Saturday, June 21st, 2026

Kam's POV

I must be the only one not asleep because the house is extra quiet. I might as well take advantage of the quiet. I went downstairs with the intent to lounge by the pool. I saw Bliss holding Jordan while sitting on the patio porch.

"Good morning, Bliss. Is everything okay?"

"Good morning, Kam. Your nephew wouldn't let me or Shane get some sleep. Jordan closes his eyes for about an hour or two at a time. It's my shift now to watch Jordan while Shane is asleep. I needed to breastfeed him anyway."

"How is that working?"

"I love it. Jordan loves it too. I regret not even trying with Raquel and Raeni."

"Sometimes, I wish I tried too. But, the kids turned out okay with drinking formula. Look at how smart Little Shane is. You and Shane are teaching him and Pilar how to write their name, say the letters of the alphabet, etc."

"That's true. Hey Kam, now that we know Noeli and Marco's baby is a boy, let's talk about the shower while everyone is asleep."

"I agree."

"We can have it at our house to give you guys a break."

"As long as you are okay with it, I am okay with it. Thanks, Bliss."

"That's what sisters are for. We should include Salomé and Daniella. In the meantime, you and I could work on the invitations."

"Sounds like a plan. When Shane watches Jordan, let's look at some email invitations. Ooh, or how about a baby shower website?"

"That sounds like fun. Let's create a website. I hear little feet coming this way." Bliss and I turned around to see Pilar and Gabby standing at the patio door.

"Mummy, I'm hungry," Pilar says to Bliss.

"Bliss, I'll fix something for the kids."

"Thanks, Kam."

"Pilar and Gabby, what would you like to eat?"

"May I have some cake, Aunt Kam?"

I hope she means pancakes. "Pilar, sweetie, how about I fix some pancakes with strawberries for you and Gabby?"

"Thank you." Pilar came over and hugged my legs. She is so adorable.

"You're welcome, sweetie. Have a seat at the table."

I hear more feet coming towards the kitchen, so I better fix pancakes for the house. Shane and his little twin entered the kitchen. "Morning, Aunt Kam."

"Good morning, little Shane and Papa Shane. Bliss is on the patio with Jordan."

"I'll help you with breakfast, Kam."

"Thank you, Shane."

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Saturday, July 31st, 2026

Rocco's POV

Today is Aunt Noel and Uncle Marco's baby shower at Aunt Bliss' house. Each of the kids is helping out differently. Devin and I are helping dad with grilling food. Angelo, Kekoa, Ana Maria, and Gabby are helping Nonna Salomé with putting decorations on the tables. Angelina and Dia are helping mom make food in the kitchen. Aunt Bliss and Uncle Shane left to pickup some of the food.

"Hey, Cris. We have two SUVs full of food," Uncle Shane said as he came into the yard.

"Boys, go and help Shane with the food."

Devin and I followed Uncle Shane to his truck. He wasn't kidding. We took the food from the trunk first and in the house.

"Mom, where should we put the food from Uncle Shane and Aunt Bliss' truck?"

"You can put it in the tent outside. Thanks, boys. Dia, Angelina, and Bella, can you help the boys, please?"

"Yes, mama."

As we all went outside, Aunt Layla and Uncle Ryan parked in the driveway. Let me guess, more food to carry to the tent.

As soon as Uncle Ryan helped the smaller kids out of their SUVs, he helped Braelyn and Aunt Layla unload more food.

"Hi, Aunt Layla, mom wants us to take the food into the tent in the backyard."

"Thanks, Rocco. Dalton and Dakota, follow mommy in the house."

It took us a while to carry the food to the tent, but we did it.

"Good job, kiddos. Thank you. You all can take a break now," mom said to us. I sure did go and sit down on the patio couch. Aunt Bliss and Jordan came and sat with me.

"Can I hold Jordan, Aunt Bliss?"

"You sure can. Jordan may grab your necklace. He likes to grab onto things now. I'll buy you another one if he breaks it."

Aunt Bliss sat Jordan in my lap. And sure enough, he grabbed onto my necklace. Jordan had the biggest smile on his face the whole time I held him.

"Hi, Jordan. I'm your cousin." We may not be blood relatives, but Nonno Kalani did adopt Aunt Bliss, so in that way, we are related.

"He likes you, Rocco."

"I remember when he was so small and in the hospital for a while. How old is he now, Aunt Bliss?"

"Jordan is now six months old. Time flew by quickly. In six more months, Jordan will be a one-year-old."

Jordan started getting cranky, so I handed him back to Aunt Bliss.

"Speaking of time flying, you, Dia, and Braelyn will be in high school next year."

"Aunt Bliss, is it weird to say that I like going to school?"

"No, it's not. I was the same way. Even though I liked it, after college, I had enough of it. I do miss the Summer vacation and snow days. I will tell you to enjoy your youth. Being an adult is hard work. When that time comes for you and the kids, never forget you have Cris and Kam by your side. They will always be there for you and the kids. Shane and I will too."

"Thanks, Aunt Bliss."

"You're welcome, Rocco. It looks like the guests are starting to arrive. We'll see you later."

Aunt Bliss and Jordan walked off into the yard. I see how hard mom and dad work to make sure seven kids have everything we need. I walked over to my mom and just hugged her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Rocco. What did you say thank you for?"

"For being my mom. And, for you and dad working hard to protect us and care for us."

"I appreciate it. That's our job to care for and protect our family. Cris and I love you all equally."

"Can I pitch in with the shower?"

"How about helping me and Aunt Bliss during the games? Right now, you can gather the kids and take a seat."

"Okay."

Kam's POV

I saw Rocco talking with Bliss. He is very mature for his age. That was really sweet of him.

"Hey, Kam, Marco called and said they will arrive at 2:00 pm."

"Thanks, Bliss. Jordan Landes, you get cuter every day. In six more months, you will be a walking one-year-old. Come to Aunt Kam."

Jordan held his arms out for me to grab him.

"I see you are starting to get teeth."

"He sure is. Jordan makes sure the whole house knows it too. Jordan can also sit up on his own, and he started crawling this past week."

I planted kisses on his cheeks. Jordan giggled the whole time. I carried him around the yard with me while greeting guests. Jordan is the hit of the shower so far, and he is loving the attention. The Landes kids definitely are not shy.

Thirty minutes went by fast because I heard my text notification ringtone for Marco going off. He must have sent it to Bliss too. Bliss walked over to the microphone stand we set up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Marco said they will arrive in ten minutes. Please begin taking your seats."

Jordan didn't cry when Bliss started speaking. He rested his head on my shoulder. Jordan, Isabella, and I walked around to the front of the house to wait for Marco and the family. The shower is a complete surprise. We told Marco and Noeli that the family was getting together for lunch and dinner at Bliss and Shane's house.

My baby sis was rolling her eyes as she got out of their SUV while Marco helped the kids get out.

"Aunt Kam!" Little Marco said as he ran to me and hugged my legs. Sofia came too. I couldn't reach down to hug them because I have Jordan in my arms.

"Hi, kiddos. Let's go eat in the back yard with Nonno and Nonna." Marco, Sofia, and Isabella ran into the backyard. Papa Marco and Noeli followed me. As soon as everyone saw Marco and Noeli, they yelled...

"SURPRISE!!"

Noeli's POV

Marco was just as surprised as I was. "Kam, you and Bliss tricked us."

"Sis, it is a family get together. We just left out the baby shower part," Kam says. Bliss then added something too.

"Girl, you ought to know we were going to give you and Marco a shower. That's what we do. Daniella and Salomé helped us plan it. We are a team."

"I love you, ladies." After waddling over to Salomé, Daniella, Kam, and Bliss, I hugged them. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, honey. Let's get the shower started. We have our first game to play. It's a classic baby shower game. Shane, Cris, Kalani, and Lucián are passing around blue clothespins to everyone. If anyone says baby, shower, Marco, Noeli, or Ricario, you have to pass your pin to the one who caught you," Salomé says to the guests.

Bliss added, "There is also a jar of cookie pops with blue icing on each table. There are slips of paper near the jars. Whoever guesses the correct amount of cookie pops will win the jar. You can't open the jar otherwise you will be disqualified. Oh, I will know because I placed each lid a certain way, Shane Landes Junior and Senior. I popped Shane Senior's hand several times while making the cookie pops."

