I lift William up and down over my head, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, making him laugh with delight. Every time he gets close to my face, I kiss his cheeks or bite at his little arm. Sometimes, he gets to me first, his little mouth wrapping around my cheek or chin, drooling on me excessively.

Who knew that lying on your living room floor covering yourself in baby spit would be one of the best ways to spend a dreary, Saturday afternoon?

"William—you have no teeth," I tell him, lifting him over my head, jostling him in the air. "What happened to your teeth?" He smiles at me, a tiny fist going to his mouth, and I duck as a thin line of drool escapes him and heads toward my face. I bring him back down and sit him on my chest, his tiny feet kicking against my shoulders. I tilt my head back against the rug so I can see Jack and Erica on the other side of the room, busily playing with their various toys. I look back to my baby, his eyes wide as he waits for me to entertain him further. I give his sides a little tickle, and he ducks his head, scrunching up his arms as his body wriggles. "What do you think, William? Does Jack have your teeth?" I tilt my head back again, looking at my oldest son, who ignores my voice and focuses on his blocks. "Jaaa-aacck," I call, and Erica looks up at me, grinning broadly.

William's little hand reaches out, fingers spread wide. "Buh!"

"I know," I answer. "Your brother is ignoring us. We should go get him." I bounce William up and down on my chest a few times. "Want to go get him?" I take his spit bubble as a yes and scoot backwards on the rug, propelling myself by my feet until I reach the twins. For some reason, this makes Erica laugh hysterically—hard enough so that she causes herself to topple over. William's eyes grow wide for a moment as he watches his sister before he giggles at her antics.

I reach a hand out and grab Erica's little foot, making her laugh harder. "What's so funny, Eri? Are you laughing at Mommy? Is Mommy a funny-bunny?"

"Bunny!" she shrieks, laughing harder and I shake my head even as I laugh with her.

"Jack! Help! I'm being attacked by the sillies!" He continues to focus on his blocks, but I can see him look at me out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, no!" I say dramatically. "Who's going to save me from the silly Eri-Monster?"

Erica's face lights up and she stands, doing her best monster pose. "Eri mon-ter!"

I gasp, tickling William. "I hope she doesn't go 'grrrr!'"

Erica walks over to us, her hands outstretched, her giggles almost getting the best of her. "Grrrr!"

"Jack! Sir Jack of the Shire! Help us!"

He stands suddenly, a broad smile on his face. He holds out his arms, too, and makes his own little growly noises, and my stomach hurts from laughing so hard. "They're gonna get us, William! The diabolical Bing Twins are unstoppable!" William bounces up and down as he watches his brother and sister, his hands smacking against my chest as his smile nearly splits his face in half.

"Jack mon-ter!" my son exclaims, reaching for his sister, who growls at him happily before they both turn to me, and I feel my eyes grow wide as I wait for their next move.

The twins loom over me for a few seconds, growling, before they collapse across my stomach, their laughter taking over once more. "Once again," I gasp out. "Mommy's been defeated by the evil giggle monsters." I pick William up once more, holding him right in front of my eyes. "Or has she?" I place him on his stomach on the floor and he immediately pops up into a crawling position, waiting. I sit up and turn around, looking back and forth between Jack and Erica, their little faces still smiling, their chests heaving from laughter. I reach out and start tickling them, one hand on each, and they both collapse into little balls on the floor, their laughter uncontainable.

I don't last long before I collapse on the floor next to them, the sound of them having fun making me unbearably happy and giddy. I try to keep tickling them but they manage to roll away from my hands. Jack crawls back to me first, flopping himself down on my chest, and I let out a loud, "Ooomp!" Erica seems to like the sound I make because she suddenly throws herself down across my stomach, and all I can do is laugh some more. I feel something tugging at my hair and look up; William's crawled over to the top of my head and is now kneeling on my hair, his little hands patting at my forehead.

"Gah!" he exclaims, eager to be part of the action. "Doh dee!"

"Now Mommy's trapped! Who will save her from the evil clutches of the world's cutest babies?"

This is one of those moments where my life is absolutely ridiculous but in the best way possible. It's things like this that make me more than okay with sitting around my house on a weekend. My kids are so silly and funny and bring me so much joy that I can't imagine a better way to spend my free time.

The twins can be very mercurial right now, constantly going back and forth between emotions, the terrible twos feeling more like bipolar disorder at times. But when they're sweet and cuddly and in the mood to play, we have the best time in the world. At almost two years old, they're changing constantly, new words popping out all the time, new games emerging from their imaginations, new abilities. It makes me ache inside to think about how fast they're growing up, but I love watching them change.

And little William's just growing by leaps and bounds—he crawls now, and faster than Jack and Erica ever did. He can almost keep up with his big brother and sister. He's already pulling himself up on furniture, tiptoeing along the edges of things, desperate to be like his siblings. He makes so many noises and sounds that I feel like at any moment, he's going to open his mouth and start speaking. I'm sure the twins' simplified version of speech has been helping him immensely, but it's a little hard to take sometimes.

