"Stella, who's my perfect little girl?" I cooed, watching her the little girl in front of me cling to the table, a big grin on her tiny face. "And who has the best Daddy in the world?"

Stella giggled, letting go of the table to clap her little hands. This was the first time I've seen her do this. Normally, she and Tom would both refuse to let go of furniture with both hands. They'd mastered walking along side of something, but as far as taking their first steps alone, they haven't made it that far.

Tom grunted from the other side of the table. He bent his body of the wood and smacked his hands against it. He was an active little boy, but he and Stella were so different in so many ways. Tom was definitely a Mommy's boy, while Stella was a Daddy's girl. I could only hope that when they grew older, he began to enjoy more of the things that I did. It was a bond I'd always dreamed of.

"Is someone jealous?" Jules grinned, stepping into the room. It was then that she took notice to Stella standing on her own. Her eyes grew wide and she squeaked. "She's standing up by herself! Alex, are you seeing this?!"

"Yes, baby," I snickered. "Don't scare her, though."

"Oh, right," Jules breathed, putting her hand on her heart. She'd calmed down, but I could still imagine her calling Jasmin to have a Proud-Mommy-Moment. "See if she'll walk to you."

"I don't know about that," I eyed her, frowning slightly. "You know she doesn't like to leave Tom."

"But maybe she's ready. Just try it, please?"

"If you say so." I grinned, deeply wishing that she'd come towards me. I couldn't think of a better way for my daughter to take her first steps alone. I extended my arms and wiggled my fingers a little. Stella giggled, holding her arms out just like I was. I motioned for her to come my way, making my face look funny. "Come on, baby!"

Stella fought to hold her balance. At first, I thought she was going to tip over on her side, but that's when her eyes caught hold of mine. She smiled, again, and picked her foot up off the ground. With a big stomp, she took her first step. This seemed to amaze her, because even though her mother was across the room jumping for joy, all she could do was glance at her foot, then to me. Grasping the concept, she stomped again with the other foot. She squealed loudly and held her arms out for me. My fingers were only a few inches from her, but the little girl was ready to jump into my arms. Slowly, she walked all the way over to me, her body collapsing on my chest. Honestly, I found myself fighting back tears. I'd been proud of the twins the first time they crawled, but having my daughter come to me with such a big millstone, that was something I just couldn't describe. I held her small frame in my arms, rocking her back and forth while whispering how proud of her I was. She babbled and laugh, clinging to me like she knew she'd made me proud.

However, this left poor baby Tom stranded by the table. His eyes were filling with tears at the sight of Stella leaving him behind. In some strange way, it's like he knew she was his big sister and would protect him from everything bad in the world. With a hint of jealousy in those fresh lungs, he screamed, beating his fists against the wood.

"No, Tom, don't cry," Jules tried to calm him, but failed. If there was one great thing about Tom and his temper, it was the fact that it served as motivation. Jules seemed to notice the change in his eyes, because she sat down on the floor and mocked my actions- Holding her arms out and asking Tom to fall into them. "Come here. There's no need to be angry, you can do it, too!"

With one arm still holding tight to the table, he turned to look at her. The red in his cheeks was starting to fade, but he seemed sad that his mother was so far away. Very, very slowly, he let go of the table. He had an easier time holding his balance than his sister had, but he was growing frustrated with the fact that he couldn't move his feet the way she had. If it wasn't for the love he had for his mother, I'm sure he would have given up.

"Tom, it's okay, baby." Juli smiled softly. "Come on. One step at a time. I know you can do this."

His little legs were growing weak from holding up his weight, but the longing look in his eyes when he stared at Jules seemed to push him to take that first step. He didn't move like Stella did. Slow and safe wasn't something Tom understood. He didn't bother with his balance, he just took off to Juli and threw himself into her chest. My breath caught in my throat. It wasn't the fact that Tom had walked that made me happy, it was the way that he knew he was safe and loved in Juli's arms.

By this point, Juli was crying, overwhelmed with happiness. She stood up with Tom in her arms and ran to the other half of her family. I stood to join her, pulling both her and Tom into my chest for a family hug.

"I've never been more proud," I whispered into the hair. "I love you guys so, so much."

"We love you too," Juli sniffed. "I know them walking is going to be exhausting, but at the same time I can't wait to start this new adventure."

"You think this is bad?" I chuckled, planting a sloppy kiss on her forehead. "Just wait until they're teens and they know all the right ways to push our buttons."

"No," she laughed lightly. "That's something I don't want to think about. They're not allowed to grow up. I forbid it."

"As you wish."

Juli smiled, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. All playful, of course. We silently agreed to set the twins back down on the floor, to see if they'd walk again and how they'd do if they tried it together. They took off together to the table, placing their tiny fingers on the edge and pulling themsevles to a standing position. Instead of walking on the dot, they stayed there for a while, yelling and laughing at one another. Jules and I had almost given up hope that they'd walk again today, but that's when Tom let go of the table and took another step. However, the sudden knocking on the front door threw him for a loop, making the little man fall on his rear end.

"Crap," Juli frowned. Upset by the fact that Tom had fallen over, she stormed out of the room to see who had ruined the moment. When she returned, she had Cassadee and Rian trailing behind her. Clearly, seeing them had made her mood brighten once more. "Look who stopped by."

"And look who took off," I laughed, pointing to our twins. They were both in the middle of the floor, waddling side-by-side, staring at everything with amazement.

"I missed it?" Juli groaned. "Damnit."

"Sorry," Cass sighed. "We should have called first."

"No, no. Don't be silly. You know you're always welcome."

"Congrats on the walking," Rian beamed, holding out his fist for me to pound. "This is where the trouble starts, or so I hear."

"Yeah, but I was built for trouble," I smirked. "Totally worth it just to see their faces."

"I bet," he laughed. "Anyway, we came over for a reason."

"Please, for the love of God, don't tell me Matt's trying to send us out again already."

"It's not that," Cass spoke for Rian. "It's kind of a big deal, so we're telling everyone alone, but..."

"Cass is pregnant!" Rian announced, that proud father smile forming on his lips. "We're so stoked."

"Oh my gosh!" Juli screamed. As if by design, her and Cass hugged each other so tightly, I didn't think it was healthy, let alone humanly possible. "I'm so happy for you!"

"I know, me too!"

"Dude, congratulations," I pulled Rian into a bro hug. "It's the best feeling in the world."

"I hope you're planning on throwing our baby shower, Gaskarth," Cassadee winked. "You promised."

"What on Earth did I get myself into?"

Everyone laughed, gathering around to watch the twins search the room and talk about Cassadee's pregnancy. It was crazy how quickly we were all growing up and changing. I wasn't just proud of my kids anymore, I was proud of my friends, my wife and the life I had created for myself.

Notes

Babies, babies everywhere! It's madness, I say, madness! =O lol. I loved writing this. <3.