A/N: It seems that some people missed chapter 155… so if you did, It's A Boy! And really that was all the importance in that one, so you didn't miss a ton. Anyway, yes. Three boys.

It had been a half hour of yelling and giggling from the back seat as they drove towards the ocean, and Adam was about to suggest a round of the quiet game when the boys finally settled down.

"Wow, that's the ocean!" Colton announced, pointing out the window. "It's so huge!"

"Huge!" Ben echoed, leaning over as far as he could. "Water!"

"Ben, get outta my space."

"Colton."

"I mean Ben could you not be so close to me please?"

"Okay."

Lindsay snuck a peek at them to make sure that they were alright, then settled back against the seat, closing her eyes. She hadn't been able to shake the exhaustion, and she was glad it was that instead of nausea still, but it didn't make the day to day any easier. Sometimes fresh air helped though, so off they went to the beach for the day.

Colton was starting school in two weeks then she was headed off to Montana and it would only be a few months before the baby would be born. It was going so fast and she really needed some time to focus on the family as it was now, to try and prepare them for the addition.

"Daddy, are you gonna stop the car so we can play?"

"Yeah, just a little further."

"Babe, the ocean is right there," Lindsay half whined, looking longingly at the wide blue ocean and the warm sand and the very sparsely populated beach.

"I know that."

"Where are we going?"

"Just a little further."

She sighed, knowing he was probably looking for a good parking space and the several they had passed weren't good enough. It would have frustrated her if she didn't trust his judgment so much. That didn't mean she wasn't curious though.

"Honey," she started gently. "I thought we were going to the beach, not just driving by the beach."

"Don't you recognize this place?" he asked, pulling into a lot and parking. She looked around for a second then smiled.

"Of course I do."

"What is this place daddy?" Colton asked, knowing somehow that they weren't just talking about the beach.

"Well a long, long time ago I brought your mama here and I asked her to marry me."

"Oh," Colton said, nodding his head. "This is where our family started huh?"

"Yes, it is."

"Hey Ben, if it weren't for this beach Ben, we wouldn't be at this beach!"

"Very astute observation son," Adam chuckled. "But I think mama would have said yes no matter where I took her."

"Oh. Can we go on the beach now?"

"Yeah, let's go."

They got out of the car, figuring they could leave everything in the trunk until they needed it, then walked down to the sand. Colton stepped in it and stopped, turning around to look at Lindsay.

"Mama, this feels bizarre."

"Why?"

"Because the ground is moving!"

She chuckled and set Ben in the sand, watching to see if he would freak out. Instead he knelt down and grabbed a handful of sand, letting it slide through his fingers.

"Wow," he whispered, looking at the grains of sand that remained stuck to his skin. "Look!"

"I see. Come on buddy lets get closer to the water."

He stood up and took her hand, giggling at the game of chase that Adam and Colton were already having. They splashed through the water happily and Ben whooped, then let go of Lindsay's hand, running over to join them. She grinned and sat down in the sand, watching her boys play together and imagining next time, when there would be one more little boy there, thinking his daddy was a superhero.

After a second coat of sunscreen (which wasn't doing very much, considering the boys had both already turned a shade darker) and a sandwich, the boys were happily constructing castles in the semi-wet sand, while Lindsay and Adam looked through baby name books. They'd started out with every A name that ended with N and were now paring it down to the ones they could at least pronounce. It wasn't a very long list, and neither one of them had found anything they really loved.

"So what survived?" Adam asked, moving over onto his stomach.

"Aaron, Aiken, Allen, Anakin-"

"Don't make that face Linds, it's a real name."

"Ashton, Aspen, and Auden."

"And you don't like any of those."

"I love the galactic empire, but I am not naming my son after Darth Vader."

"Darth Vader killed Anakin, babe."

"Oh my word. You know what I mean."

"This would be easier if you were a girl," he said, leaning over to kiss her stomach.

"You know… no one has to know about our pattern," she said suddenly.

"Linds."

"I know, it will drive us both crazy. I don't actually hate the name Aaron. It's kind of nice."

"I don't mind Aiken."

"What does that mean?"

He flipped back through the book and chuckled.

"Little Adam."

"It does not."

"Yes it does. There it is in plain English babe. It also means oak trees. Strong name."

"Okay, it makes the cut."

"Really?"

"I like it. I don't know if I'm completely sold on it, but close enough."

He smiled and closed the baby book, knowing that would be the name they stuck with. Usually it was the first name they both liked. There hadn't even been discussion about Ben's name, just an offhanded suggestion that had gone onto the birth certificate without another thought.

"How are you feeling lately?" he asked, encompassing inquiry about the pregnancy and her mental health all in one.

"Just tired," she sighed. "Happy though."

"You've been kind of quiet."

"I guess. I'm just trying to figure out how this three kids things works. I've asked Austin but she's been annoyingly vague, which I suppose is only fair since I did the same thing to her before Isa was born, but I'm a little scared."

"What are you scared of?"

"Just not having enough time for three. When the baby is crying and Colton needs help on his homework and Ben is hiding in the corner again because he feels left out, how do I stretch myself that thin?"

"You don't. I'm not taking off on you hon."

"I know that. But there's going to be days when you're at work and I need extra hands."

"I don't know what to tell you. I just trust that we're going to figure it out. Both of us. Maybe some days the homework will have to wait so the boys can play while you take care of the baby. Maybe Ben is going to have to learn to entertain himself. Maybe you're going to have to feed the baby with one hand and read a story with the other. You'll do it. You'll juggle."

"I just don't want someone to get left out. I don't want Ben to be Jan Brady and Colton to feel like he missed out on his childhood because he was helping me take care of his brothers."

"Lindsay, that's not going to happen. You won't let it."

"Thank you."

"You're going to be amazing."

"I really hope you're… Boys what are you doing?" she exclaimed, sitting up.

"We's makin' rivers!" Colton answered while he and Ben peed in the sand.

"Why do you think it's okay to go to the bathroom outside?"

"I didn't see a toilet no where," Colton shrugged. Lindsay buried her face in her hands while Adam chuckled.

"An amazing mother would have seen that coming."

She snorted a laugh and shoved his shoulder.

"Sometimes I hate you a little."

"Ben stop it!"

"Cole stop!"

"Don't copy me!"

"No push!"

"Ow, don't pinch me! It's my toy!"

"Mine!"

"Mama!"

Lindsay stood up and took the shovel from them. They knew the rules. Fighting over a toy meant that no one got the toy and they had to find something else to play with. Ben shrieked and flopped down onto the ground, sand collecting on his tear stained face and sticking to his glasses.

"Benjamin Ryan Ross."

He popped his head up and looked at her, sniffling while she took his glasses off.

"No! Ben glasses!"

"I know they're your glasses but I need to clean them off or they'll get scratched."

He sniffled again as she poured some of the tepid water from their water bottle over the frames, clearing the sand from them, then using her shirt to dry them.

"There, all better."

"Are you boys grumpy enough that we need to go home without dinner?" Adam asked, looking from one son to the other. "Or do we just need to take a walk down the beach?"

"A walk!" Colton decided, jumping up from the sand. "I wanna walk all the way to there where they are flying kites. Can we?"

"Yeah, we can. Come on Ben, you can ride on my shoulders."

"Yay!"

They began to walk, Ben laughing at his new perspective, and Colton holding his parents hands, running and jumping so he could swing between them.

"Have you ever flied a kite before, mama?"

"A very long time ago, when I was your age. Uncle Freddy taught me how."

"I want to do it someday. Have you did it daddy?"

"No, I don't think so."

Colton thought for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"Hey daddy, could you and me learn together? It could be our projec'!"

"Yeah, it could. I'll have to find us a kite and a good place to do it, but we'll definitely try to learn together."

"Okay daddy. I am so happy for that."

They walked a little farther and watched the kites for several minutes before the boys got bored and insisted they go back to their spot so they could "bury daddy in the sand like a mummy."

The sun was getting ready to set and they should probably have been thinking about going home, but it had been such a warm, wonderful day, they didn't really want to leave. There were several groups of people on the beach that had started bonfires, and Lindsay wished they would have thought of that too. There was nothing better than firelight after a long day, and she wondered if there would be time for a little fire in their fireplace when they got home.

"Um, excuse me," a teenage girl said as she approached them. "I uh… I took this picture of you guys when you were walking and um… I wanted to give it to you."

She handed Lindsay a Polaroid picture, then gave them a smile and disappeared back into a group of teenagers.

It was quite possibly the most beautiful thing Lindsay had ever seen in her life and she stared at it for what felt like hours, completely enraptured by the image of their little family.

It was just them walking down the beach, laughing together as the sun illuminated them from behind. Adam was looking down at Colton who had his feet kicked up in a jump. Lindsay had one hand on her small baby bump while she looked up at Ben who was laughing at his big brother. It wasn't anything really special, but it warmed her heart and brought a tear to her eye to think that such a beautiful moment had been witnessed by a stranger who had been compelled to capture just a split second and share it with them. It was one of the best gifts she had ever received, and interestingly enough, the first picture of their entire family of five together.

"But I don't want to leave!" Colton wailed, hiccupping as if they had told him that he would never again see the light of day.

"It's getting late and you needed to go to bed, so it's time to go," Lindsay said softly, drawing Colton to her side. He buried his face against her stomach and cried desperately wanting just a little more time at the beach.

"I know it's hard to leave honey, but we need to get home. The beach will always be here, I promise. We'll be back soon. We'll try to come back once more time before it gets too cold, okay?"

"Could Isa and Sarah come next time?"

"Maybe. We'll have to see. But for right now it's time to go."

"Can I bring my driftwood home?"

"Yeah, daddy already put it in the car."

"I wanna make something with it. Can we?"

"We can try. Come on, let's go."

She took his hand and walked with him back to the car, letting him stop and give the beach one last look before they got in the car.

"Ben want a toy," came Ben's quiet voice as he sighed and looked out the window.

"No toys this trip buddy," Adam said, closing the trunk. Ben shrugged and continued playing with the shells he had collected while Colton climbed into his head and buckled himself in.

"You wanna go back to the beach Ben? Later? We could try to stay forever."

"Ben want a toy."

"No, I was askin' 'bout the beach. You don't listen."

"Colton, stop being cranky with your brother."

The boys both sighed as Adam started the car and headed for the road.

"Ben want toy."

"We could play toys when we get home 'cuz mama says we need a bath. We could play with our bath toys. You could have one of the squirties and I will have the other one, Ben."

There was a long silence and Lindsay figured they had come to an agreement and had moved on from the horror of being taken away from the beach.

"Dammit!" Ben shouted suddenly. "Ben want toy!"

A silence passed over the car and Lindsay and Adam looked at each other, wondering where he had heard that word and how he knew to use it that way. They were careful with their language in front of the boys, especially in anger. It didn't really bother them as much as it surprised them.

"Well Ben, you're not gonna get a toy now!" Colton chuckled, shaking his head. Ben sighed and covered his face with his hands.

"I think we need music," Adam suggested, not sure what else to say at that point. He turned the radio on and Lindsay hooked up the iPod, putting it on shuffle. It wasn't long before they were all singing along to classic rock and Lindsay was laughing at the fact that Colton knew every word to "Don't Stop Believin'."

It was dark out, almost ten o'clock when they arrived home, hot, sandy and all in need of bed. Adam was quite possibly more dirty than the rest of them, as he had been a good sport and let the boys bury him in the sand. They trudged inside, the boys cranky upon finding out that they couldn't have a snack before bed, and dropped all their stuff by the back door.

"I'll clean it up tomorrow," Lindsay shrugged, taking Ben's shoes off and trying not to get too much sand on the floor. "Okay boys, let's go take baths."

