Eight years of marriage had flown by. It seemed like just yesterday that Derek was exchanging vows with the woman who he had fallen in love with instantly one night while sitting in a bar. Eight years had brought them a lot of ups and downs and there had been plenty of arguments and fighting but at the end of the day, all that mattered was them. And now their family.

They had agreed that they would start a family right away. It wasn't long before their son, Hunter Cole Shepherd, was born and they learned what it was like to try to balance their marriage and having a family. There had been plenty of sleepless nights, midnight feedings and dirty diapers but now their son was seven and he was growing up so quickly right in front of their eyes. It was great to watch him learn new things and come home from school each day and tell them the exciting things that had happened. But what brought them the most joy was to watch him with his sisters. It was a couple of years after having Hunter when they had decided to try for another baby and had ended up welcoming a little girl, Ava Sophia, into their family. She looked just like Meredith and was full of life and enthusiasm all the time. Derek loved to sit and watch Ava play with her brother and watch as she grew and looked more and more like her mother each day.

When Ava was three, they had decided to try for another baby to complete their family but it hadn't been that easy. It had been rough trying to get pregnant and there were plenty of nights when Derek sat up worrying that something was wrong with one of them. After a year of failed attempts to get Meredith pregnant, they had looked into adoption and ended up with Zola Grey Shepherd, a baby girlfrom Malawi who was in Seattle for surgery. The moment they had met her, they had fallen in love with her and knew that she would be the perfect addition to their family. It was a crazy life sometimes with three kids under the age of ten running around the house but Derek wouldn't have had it any other way. The sounds of little foot steps coming down the hall was music to his ears and having his children to come home to after work was what kept him going day after day, even when things got rough.

Meredith was an amazing mother and had adapted to it right away. She had always expressed concerns about not being a good enough parent, but the second they had placed Hunter into her arms on a Saturday morning, she took to it right away. It wasn't always easy with their busy work schedules at the hospital and the kids schedules of school, soccer practice and dance class but they made it work. And it was mornings like this, when Derek woke up with his wife wrapped in his arms and a quiet house where he knew his kids were sound asleep that made him the happiest.

"I never want to get out of bed." Meredith giggled, rolling on top of him.

"Hmm...let's just stay here all day...call the babysitter to come get the kids." Derek laughed, kissing his wife and running his hands down her bare back.

"We can't...first day of school. Ava is going to kindergarten." Meredith pouted her lips.

"And I have surgery."

"But you're not going in to the hospital until after we pick Ava up from school right? We told her we would pick her up on her first day."

"Surgery isn't until three." He smiled.

"Perfect." Meredith ran her hands over his chest.

"Hunter said he wanted to go visit her and make sure she's okay." Derek laughed softly.

"He's just like his Dad." Meredith leaned over, kissing her husband.

"Hmm..."

"I wish we had more time..."

"We have a half hour." He smirked.

"Oh?" She paused, before pressing soft kisses down his chest.

"Mmhmm." Derek smiled.

"Interesting..."

"Maybe even forty five minutes."

"Gives us time to work on that project...we've been trying to work on." His wife winked, lifting her head.

"I think that's plenty of time." Derek smiled, running his hands along her arms.

"Even though we tried three times yesterday..."

"One more time can't hurt anything."

"Well then..." Meredith stopped, her head flying up when she thought she heard movement on the baby monitor. "Wait...did Zola make a noise?"

"I didn't hear anything." Derek looked over at the monitor.

"You sure?" She asked as Derek flipped her onto her back.

"Positive."

"Okay..."

"I wouldn't ignore our daughter." He whispered, starting to kiss down her neck.

"I...oh..."

"Mmm..."

"Derek..." She moaned as his hands wandered.

"I like this project..." He whispered, sliding his hand in between her legs.

"I...stopped taking my pills." She moaned, her hand moving over his.

"Oh..."

"Pulled the goalie...:

"Yeah..."

"Mommy! Daddy!" Meredith and Derek suddenly heard their door slam open.

"Derek!" Meredith gasped, quickly pulling the sheet to her chest.

"Ava...what did we tell you about knocking?" Derek groaned.

"But I'm goin' to big girl school today!" Ava giggled as Meredith ran quickly to the bathroom with the sheet wrapped around her chest as Derek stood in his boxers.

