Alfredo Barillas ch- a new friend for us all.

Alfredo (33) his spouse Merrill (38)
Their child Lestat (1)
Previous/Next update

narrated by Alfredo

Lestat is ready to conquer our apartment. So far we can not complain because he has been a great baby.

Merrill and I have been debating on whether to celebrate his second birthday here or to rent a hall.

We both decided a nice barbecue at the park would be a good place to start. My moms came and they bought us a cute little puppy. We could not say no to keeping the puppy. For now it was good because we were not planning any more kids yet.

Lestat was overwhelmed by seeing the family again. I think he is going to be something of a recluse. He would rather be at home than surrounded by the Barillas family.

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Once at home Lestat flourishes in his skill learning. He desperately wants to walk while we cringe at the thought of him breaking anything.

I get him settled to bed and then I have to go to work.

I still am working on my degree but with a kid, a husband and now a puppy, its not looking too good. Merrill understands but he also hints at me completing my degree almost every day.

He walks me out and take a few minutes to potty train the puppy outside. I head to work wishing I was able to stay home with my family.

Madeline Ch 10-Change

Madeline (31) her boyfriend William Webster (34)
Her daughter (with Aiden Royce) Kayla (14)

Narrated by Madeline.

William and I are getting estranged. We still have not set a date for our wedding. As of now we are just living together and seeing where it goes. I guess this is enough for him but for me its not.

Kayla is spending time with her dad Aiden back in Viramontes. I really do miss her. As much as I would love for her to be here know she needs to spend time with her dad.

This gives William and I time to kick back and act like a couple without a teenager running around. I want to go out while William wants to practice on his guitar.

Therefore I was more than ecstatic when my Quad brother Rodrigo said he wanted to come visit. I thought it was perfect timing for them to come.

Rodrigo was helping me cook and he too asked me what my plans were with William. I told him that everything was the same so far.

I guess Troy let it slip and William told all of us at dinner that a ring was just a ring. As far as commitment, it was solid between the both of us. I just wish he and I could get married already....!

Bedtime was fun. I was helping Tristan with his potty training. I really miss this but wonder if I will ever have another baby. Kayla is already 14 and I certainly am not getting any younger.

I went back up just in time to say good bye to William before he went to work.

Rodrigo mentioned that William seemed a little defensive. Troy just felt that William was tired of being asked when the wedding was going to be. Everyone was ready to get to bed so I showed them their set up in our basement.

The babies were asleep and Tristan was just off to bed. I was going to go up to my room when Rodrigo asked if I was going to sleep. I guess he wanted us to talk brother to sister before they left the next day.

Rodrigo was so happy. He said that things between Troy and him have been great since the birth of the twins. It seems that they will not be having anymore kids. I let him know about the distance that is forming between William and I. In the end it felt great to let out my concerns. We both hugged and decided to go asleep.

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The next morning I made breakfast before they headed back home. Rodrigo wanted to make sure that everything was still good. I told him it was.

Saying goodbye to my brother and brother in law was hard. Even worse was saying good bye to my nephews. I thought William would come to say bye but he claimed he was busy reading an article.

I went into the living room and I told him that it was time to talk. He agreed.

I told him that I wanted to get married because we had been engaged for over four years. I needed the paper. I loved him and I wanted him to be part of my and Kayla's life. He told me that he did not like being pressured.

I can not quite remember when it escalated. We started picking on each other's faults. I picked on his work hours while he said I did not work. I told him that I was done playing house.

In the end he told me that he was never playing house. It was all real for him and the engagement was off. He wanted to know if we were still together. I told him no. I was not going to go back to being just boyfriend girlfriend to start all over again. This felt like a game to me. He said he was moving out then and there.

It all happened so fast. One minute we were just going to talk, the next we were breaking up.

I sat on the stairs as William put most of his things in a cab and left. I did not even try to stop him because for me it was over.

Kayla was due to come that day and she knew something was wrong.

Over dinner I explained everything. Kayla was supportive. She told me everything was going to be OK. I know it will be but it still hurts to go through the motions.

Justin Barillas- ch 10- we are growing

Justin (37) his wife Lashawn (46)
their kids: Twins Cameron and Candice (10), Triplets: Emeline, Laurel and Parker (1)

Narrated by Justin.

Our finances are not looking that good right now. The business seems to pick up then it slows back down. Sometimes I wonder if living on the outskirts of Viramontes is really profitable.

I try not to worry LaShawn but I really need her income in order pay some of the bills.

I thought that LaShawn was going to take this time to finish her Master's degree and do her novel. As of now she is barely done half a novel and the degree is yet on hold. We tend to argue about it a lot lately. I know she has the triplets to take care of but I just dont know where we are going to get the money from.

Our meals have become less and less expensive. If things do not improve soon then I do not know what we are going to do. I can only eat eggs so many times. The kids are done with eggs already.

Finally LaShawn is back on track with her studying. The triplets are sleeping more and we both have time to do other things. I am trying to lose some of the extra weight I have gained while she studies.

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We have felt a strain on our relationship lately. We both decided that we needed to get out and enjoy ourselves. Candice and Cameron offered to babysit but at age 11 that is not happening.

Our date did bring us a little closer than we were. It felt good to reconnect with my wife.

It was short lived because we had to discuss getting rid the extra expenses. We mentioned doing our own cleaning but failed to notice our cleaning personnel in the dinning room listening. I felt bad but we have to cut back.

I also have been meaning to do something with the empty piece of land. I know that I can grow something but I did not know what.

I had my nephew Aaron come over to help. He is now running a good tree farm and produce business. He advised me to plant some trees and to start off with some harvest vegetables.

Since he offered to plant it for me, I had to get back to work in making more inventory for the store.

LaShawn finally finished her masters degree. She could not believe that once she had actually thought about pursing a PhD.

I have been taking Cameron on the weekends and showing him how to restock. He is starting to get the gist of if. It will be great if he gains interest in the shop.

Candice and Cameron are growing up fast and they have been a big help. Now with triplets birthday coming up we decided to throw a barbecue to celebrate everyone.

The kids were so excited that we were doing something fun for a change. We are now on the upswing in business so we can splurge a little more. We planned out the event and emailed the family to come on down.

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My sister Brianna came by with her kids. She loves the property out here and even considered moving out here. Her job is preventing her from doing so for now. I thought she would bring Orlando but she told me that they are just friends now. I guess my sister is single and happy for now.

LaShawn and my brother Oscar Simon were chatting it up about vacation homes. My brother if is finally financially free and can not wait to retire to Tikki Islands. I still can not believe that he would leave Viramontes.

Amarilis and Marcos were busy catching up on kids. It was great seeing everyone together. I still can not believe this family has grown so much. When I looked around it was quite an impression. Yup, our family was growing.