They ran up stairs and stripped down quickly, standing by the tub while it filled.

"Mama, I got sand in my toes," Colton said. "And in my hair. And my armpits!"

Ben laughed loudly at that as Lindsay lifted him into the tub. The boys splashed around happily for a while until she managed to settle them down enough to at least get a little soap on them. Their skin had turned so dark in just one day and she could swear that Ben's hair was just a little lighter. They both looked like farmer boys and she wanted to stick cowboy hats and bandanas on them just for fun.

"Hey boys, the baby's moving," she announced as the baby rolled over and over. Colton squealed and his hand shot out to touch her stomach.

"Oh wow. He's wrestling in there! Ben feel the baby!"

Ben touched her stomach hesitantly, staring in awe when he felt movement.

"Baby?"

"Yeah, that's your little brother in there."

Ben nodded and took his hand off her belly, not sure what to make of the whole thing.

"Oh, he stopped. Did he go to sleep?"

"Probably. And it's time for you two to go to sleep too."

"Can you read to us mama?"

"I'll read you one book and then it's time for sleep, okay?"

She got the boys out of the tub and dried them off, applying just a little aloe to the apples of their cheeks where the sun had been more harsh. They still smelled like sunscreen and ocean air and she breathed them in as she dressed them and tucked them into their beds. She was willing to read a story, but they were both yawning and fighting sleep as she leaned down to kiss them.

"Goodnight Benjamin."

"'Night. Ben love mama."

"I love you too."

She waited until he closed his eyes and his head dropped to the side before she went over to Colton's bed.

"That was the most funnest day, mama," he sighed. "I like when we is our whole family together."

"Me too."

"I am so happy for the baby to come. I will teach him so many things mama. I will give him lots of cuddles too."

"I know you will."

He reached over and touched her stomach again, sighing.

"I love you baby. See you soon."

Lindsay leaned down and kissed him, then shut off their light and went back into the bathroom. She could hear Adam cleaning up and locking the doors downstairs, and she loved the feeling of safety that rose within her as she thought about how he took care of them.

She took a quick cool shower and toweled her hair dry, smiling at the blonde sun streaks that ran through the curls.

"You done in there?" Adam asked, meeting her outside the bathroom door.

"Yeah. I'm going to bed."

"Okay. I'll be up in a few."

She leaned up and kissed him before heading up to their bedroom. He'd brought the Polaroid picture up to their room and left it on her nightstand and she grabbed it and the barely used baby book before climbing into bed and turning her lamp on. She looked at the picture for a long time, taking in every tiny detail, letting her breath get taken away by the absolute beauty of it. She kept it next to her as she opened the baby book to the first page, where she had been occasionally writing things to the baby. The pen twirled between her fingers as Adam came into the room, sighing and laying down beside her.

"Tired?"

"Yeah," she answered as he rolled over onto his stomach. "Want me to turn the light off?"

"Nah, it's fine. I'll be asleep in five minutes anyway."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight sweetie."

She watched him for a moment, then reached out to run her hand up and down his back while she wrote.

We went to the beach today and I think we all agree that we can't wait until the time when you get to go with us. The closer your arrival gets the more I am aware of how much we need you in our family. I can't wait to see what you're going to be like and as much as I love you now, already, I know that this is only going to explode the moment I lay eyes on you. Your daddy can't wait to have you here and he often talks about what it's going to be like as a family of five. He is the best daddy in the world and he loves you kids so much, he would do anything for you. Your big brothers are thrilled too (well Colton is, Ben just doesn't quite know what to think. He's the strong silent type). They've already been planning games to play with you and I don't have the heart to tell them how little you're going to be when you're born. And as for me? I am the luckiest woman in the world. I am aware of your presence every single day and feeling you move has been the best experience of my life. I can't wait to meet you, and I promise to always love you, no matter what.

She placed the picture into the baby book and shut the light off, snuggling down into the bed and closing her eyes, as tomorrow was going to be just as wonderful as today had been.