"I know pumpkin."

"And I'm gonna be in Kindergarten!"

"Yeah?" Derek lifted her up and sat her on the bed.

"Uh huh and Mommy helped me pick out my outfit...she said I had to look pretty for my first day!"

"You always look pretty."

"I know Daddy..." His little girl giggled.

"You have to knock next time okay?"

"Okay." She shrugged as Meredith walked out of the bathroom with a robe tied around her waist.

"Ava...I think you're excited." Meredith giggled, sitting on the bed next to her little girl.

"I have to put my dress on soon." Ava grinned.

"And when you come home we will get you whatever you want for lunch." Meredith pulled her daughter onto her lap.

"Chicken nuggets?" Her eyes lit up.

"If thats what you want."

"Ava is your brother awake?" Derek asked.

"Nope." Ava rubbed her hands together than began to giggle.

"What?"

"I'm so excited."

"You're going to make lots of friends." Derek smiled, pulling a pair of sweatpants out of his dresser.

"Can we go right now?" Ava asked.

"No..it's way too early."

"Is Zola going to school?" Ava asked. Hunter and Ava had taken so quickly to Zola and now they wanted her apart of everything.

"She's too young to go to school." Derek chuckled.

"Will she stay with Miss. Holly when you guys go to work?" Ava asked.

"She's going to stay with Mommy today." He replied.

"And she and I are going to try and clean,...although Zola isn't too good at cleaning." Meredith giggled.

"Do I get to come home and play with Zola?" Ava jumped off the bed.

"You do!" Meredith replied.

"Yay!"

"Morning." Their son said dryly as he stood in the door way and rubbed his eyes.

"Good morning bud." Derek smiled.

"Ava is really loud." He complained.

"It's the first day of school Hunter!" Ava clapped.

"I know." Hunter sighed. "I was sleeping."

"Sorry bud." Meredith rubbed his head.

"I'm going to get Zola." Derek kissed the top of Ava's head.

"Alright." Meredith winked at him.

"What's for breakfast, Mom?" Hunter asked.

"Daddy is makin' pancakes...he told me last night!" Ava said as she started to jump on the bed.

"Ava...settle down." Meredith pulled on her little girl's hand.

"You know, you don't get recess in kindergarten."

"You get play time." Ava grinned. She was a morning person like her father. Hunter was more like his mother in the morning.

"Ba!" They heard Zola shout as Derek brought her in.

"She was wide awake, just standing up in the crib." Derek laughed.

"You're such a good baby!" Meredith grinned, lifting Zola into her arms.

"Morning Zo!" Hunter waved.

"Daddy!" Ava shouted.

"What honey?"

"When can Zola go to tumbling and ballet with me?"

"Not for awhile. She has to get bigger." He answered.

"I was looking...they have baby tumbling but I would have to go with her." Meredith explained to her husband. "I'll have to see when I can rework some of my Monday morning schedules."

"She can come with me!" Ava jumped up and down.

"What are we going to do with this girl?" Meredith giggled.

"Give her some breakfast so she'll have even more energy?" Derek laughed.

"Perfect." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"Who's ready for pancakes?"

"I am!" Hunter jumped in his Yankees pajamas.

"Me too!" Ava shouted, jumping into Derek's arms.

"First one downstairs gets an extra pancake!" Derek laughed.

"I'm gonna win!" Hunter took off as Ava jumped down and ran after him.

"Hey Der..."

"Yeah?"

"I told Hunter you would use the Star Wars molds yesterday so use them but Ava will freak out if she thinks she got a boys one so make her Chewbaca and tell her its a hairy puppy." Meredith bounced Zola on her leg.

"Got it." Derek laughed.

"Zola and I will be down in a minute...she needs a diaper change."

"Okay." He smiled, kissing Meredith quickly and then Zola's cheek.

"Have fun." She giggled.

"We will." Derek grinned, leaving their bedroom to go make pancakes for the kids and make a bottle for Zola. Being interrupted was something Derek was used to by now, having three kids. But it didn't matter when he saw the smiling face of his daughter who couldn't wait to go to her first day of the school and the rest of his kids who brought so much joy to him and Meredith.

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold