Summer 2000:
"Ready or not here I come!" a three year old Taylor yelled uncovering his eyes after counting to ten, giggling could be heard from behind the big tree and he ran towards the sound as fast as his little legs could take him. He was almost to the tree when two strong arms from behind picked him up and growled playfully "I got you!" Taylor laughed hysterically as his father tickled him to death.
"No, no stop!" he yelled begging for mercy "what's the matter Buddy? What's so funny?" Heath asked swinging his son in the air causing his laughter to increase and get louder "we save you Buba!" Camden yelled as her and Baylee ran over to where the boys were wrestling and jumped onto Heath's back "ambush!" Heath yelled and grabbed the girls and started spinning around the backyard causing the girls to laugh hysterically.
Heath started tickling the girls. They started screaming and laughing. They were trying to get out but there was no way out. Then Baylee kicked Heath in the stomach. hard. for someone who is so young, she can kick hard."Oh no you don't!" Heath said. Then started blowing raspberries into Baylee's stomach then moved to Camden's. They were laughing so hard."Rocky! A little help here!" Heath called out. Rocky came over and started tickling Baylee while Heath had Camden."Stop daddy!" Cam and Baylee screamed to their dads."Ok. You're free." They said at the same time.
Both girls got up and ran inside where Amy was cooking dinner, she smiled a sweet smile at the girls "you guys hungry?" she asked putting together a big bowl of salad big enough the feed and army "yes ma'am" they answered politely and walked over to the table when all the other kids came running into the kitchen and sat in their high chairs as well and waited for their dinner to be served, then the kids started causing chaos.
Taylor started banging on the table with his fists and it was getting annoying to his sister "stop!" Camden yelled giving her brother a dirty look, Taylor started hitting the table harder and faster "Taylor, knock it off!" Heath said very sternly "no!" Taylor yelled and started again, Camden wasn't happy about that and in turn threw her empty cup at her brothers head, Taylor stopped hitting the table and punched his sister in the arm causing her to start crying loudly.
"Taylor Kieran Ledger!" Amy yelled angrily giving her son the death glare, Heath stood up and took his son over to the "time out spot" while Taylor kicked and screamed all the way over there "no! No!" he started kicking and tried to pull his arm out of his fathers grasp, Heath got down to his sons height "look at me, either you sit in the corner for ten minutes or you get spanked, you choose" Taylor stopped screaming and looked at his father "either you choose in five seconds or I will" Taylor stomped angrily over to the corner and sat down "ten minutes then your gonna go apologize to your sisters, understand me?"
"Yes"
"Yes what?" Taylor sighed angrily and rolled his eyes "yes sir" Heath walked back over to the dinner table "sorry" he said sitting down, he looked over and noticed Camden was gone too "where's Cam?" he asked as they started eating "other corner" Amy said taking a bit of salad and Heath nodded "what's the matter Baylee?" Bella asked sweetly "nothing"
Later that night Camden and Baylee were in Cam's room playing house "ok Cammy you can be the big sister" Baylee said smiling "I can't be the big sister though" Baylee looked confused "why not?" Camden shrugged sadly "I don't know how to be the big sister, I don't have a big sister" both girls were quiet for a minute before Baylee spoke up "but, you have three sisters" Camden shrugged again.
"There not older then me though, Mommy and Daddy always say that we're octopuses or something" neither one of the girls knew what that meant, of course Cam mean that they are Octuplets but she wasn't exactly big enough to understand it right.
All of a sudden Baylee saw Camden's big brother Paul walk in the room and he put his finger over his lips telling her to be quiet, Baylee started laughing but tried to hold it in "what's so funny?" Camden asked looking at her best friend confused.
"What are you doing?" Paul yelled scaring the crap out of Camden causing her to scream a very high pitched scream, Paul and Baylee were laughing but Camden wasn't very happy, she crossed her arms and looked down at the floor trying to hid the fact that she had tears going down her cheeks but when she sniffled loudly it gave her away "Cammy, I didn't mean to upset you" Paul said putting his hand on her back but she shoved it off "Cammy? Munchkin?" he started poking her in the sides and she tried as hard as she could not to laugh or smile.
"Cam, don't you dare smile, don't you smile, don't smile" she started laughing and forgot that she was mad at him in the first place, Paul gave a fake dramatic gasp "I told you not to smile!" he said grabbing her before tickling her death making her laugh hysterically "get her Baylee!" Paul said tickling his sisters sides and Baylee came over and started tickling her too.
Heath watched quietly from the door way with a smile on his face, silently thanking God for what he gave him, a beautiful family and no matter what he would always love them, and they would always be together.
