Harry- 26
Sunny- 24
Rory & Nola- 7
Amos- 2
Juniper- 2
"Do you think she knows it's her birthday?" Harry asks from beside me in the softest whisper.
The two of us are crouched over Juni's small kiddie travel bed. Sleeping soundly with her Giraffe teddy named Josie tucked up beside her neck, her pouty lips pucker in her sleep. The soft blonde of her hair sticks to her forehead a little in the heat as she rolls on her side and lets a small huff puff out of her nose.
"She's two, Harry!"
"So?" He grunts back. "Babies can sense stuff. I'm sure of it. Like Mosi knew I was scared when he was a baby, that's why he would scream when I held him and then when you held him in the diner, he was fine."
"Maybe he just liked me more?" I suggest, tapping my hip into my husband's playfully.
"Nope," Harry declares. "He could smell my fear,"
"Right..." I nod, going along with another one of his silly little ideas that make no sense to me.
It's been just over two years since we got married and nothing has changed in the slightest. Harry still has an interesting sense of humour that he likes to share with me at any given moment. He also just talks his mind and his quirky little thoughts every single second of every day and now, as his wife, I have to smile and nod and try not to giggle at how silly some of them are.
"When do you think she is going to wake up?" He asks, growing impatient.
I know he is excited for her to go downstairs and see the way that we have decorated the beach house that we stay at every single year now for everyone's birthday. Every time someone in our family turns another year older, we come here and celebrate but I have to say the last two years that we have held Juni's birthday at the beach have been the most fun.
With the fireworks from the Fourth of July celebrations that flitter around all of us at night, there is a sort of magical nature to her birthday.
Of course, we celebrate her more than the holiday but regardless, we enjoy the fireworks.
"Momma?" Rory pokes her head around the bedroom door and lets in a stream of light that hits directly into Juniper's eyes.
"Shhh!" I hum with very little authority because the contagious smile on her face is a pretty one. "What is it?"
"Mosi is trying to bite the balloons that Daddy blowed up!"
I smile, finding it somewhat funny that Mosi is such a little troublemaker these days. He's nearly three and already he is creating havoc.
How we have survived having two little ones so close together is an absolute mystery to me but nonetheless, we made it work.
"For god sake!" Harry grunts, shaking his head and leaving the room without another word.
Rory is hot on his heels, running after him as the sound of her slapping feet drifts down over the hardwood flooring on the beach house.
Turning back to my little baby, I smile down at her while she hunches her shoulders and screws her face up from the rude interruption.
Unlike every single one of our children, Juni loves her sleep. She is always the last one to wake up which is why Nola, Rory and Mosi are downstairs already having eaten their breakfast and getting dressed.
I even had time to do the twin's hair in little pigtails for them with tiny pink bows of ribbon as requested.
"Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday Sweet Juni... happy birthday to you!"
Curling my hands around the rim of the headboard of her bed, I smile down at Juniper who blinks the sleep away from her eyes and smiles sleepily up at me.
"Good morning, Juni bug!" I hum, running my hand over the milky strands of soft blonde hair that she has.
Rolling into her stomach, she starts to sit up with that cheeky smile that is the spitting image of her Daddy's. If you could copy and paste Harry's grin, I think Juni would have it. Sometimes I can't get over how similar she looks when she screws her eyes shut and flashes us the cheesiest grin in the world.
"How's it feel being two?" I question, lifting her onto my hip and out of her kid's bed which is low to the floor so she doesn't hurt herself if she rolls.
"Mumma!" She hums, rubbing her tired eyes. "See Daddy?"
I nod, brushing my hand back through her golden hair again that is growing longer and just about hitting below her shoulders.
"Such a daddy's girl, huh, Juni bug?"
She nods, flopping her sleepy head on my shoulder as I push the door to her bedroom open with my hip and head downstairs with her sitting on it tiredly.
"Should we go and find Daddy?"
"Yeah, Daddy!"
Rory has been bouncing with nervous excitement since last night when Harry and I recruited her and her twin sister to decorate downstairs. They felt like they were doing big girl jobs but really they slowed the process down. Either way, it was fun to be able to mess around them while the little two slept.
Sometimes I feel like we don't spend as much time with Rory and Nola as we should.
Together, we filled the place with white, different shades of pink and yellow balloons since H decided on her birthday theme for this year. He wanted some old-school 70's flower power and so we did just that.
Taking the stairs down, I can hear Harry's firm voice tell Mosi off.
Although, he is crap at telling any of them off. One pout of their bottom lip quivering with upset and he is pulling them into his arms and apologising to them.
We are working on it.
"Amos!" I hear him grunt. "I said stop biting the flowers!"
There's a cheeky giggle in reply that makes me roll my eyes.
"Mosi... what did Daddy just say?" He mutters again. "Oh yeah, have children they said... it will be fun they said... the best time of your life they said..."
Rounding the door, Juni spots her dad in the corner immediately while he vigorously runs his fingers through his long hair.
"Daddy!" She all but yells loudly in my ears and holds her hands out for him.
Not paying any mind to the balloons that are shaped like flowers that are literally everywhere, Juniper only has eyes for her dad who is quite literally the centre of her universe right now.
And I hope forever.
Smiling at Harry and his rant, his face lights up every single time one of the four of them calls him Daddy. Taking large strides across the room, he holds his arms out for her and gladly steals her off me and bundles her into his arm.
"Not you though, huh, Juni bug?" He coos, kissing her face as she giggles and melts into him. "Not you, huh? Just your crazy big brother!"
Spotting Mosi on the floor by a balloon flower that is half popped and coated in a bit of saliva, I grimace and walk over to him.
Coming up behind him as he grabs a buttercup yellow balloon and goes to lift it to his mouth, I place my hands on his waist and speedily lift him into the air as he squeals. "What are you doing?"
Dropping the balloon, I toss him up a little and then expertly catch him as his chestnut curls bounce.
"Hmm? What are you doing, bud?"
"He's breaking all our balloons, Momma!" Nola comes running over to where I am standing, winding her arms around my bare thigh, she taps my skin. "He's being a naughty boy!"
"Are you?" I turn back to Mosi who is still being held above my head and kicking his feet. "Huh?"
The cheeky smirk that bounces onto his sweet little lips is enough to make me roll my eyes.
"Mosi..."
"It pops!" He giggles, pointing down to the balloon that Nola was distraught over.
Sitting him on my hip, I run my hand over the back of Nola's head.
"I know that's why you're not going to bite them anymore, right?"
"Why?" He retaliates.
"Because you're making Nolee sad and you don't want to make Nolee sad, do you?"
Looking down at his big sister, Mosi blinks and then tips his head to the side. "Bean sad?"
"Yeah," Nola grumps, crossing her arms over her chest. "Me and Roo helped Momma and Daddy make the flowers and you keep popping them!"
"Okay, okay!" Harry hears the edge in Nola's voice building and comes to stand with all of us. Juni is on the floor now, holding onto Rory's hand for dear life. "Why don't we get these birthday celebrations on the road instead of fighting about balloons?"
"But, Daddy!" Nola starts to whine.
"But, Jelly Bean!" He copies in the same whiny tone of voice.
"Stop it!" Nola frowns at him.
Harry shakes his head with a smile and rests his hand on the small of my back.
"No, you stop it!" He fires back, his immature side coming to play with the twins whenever they decide to throw tantrums. "Are you going to be a little grump all day or are you going to have fun with the rest of us?"
Nola ponders this for a little before looking over at Rory who is swinging hers and Juni's hands back and forth. Rory nods reassuringly at Nole who then turns back to us with a coy smile.
"I want to have fun please,"
"Perfect answer, Jelly Bean because we have so much fun planned!"
"What fun?" Rory asks sweetly, weirdly being the chilled one out of the two of them today.
Usually, the roles are reversed.
"You'll have to wait and see," I tell them, sitting Mosi on the couch so I can help him slip his little blue Crocs on. Harry quickly whisks Juni off to get her dressed for the day and change her diaper while the girls and I find some shoes and load up our car.
It takes nearly forty minutes but eventually, all four kids are strapped in the car and we are listening to none other than Taylor Swift while on the way to Juni's surprise.
Knowing that she has only just turned two years old, we have a slightly sized down version of a water assault course. And by that, I mean it was an inflatable slide that falls into the water.
While Nola and Rory are old enough to do the actual course, Mosi and Juni are not and we didn't think it was fair to have them miss out on the fun. Especially since it is Juni's birthday.
"When is Juni opening presents?" Rory asks from the backseat.
"We can do them when we get home, Peanut!" Harry replies while pulling the car up outside of the reception.
The next thirty minutes are spent greeting my parents, Roe, Ingrid and little Willa who have come to join us.
Everyone gets strapped up in life jackets besides Ingrid and Willa who are going to wait on the sidelines for us in the shade.
Juni and Mosi are almost drowning in the size of the chunky life vest that makes them look like little pillows.
We are explained the safety rules and then we are let loose onto the inflatable slide. The water in July is warm and so we wade out into the ocean. Harry has Nola on his back as he swims out the slide, Roe is doing the same with Rory who demands that he does faster and races with Harry and Nola. I have Juniper clinging to me and my dad has Mosi.
Mom just floats leisurely in her own time with her sun hat and sunglasses like she was on an exotic vacation in the Maldives.
Harry, Roe and the twins go up first. We figure that we should let them show Mosi and Juni how it is done but all that does is provoke Mosi to wriggle and squeal in a bid to escape my dad's arms and climb up the ladder.
"Daddy up!" He repeats over and over while pointing to where Harry is sitting on the top of the inflatable slide that is sitting in the sun.
I stare up at him, admiring him from afar. The water droplets from the clear ocean water roll down his carved abs and the tattooed skin that makes my mouth water. His hair is tied back in a messy bun but even so, the bottom curls around his neck are sodden from when he swam out.
He lifts Rory into place and then lifts Nola next to her where they clench each other's hands.
My mom and I wait at the bottom with my dad nearby and then on the count of three, Roe and Harry give them a little push that causes them to rocket down the slide and fire into the warm water.
Their heads dip under the waves for a brief moment before they pop back up and start giggling like crazy maniacs.
Opening my mouth and smiling at them, they both swim haphazardly over to me with the cutest fit of giggles.
"Did you see that, Momma?"
"I did!" I cheer. "Was it fun?"
"We do it again?"
"Go on then!" I mutter, watching them closely as they swim back around the inflatable and start to try and climb the rope ladder again. Harry and Roe help them, pulling them up the final few rungs so that they are sat at the top again.
"Daddy up!" Mosi all but screams loudly, frustratedly splashing his hands into the surface of the water.
"C'mon then, Little Darling!" Harry grins. "Sunshine, can you pass him off?"
Nodding, I hand Juni to my mom and lift Mosi up as high as I can. Harry takes him off me and positions him in between the twins who take both of his hands for support.
The cheesiest grin spreads on his lips as he smiles down at me and kicks his little feet about with excitement.
"Ready?" Harry hums happily, smiling from ear to ear.
Whizzing down the slide, they plunge into the water and because I know the twins can handle themselves, I only try to catch Mosi. He flies into my arms and crashes into me while desperately blinking the salty water from his eyes.
At first, he doesn't react but then after a second or two where he finds his composure, he starts to fall into a violent string of giggles and chuckles where his hands splash into the sea.
"Was that fun?" I giggle at his excited reaction and melting at the way his curls are dripping with water. "Was that fun?"
"Again!" He yells.
"Mumma?"
Knowing instantly that Juniper is calling for me, I spin in the water and look at her pointing at the slide.
Taking Mosi back around, I pass him up after the twins climb and watch as they impatiently start to just throw themselves down the inflatable in a pattern which will almost definitely tire them out.
Roe slides himself down, creating a big splash that soaks my mom, much to her dismay.
Harry sits Mosi in his lap, getting ready to go down the slide while I then climb up with Juniper and do the same. Looking across at me and smiling, Harry winks his eyes and then nods to where Mosi was blindly reaching for his little sister's hand to hold.
The sight alone melts me into a puddle as my heart clenches in the most perfect way.
"We should have another baby," I declare out of the blue.
Harry's eyes flick to mine in alarm. "Oh dear god!
"What?"
"Another one?"
"Just one more!" I reason, looking to the ocean to check that the girls have emerged from the water and sure enough they have and are kicking their way back around to the ladder again.
"You want another baby?"
"Maybe not now but eventually," I tell him. "I just–"
"I get it, Sunshine." Harry agrees softly, leaning across to press his wet lips to mine. They taste slightly salty but I don't mind.
I would never mind.
"One more baby... in the future and then I am closed for business, deal?"
Grinning like a damn Cheshire cat, I nod my head and run my hand back through Juni's damp hair. "Deal...
"Ready Juni bug?" Harry coos, looking down at her sitting on my lap and staring at the sea.
"Yeah, Daddy!"
"Ready, Little Darling?"
"Yeah, Daddy! We go?"
Just as we are about to push off down the slide, a little voice calls out. "Wait for us!"
Hearing this, we stop and wait for both of the twins to take a spot on either side of us.
I have Nola beside me while Rory is next to her dad. All of us are ready to go.
"Ready?"
"Happy birthday, Juni Bug!" Rory sings loudly as we all fall down the slide and land in the water with a triumphant splash.