Live in the moment.

Hey guys! So, Ana isn't going to have any more babies until after she gets married.
This post will contain all of the growing up and other important events up until Ryder's bachelor party.
Enjoy! (:

*~*

 Marissa wore this epic sadface a lot, it seemed.
She was fine, she just wanted a little attention from her daddy.
He obliged eventually, of course, he was just a little caught up.

 Ryder was indescribably happy about Marcus' birth.

Don't get me wrong, he gets crazy excited when any child of his is born.

But it had been so long since he'd had a baby boy!

 Ah yes - it was sweet to be little Marcus.

 Or you know, Anastasia.

She found her perfect guy.

And honestly, I don't think she's ever been so happy.

*~*

Later, all the kids aged up.

 Yeah, it's that time.


Shane and Cara were turning to young adults merely days after Marcus' arrival.

 And here is Shane!
- Doesn't he look JUST LIKE RYDER?
It's kind of ridiculous.

 Cara's a pretty girl, too.

 Lina and Annika were next.

 Here's Lina. She seems to be a pretty even mix of her parents.
Even though she has Ryder's eye color, it's Ana's eye shape.
The hair is Ryder's, but the nose is Ana's. xD

 And Annika.
These two might be the most similar twins that Ana has ever had..
Even though the hair and eyes are completely different. xD

 Birthday cake for me plz?

 Yes, Marissa, birthday cake for you.

 And why not? One for Marcus as well.

 This is pretty little Marissa.
She absolutely adores her pink/purple/blonde hair - all the other girls in school do too.
Interesting hair makes for popular children, apparently!

Marcus... well, he's about the most adorable little boy ever.
He's got a lot of hair, which just falls all over the place.
He also had Ana's blue eyes - her first boy with Ryder to have them!

Right after the night's festivities, Shane proposed to an extremely surprised Cara.
She said yes, and then they promptly moved out together.

*~*

Ana decided it was about time to take a stroll over to Caspian and Nessa's house.
She had long forgiven him for the incident with Ryder, but had more or less never told him.

 - I think he got the message when I hugged him first thing.

After making amends, Ana wanted to hang out with Nessa.
They had always been good friends, and she missed seeing her so much lately.

 So of course, as any good friend would do, Ana smacked Nessa in the face with a pillow!

 Nessa just whacked her back, and an epic pillow fight commenced.

 All of this with Caspian napping in the background, mind you.

 .. Through the battle cries and all, Caspian slept. xDD

 Uh, wow, Nessa, tone it down there...

*~*

A while later, Nessa invited herself over, telling Ana she had "something to show" her.

 Oh, well look at that. Ana's going to be a grandma again.

*~*

 Since it's summer now, we decided to switch up Ana's look!
- Damn. Look at those legs.

._.

 Awh. Marcus is such a happy little tot.
He never ceases to have a smile on his face.
Even when he sleeps, there's a trace of happiness.

 For once in her life, Ana wasn't focused on the next baby, on getting pregnant.
She was just focused on life. Having fun.
It was a bit new to her, but she did a good job at it.

"Well. You're looking happy." Ryder teased, as the couple was hanging out in the hot tub.
Ana giggled. "Of course I am. I'm with you!"

 And yeah... that looked like a pretty good time, in my opinion.

*~*

Late one night, scoping around the town, I found an interesting pair.

 Caspian and Nessa! ;D
Apparently sensing a viewer, they started acting cute on cue.

 An embrace here,

 a bouquet of flowers there.

 And here.

 And another there.
They seriously had a flower war, but Caspian won 4-2.

*~*

 Marcus was the only toddler at home with Ana during the day, so she decided to show him Sunset Valley.
Well, the park anyway.

 One of the first things she did at the park was catch this butterfly.

 This renewed her interest in collecting bugs for her kids.

 She ended up catching a monarch, too.

 The sun started to set, and this view of the ocean was easy to see from the back yard.

Ryder had much more pressing issues to take care of than watching the sun set with Ana.
He was on a mission.

 ... To make Marcus laugh.

 Ryder spent every spare moment he had making that kid laugh.
Mostly all he had to do was make ridiculous faces.

 And Marcus loved his daddy so.

Unfortunately, daddy's little boy couldn't stay small forever.

Child Marcus is just as cute as toddler Marcus, though.

Marissa was also crowing up too fast.

 She was a beautiful teenager, looking a lot like Ana.

*~*

Just so you guys know, the romance is still alive.

Yup, Ana and Ryder are spontaneously cute, without any prodding needed.

*~*

Lina and Annika were next to age up and move out.

 Did you guys ever notice that Ryder is in every single birthday picture, and he always looks super excited? xD

 Here is Lina, and she's a beauty. <3
She's grown into her features exceptionally well.
She's probably changed the most from teen to young adult than any other kid.

 Annika is just as pretty as her sister - probably because they look pretty much the same. :P

*~*

At around 2:30 AM, the night of the birthday shenanigans, the Vanderbilts were robbed.

 Luckily, Tia Rose was actually successful in kicking his butt this time.

 The foyer isn't big enough to hold all of these people...

 You don't deserve to look at my Zebra print package.


*~*


Before Lina and Annika moved out, they requested the Imaginary Friend Metamorphum Potion from Ana.
They saw how Cara, Shane's imaginary friend, had become real, and they wanted new housemates to move with.

 And the twins simultaneously watched their imaginary friends become real!

 Hello, Fluffy Vanderbilt! She is Annika's best friend.

 And, er, this guy is Lina's best friend Jelly Bean Vanderbilt.

 Apparently he wanted to be her imaginary fiance.

 So, she said yes, and the couple made plans for a private wedding the next afternoon.

*~*

Lina and Jelly Bean exchanged vows on the beach the next afternoon.

 They're so happy. :'D

 They got a little frisky afterwards. ;D

*~*

 Ana gave Lina a joint wedding/graduation gift of a ghost potion - she could use it to freak out Jelly Bean. xD

 Ever since his daughter's wedding, Ryder has been dreaming of becoming a grandpa.
- Isn't that ridiculously sweet? It's all he talks about. <3

*~*

Ana later visited Dawn Turner, a fellow challenge mom and friend.

 They also commenced in an epic pillow fight.

 *~*

*~*

The house was robbed again.
Unfortunately, Tia Rose didn't stop him this time.

 Nothing of value was taken though, which is great.

*~*

 Newly wed Lina is expecting!

 "Well, it looks like my dad's dreams of being a grandpa are going to come true!"

Ryder came home that night not only excited by that news, but he had some of his own.

 "Ana... you'll never guess what happened at work today."
"Nah, I probably won't. What happened?"

 "Well... I got promoted. This time... they told me I'm the best surgeon they've ever had. In fact, they're bragging about me all over the world."

"I'm the boss now." Ryder concluded, a big grin on his face.
It was practically all Ana could do not to tackle him.
"OHMYGOD!" She squealed.
Ryder completed his lifetime wish, to be the top surgeon in Sunset Valley.
In the world, even.
"I can't wait to marry you. For you to be Mrs. Dr. Ryder Winfield. To complete my other lifetime wish - to be with you. My soul mate. Forever."

*~* 

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