have decided to have the kids switch out of their schools into a private one, away from any previous bad influence or place that might be giving your kids trouble, and hope that perhaps a change of pace will help the children to settle down and become a bit happier. Once the switch happens and the children have started school again, we notice that the children's problems aren't really improving.
Lulu is still struggling so we decide to let her see a therapist as well as trying to help her meet new people.
Having Leo's son, Wyatt Matthew Pender (who has black hair and blue eyes like his mom), live with us has been going great and after much discussion, he has informed us that he won't have any more children until after he is done with school.
While we weren't expecting grandchildren so early, we love the newest addition to the family.
Kennedy is still getting into fights so we get her seeing a therapist as well and we sign her up for the track team at school as a way to unleash her anger.
Cameron is still pretty upset from being bullied at his last school and we are just at a loss for what to do. He is also seeing a therapist while we try to come up with an extra solution.
Logan still has his attitude problem and at this point we are assuming his age is a factor. He is welcome to see a therapist as well but we are mostly just trying to give it time for now unless it becomes a bigger issue.
Alistair's grades are not only not improving but, he is talking about wanting to drop out as soon as he can.
It's been a long 16 years since you had your kids move schools to help try and make things work better for your family. You've had a full an amazing life and are honestly still up and running your day to day life now running your three successful businesses with Horatio, and looking back to your children and raising them you feel so grateful for the life you've had and now you've got oodles of grandchildren and your kids are all happily settled down and living fantastic lives.
Gus [blonde hair; hazel eyes] is anxious but hardworking. He loved playing Battleship as a child and was into computer games as he got older. He majored in Education in college and is now a college professor. He is straight and currently single. He had 2 boys with his wife, Amber Raine Pender (nee Freeman) who had brown hair and hazel eyes, before she passed away. The oldest, Gabriel August Pender, has blonde hair and hazel eyes. The youngest, Ezra Tobias Pender, has brown hair and hazel eyes.
Juliette [black hair; dark brown eyes] is stubborn but affectionate. She loved puzzles as a child and was into soccer as she got older. She majored in Criminal Justice in college and is now a detective. She is bisexual and engaged to a man named Robin Blaze Morton who has brown hair and hazel eyes. They have 5 kids together; Noah Charles Morton, Elijah James Morton, Aiden Christopher Morton, Carter Samuel Morton, and Ava Elizabeth Morton all have black hair and dark brown eyes like their mother.
Athena [blonde hair; hazel eyes] is bossy but sociable. She loved playing with the toy kitchen as a child and was into basketball as she got older. She majored in Psychology in college and is now a social worker. She is homosexual and currently single. She has a son through a donor. Apollo Jude Pender has blonde hair like his mother but acquired brown eyes from the donor.
Lulu [black hair; green eyes] is impulsive but artistic. She loved playing with the toy kitchen as a child and was into bike riding as she got older. She majored in Computer Science in college and is now a web developer. She is straight and currently single. She has 3 children through an ex-boyfriend and a one night stand. With her ex-boyfriend, Ryder Adrian Baxter who had brown hair and blue eyes, she had 2 kids. Monroe Aubrey Pender-Baxter has black hair and green eyes like her mom and Theodore Harley Pender-Baxter has brown hair and blue eyes like his dad. Her 3rd child, Lincoln Atticus Johnson-Pender, has black hair and green eyes as well.
Leo [brown hair; brown eyes] is anxious but hardworking. He loved playing with Play-Doh as a child and was into tennis as he got older. He majored in Computer Science in college and is now a computer programmer. He is straight and married to Aurora "Rory" Liberty Pender (nee Pratt) who has brown hair and brown eyes. Leo already had Wyatt but together they had a set of quints. In birth order they were named; Veda Noelle Pender, Ursula Odette Pender, Tristan Phillip Pender, Savannah Quinn Pender, and Regan Renee Pender. They all have brown hair and brown eyes like their parents. Savannah and Regan are identical.
Kennedy [black hair; brown eyes] is bossy but sociable. She loved playing with a toy guitar as a child and was into computer games as she got older. She majored in Computer Science in college and is now a software engineer. She is bisexual and married to a man named Ace William Harding who has brown hair and brown eyes. They have a set of triplets; Cassidy Lavender Harding, Camden William Harding, and Collin Wade Harding. Cassidy has brown hair and brown eyes while Camden and Collin are identical and have black hair and brown eyes.
Cameron [brown hair; brown eyes] is anxious but hardworking. He loved playing with a toy camera as a child and was into football as he got older. He majored in Political Science in college and is now a FBI agent. He is straight and married to Lux Waverly Kensington-Pender (nee Boswell) who has brown hair and almond eyes. They have 3 children together, a girl and 2 boys. Norah Giselle Kensington-Pender has brown hair and brown eyes, Dean Maxwell Kensington-Pender has brown hair and almond eyes, and Easton Knox Kenstington-Pender has brown hair and brown eyes.
Logan [black hair; brown eyes] is introverted but dependable. He loved playing with toy drums as a child and was into running as he got older. He majored in Criminal Justice in college and is now a police officer. He is bisexual and married to a man named Talon Scout Pender-Hawthorne who has blonde hair and hazel eyes. They have a set of quadruplets (2 boys, 2 girls) together thanks to a surrogate/donor with Logan being the biological father. Julian Scott Pender-Hawthorne, Kyler Salvatore Pender-Hawthorne, and Lola Simone Pender-Hawthorne all have black hair and hazel eyes from the surrogate/donor while Meredith Sage Pender-Hawthorne has black hair and brown eyes like Logan.
Alistair [black hair; brown eyes] is introverted but dependable. He loved playing Jenga as a child and was into tennis as he got older. He doesn't go to college and is now in the military. He is straight and married to Melody Avalon Pender (nee Lockwood) who has red hair and brown eyes. They have 4 kids together; twin girls, a boy, and then another girl. The twins, Piper Faith Pender and Penelope Joy Pender, as well as their son, Alistair Joseph Pender Jr, have black hair and brown eyes like their father. Juno Fallon Pender takes after her mother and has red hair and brown eyes.
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Olivia with Ruby
Roman and Vivian with Eliza, Violet, Matilda, and Horatio
Eliza and Oscar with Josie, Natalie, Amelia, Georgia, and Isaiah
Violet and Jasper with Daisy, Lucy, Maisie, Zoe, and Gracie
Matilda and Sebastian with Milo, Sawyer, Fiona, Tess, and Quentin
Horatio and Ruby with Gus, Juliette, Athena, Lulu, Leo, Kennedy, Cameron, Logan, Alistair, and furbaby: Jesse
Gus with Gabe and Ezra
Juliette and Robbie with Noah, Eli, Aiden, Carter, and Ava
Athena with Apollo
Lulu with Monroe, Theo, and Lincoln
Leo with Wyatt
Leo and Rory with Veda, Ursula, Tristan, Savannah, and Regan
Kennedy and Ace with Cassidy, Camden, and Collin
Cameron and Lux with Norah, Dean, and Easton
Logan and Talon with Julian, Kyler, Lola, and Meredith
Alistair and Melody with Piper, Penelope, AJ, and Juno