"Daddy!" Jack exclaims suddenly, still full of laughter, and I dance my fingers down his side again.

"You think Daddy'll save Mommy?" I ask, tickling him a little harder, and his hand goes out as he giggles, pointing.

"Daddy!" he says again, and I poke my head up to see Chandler standing in the doorway, camera at the ready, a huge smile on his face.

"You could help, you know," I tell him, though I don't really mean it. He shakes his head anyway.

"Looks like you've got everything under control," he tells me, wandering into the room and sitting down near the pig-pile I've become.

"What're you doing to Mommy?" Chandler asks, and at the same time, the twins turn to face him, making their "scary" faces again.

"Mon-ters!"

Chandler's eyes crinkle with laughter, and he immediately brings up his camera, taking pictures of our little gremlins.

"Wait 'til you see William's face, Mon," he tells me. "He looks like a cute, toothless goblin. But, you know, like, really cute."

I tilt my head back a little, making eye contact with our youngest, and he's still cheesing for me happily. "What're you doing, you silly thing?"

His hands slide down my face to my cheeks, palms tapping against me, and I can see him tilt forward slowly, mouth still hanging open. A moment later, he's attached to my nose, giggling happily, finding himself hysterical, and I break out into laughter once more.

"That's Mommy's nose! You're not supposed to bite Mommy's nose!"

He laughs harder, and Jack and Erica start in again, their little fingers poking at my sides, trying to make me laugh. I reach out and grab them around their middles, pulling them toward me, pressing them against me as William drools all over my face. I can hear Chandler's camera clicking away as our children attack me. I try not to laugh too hard—I don't want to scare William as he's intrigued by my face—and my darling husband finally grants me mercy and pulls the baby off me. William squawks, irritated that he's been pulled out of the fray.

"You know," I say as Chandler uses the edge of his sleeve to wipe my face. "Someday our grandchildren or great-grandchildren are going to see these pictures and assume that I raised these kids all on my own. You're not in any of the pictures."

"And whose fault is that?" he counters, leaning over to kiss me, giving Erica a quick tickle. "Santa's the one who brought me this lovely new toy." He reaches out to Jack, gently poking his belly, and he giggles, burrowing into my side as he scrunches up to get away from the tickles. "It's all Santa's fault."

"He is a jerkpants," I agree. I tilt my head back and see William on his father's lap, lens cap in his mouth. "There's a shot for you; you could send it in to the camera company and they'd have a new spokesperson."

Chandler looks down at William, who looks back at his father, lens cap still in his mouth and I can't help but smile—they look so much alike from this angle. "He is pretty cute. I bet he could sell a lot of cameras."

"'Pretty cute.' Yeah, I guess he's all right." Chandler stands the baby up, helping him bop up and down excitedly.

"Geez, Mommy; what'd you put in his breast milk today?" he asks, smiling at his suddenly hyperactive child.

"I had about ten cups of espresso, but that wouldn't bother him, right?" I ask, rolling my eyes. Erica shifts, sitting up, and reaches out to stroke my hair, grabbing tiny handfuls. I smile at her and reach out to rub her cheek. The calm only lasts for a minute before jumps on my stomach again, and Jack laughs hysterically at the sounds I make. "You are one solid little kid, Erica."

"Rawr!" she yells, flopping down on my chest, and I wrap my arm around her as she wiggles.

I peek down at Jack, who has a sudden devilish glint in his eyes. He growls at me and climbs onto my chest, too, and I suddenly have two very squirmy, giggly toddlers to contend with once again.

'The evil Bing Twins are at it again, William," I hear Chandler say, but my face is being covered in baby kisses and I can't see him.

"NO!" Jack screeches suddenly, rolling off of me as Erica and I jump in surprise. Her eyes are wide with shock. I turn my head and see Jack standing in front of Chandler and William, pouting.

Chandler's looking at him like he's nuts. "Jack, you have to share. William can have some of your puffs, too." That's when I notice the little canister of the toddler puff things next to Chandler, a few already in his hand, William's little mouth trying to reach them.

"Jack do," he insists.

"What are you going to do, Jack?" I ask, hoping that we can somehow avoid a meltdown.

"Give Lee-um."

Chandler eyes Jack suspiciously but holds out his hand. Jack grabs one and holds it out to his brother. William leans forward, lips moving as he aims for the food, and Jack puts it in his brother's mouth. William makes a face as the solid food hits his tongue—the face he makes every time he tries solid food—but smacks his mouth as his gums work at the puff.

Jack takes another puff and sits down; Chandler sits William on the floor, too, and Jack very patiently holds out another piece of food in his fingers, waiting for his brother to be ready. Chandler and I exchange glances, keeping quiet for a few moments. Could it really have been as simple as Jack wanting to be the one to feed his brother?

Chandler shakes a few out into Jack's hand and Erica jumps off me, rushing to sit next to her brothers. "Eri do!"

Jack holds out his hand to her and she grabs a puff, giving it to William, who just chomps away happily. Chandler and I wait another few moments, making sure that was the extent of the irritation. "You're a good big brother, Jack," he finally says, and Jack grins at his father for a moment before turning back to his brother. "You're a good big sister, Eri." She gives him a look that basically says, "I know," before going back to the puffs, and I marvel once again at just how rapidly their emotions change these days.

"So, uh," Chandler says tentatively, watching our kids to make sure there are no more fits. "I just got off the phone with your parents."

"My parents?" I ask, turning over onto my stomach, propping myself up on my elbows. "Really?"

"I know. It's only taken three years of dating, five years of marriage, and three grandchildren, but I think they might finally be starting to trust that they can tell me something and that information will get back to you." He strokes William's head gently, keeping a hand on his belly to help him sit. "But don't be surprised if they call you later, anyway."

I chuckle a little, nodding in agreement. "So, what'd they want."

"Fourth of July beach trip. They wanted to know if we'd be up for it again this year."

I reach out and tickle Jack's foot—he squirms a bit and tries to ignore me. "What you'd tell them?"

"That I'd check with you and let them know. Do you want to go? I know that can be a lot of time in close quarters with your mom."

I just shrug, scooting forward a bit to be closer to my family. "It's not so bad anymore. Besides, most of their attention is focused on the babies now anyway. I've given my mother grandchildren—I've done my duty in life." Sad as that is, it's true. Like any good, doting, Jewish mother, her main aspirations for my life were for me to get married and have kids. Now that I've done that, her need to criticize my life has gone down exponentially. Well, that and my fertility issues. Once she found out about that, our relationship changed drastically. I realize that, ultimately, her desire for me to go forth and multiply came from her wanting me to be happy, she just had a very horrible way of expressing it for many years.

"So, we'll tell them 'yes'?"

"Sure. It'll be fun. William's never seen the beach from the outside; he might like the view better this time." I was obscenely pregnant with him last Fourth of July; I'm really not sure how I managed to make that trip. I'm sure it has plenty to do with my…well, I call it "stubbornness" on a good day, but Chandler has take to referring to it as my "strong will." Either way, I had no intention of using thirty-seven weeks pregnant as an excuse to get out of anything.

I'm so lucky Chandler puts up with me.

"Okay," he agrees, smiling at me. "I'll call them back in a little while." He turns his attention back to our children, shaking out more puffs into pudgy little hands as needed.

I prop my chin in my hand, sighing a little as I watch them all interact. "I love you so much," I say suddenly, and he looks at me again, surprised.

He always looks so shocked when I say that, even if it's only for a moment. But then a huge smile breaks out over his face and it completely melts my insides.

"I love you, too," he tells me, and I bring myself up to my knees, leaning in to kiss him over the heads of our kids, all still thankfully oblivious to our affection toward each other. He gives my arm a gentle tug. "Come here."

"Where?"

He pats his leg—he wants me to sit on his lap. I quirk an eyebrow at him and he just rolls his eyes. "I do think about other things, you know."

"So you say," I answer, maneuvering around the kids to settle onto his lap. "But I've seen no evidence of that."

Before I can get completely comfortable, Erica's climbing onto her father's other leg, snuggling in close. Jack looks up from his task and crawls onto my lap, and I pick up William, rounding out the crowd.

"Now what, Daddy?"

"Everybody squish together," he answers.

"We're pretty squished now," I tell him even as I drag the kids in tighter. "What's going on?"

He wraps one arm around as much of us as possible, the other arm holding the camera out in front of us. "This way there's photographic evidence for future generations that I played at least a small part in this family."

I turn my head to face him, rubbing his cheek with my nose. "You're a huge part of this family," I whisper. "Never forget it."

He turns his face to mine, pressing his lips against me; I close my eyes as he kisses me, only to be disturbed a few moments later as I hear his camera clicking, and I break away with a laugh. "Jerk," I tell him good-naturedly; he just grins in response.

"Okay," he says, making sure the camera is in an acceptable position. "Everybody say 'cheese'!"

As one, the twins exclaim, "Cheese!" or at least a word very close to it. I can hear Chandler in my ear and William screeches, joining in the cacophony.

The camera clicks a few times and Chandler says, "Okay—Jack and Erica. This is really important. When I tell you, you need to be monsters again. Can you do that?"

"Mon-ter!" Erica yells, bouncing up and down.

"Good! Ready? Set? MONSTERS!"

Jack and Erica jump up, making their growling noises again, headed toward the camera. I can see William's tiny hand reaching out, trying to grab the lens. An instant later, the twins have turned around coming at us with their little hands out, both exclaiming, "Mon-ter! Mon-ter! Mon-ter!" as they tackle us. Chandler tumbles to the ground, dragging me with him, and I do my best to keep the baby from being crushed as we start the tickle wars all over again.

I love my silly little family so much, it's insane.