This picks up just a year later than the last update, updating you on what happened since then. Enjoy!

White Christmas – Michael Buble ft. Shania Twain

Year 26

"You're giving us the crib?" Emily wept, trying to hide her tears. She was seven months ready but felt like she was going to be giving birth any day. Graycin was attached to her hip, holding one hand on her swollen belly and using the other to gently wipe her tears.

April nodded. "Of course we are. You're having our first grand baby." She smiled widely, looking down at her daughter-in-laws belly. Graycin and Emily were getting the crib, Erin was getting the jewelry that both April and Jackson received from their mothers and grandmothers and they were saving Grandma Karen's engagement ring for Colin to give to the one.

Jackson was just as happy. "Just take care of it. Generations of Kepner women have used that crib, you know." He smiled at April and they both thought back to the time her mother came to visit when they were newly married and were still trying to figure out how to get a hold of the whole parenting thing. They hadn't even had a nursery set up at that point.

She nodded and tried to pull herself up onto her feet so she could hug them. Graycin jumped up immediately to be at her rescue. First she hugged April. "Thank you so much. I promise that we'll take excellent care of it. You won't have to worry."

But April knew she wouldn't have to. Something about Emily reminded her of herself. She had nothing but good intentions and she knew she loved her son. They saw the love the two shared immediately. It was nothing like the relationship he had with Natasha just a year earlier when he brought her home. Emily was kind and loving. She and Erin clicked right away and so did she and April. Jackson adored her too.

Jackson gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "We know you will." He told her, offering her the reassurance she needed. Since she didn't have any family of her own, the Avery's were more than willing to be everyone she needed. Their wedding and impending baby were more of a surprise though than when Graycin brought Natasha home a year earlier even. At least then they were just dating. This time around, albeit quite a few months before Christmas, he brought home a wife. And a pregnant one at that.

But the way she meshed into their family made it all okay. They knew Graycin was head over heels in love with her and the way he loved her made them fall in love with her.

"Open what we got you!" Emily smiled, handing them over an elegantly wrapped box with a dark green bow on top. She was extremely proud of it. They figured Graycin had nothing to do with it and when they saw that she had signed his name to the tag, they knew they were right. In a way that made them admire her even more.

April opened the gift, seeing inside a picture frame that held the first two sonograms of the baby. It had the words "Nana & Papa" on the top and below the pictures was painted "A grandparent is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend."

The picture was perfect in every sense of the word. "This is the best gift that I have ever received." April sniffled, looking at her grandbaby. Jackson took it from April and immediately made a place for it on the fireplace mantle, near the high school graduation pictures of their children.

Erin laughed. "Oh nice mom, I thought your favorite gift was the year I made you the plate with pasta glued to it. I see how it is."

April laughed, "Oh shush."

All of the excitement made the baby kick a little. "Feel this! She's all excited. She loves you guys." Emily sang, pulling her mother and father-in-laws' hands to her belly, along with Erin and even her boyfriend Scott's.

Jackson was the most excited. "Maybe she'll play soccer like Grayc did," He beamed, excited to be a Grandpa. He was ready to have another baby in the family, it had been too long. He found himself having baby fever.

"I wish Colin was here," April sulked, thinking about how the whole family was together for once, barring him of course. But he was away doing his college thing. Or more like his Colin thing. Instead he was leading a social justice protest in Washington DC. He'd been at the front of more than one march in Washington since his tenure at Georgetown in DC. If it wasn't one cause, it was another.

It was only a year ago that he nervously broke the news to his parents that he wanted to be a history teacher instead of a physician. They took the news well, both were ecstatic for him. He told them how he didn't just want to teach students history, he wanted to teach them history so they wouldn't repeat it. He was all about making changes and they couldn't have been more on board. They weren't on board with him missing Christmas, but they understand why he was doing it.

"I know. But he's out there, doing his thing, making a name for himself. And we're happy about it. Right?" Jackson asked, rubbing her back soothingly. The way he was her voice of reason in these situations soothed her. She nodded against his chest and smiled. "Right."

"He's going to change the world someday." Jackson promised his wife, like it would all be worth it in the end.

After they finished opening gifts, they were ready to relax. Dinner was still a while away and most of them were tired from all of the traveling.

Erin and Scott took off for a walk so she could show him some of the places she used to go as a kid. The neighborhood was quiet and there was a thin layer of snow on the ground so the edges of Seattle looked absolutely beautiful.

Jackson and April sat next to each other on the couch, wrapped up in each other's arms. They held hands and laughed during parts of It's A Wonderful Life like it was the first time they watched it together. Emily and Graycin wanted a marriage like that. It was honest and graceful.

She could watch them forever, but the baby had other ideas. All of the commotion from Christmas left her exhausted. "I'm going to take a nap," Emily whispered tiredly toward her husband whose arms she was cozied up in. They shared the large chair in the corner of the living room. He nodded and helped her up. "A nap sounds good. I'll go with you."

They made their way toward his old bedroom where they were staying together. April and Jackson waved as they went upstairs to lay down. April couldn't help but mentioning again, "She is so special."

He knew she loved her. "She is. I really don't think we could have asked for anyone better for our son. Even if he did bring her home once they were married and pregnant." He joked, earning a teasing smack from April. Of course she wasn't initially thrilled about that, but after she had one conversation with Emily she was just as in love with her as Graycin was. They still had no idea what happened to Natasha. They had only heard of her and met her that one Christmas, last year, and Emily came along shortly after. But their oldest son wasn't one to kiss and tell.