That was smart of Bliss. Papa Shane had a guilty look on his face. Bliss and Shane are a trip. Little Shane replied to Bliss, "Mummy, daddy wanted me to sneak one for him."

Everyone glanced at Shane and could not stop laughing. "What can I say? I love my wife's cookies."

Thankfully, Kam didn't say anything regarding Shane's remark. Kam took her turn to speak. "There is plenty of food and drinks for everyone. Please enjoy yourselves."

Marco and I went to take a seat while the guys passed out the clothespins. "I am hungry. Aww, look at the bottles. They are adorable. The plates and cups are cute too."

I saw Isabella and Antonio walking over with two plates. Yes! They placed them in front of me and Marco. "We'll take care of the kids."

"Thank you, Isabela." I see my grandma Luana's Hawaiian Chicken on my plate. The rest of the guests then went to fix themselves something to eat.

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"Hi, Christina, Erica, and Gunner. Thank you so much for coming today."

"You're welcome, Noeli and Marco. We had to come and support you. How are you doing?" Christina asked.

"I'm doing well. This little boy has been very good compared to Marco and Sofia. Other than occasional kicking, I have been able to get some rest. Well, I can't forget the numerous times I sent Marco on food runs."

"I can't complain at all. After all, Noeli is carrying precious cargo," Marco replied. That was a smart answer.

Bliss began coming around to take the slips of paper for the cookie jars. And, it looks like my dad is winning the clothespin game. He has about ten clothespins.

Salomé's POV

"It's game time, ladies and gentlemen. The first game we are going to play is called 'Put the pacifier in the ba-, I mean little one's mouth.'" My pin sure was about to be taken. Kalani brought out the board we made with the image of a child.

"There is one stipulation, and it is that you will be blindfolded. Now, who would like to go first?"

"Cris would like to go first," Kami said as Cris rolled his eyes at her.

Cris walked over to me, and I placed the blindfold over his eyes. I handed Cris the pacifier pin, then guided him to the board. Cris used his free hand to hold the board. He then placed the pacifier pin on the board with his other hand. The kids started laughing. Once Cris took the blindfold off, he chuckled too. He placed the pacifier pin on the baby's diaper.

"Who's next?"

"I'll go next, Salomé." Marco walked my way, and I put a blindfold over his eyes. I handed him a pacifier pin to place on the board. Once Marco found the board, he placed his pacifier pin on the nose. "Well, I did better than Cris," Marco said on his way back to his seat.

Several others took a turn during the game. It was hilarious!

"We have a winner. Janiyah, honey, come to get your prize from Rocco. The next game will be hosted by Bliss."

Bliss' POV

I grabbed Shane's hand so he could walk to the mic with me because he is participating in this game.

"Shane has willingly volunteered to play the next game. I will need five more volunteers." Kalani and my dad brought a table with marshmallows and jars on it.

Shane gave me an evil eye. "What am I about to do?"

"You'll see after five more guests volunteer." Niko, Griffin, Sophia, my mom, and Adrian volunteered. Layla handed me the bag of nasal aspirators, and I placed one in front of each volunteer.

"The name of the game is 'Suck it Up.' For this game, you will have two minutes to put as many marshmallows in the jar as you can, only using the aspirator. Your time starts...now!"

It was so hilarious watching everyone trying to pick up the marshmallows. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Even Jordan was giggling while in Kam's arms. My baby boy has been very good today.

I glanced at Shane's jar, and he had the least amount in it. "Shane, are you seriously eating the marshmallows?"

"Yup, I sure am. You want one?" Shane picked up one of the marshmallows and put it in my mouth.

The timer went off, and everyone put their aspirators down. Layla and Ryan helped me count the jars. Once the jars were counted, I was able to declare the winner. "We have a tie - Sophia and Niko are the winners. Rocco has your prizes. Kam will be hosting the next game."

Kam's POV

"Kam, do you need me to take Jordan?"

"I'm okay, Bliss. I wanted to let you and Shane enjoy today. I'll let you know when it's feeding time."

"Thanks, Kam. I'll help pass out the game sheets."

"You're welcome, And, thanks. Everyone can play this game. Bliss, Dia, Isabella, and Braelyn are passing out the sheets and pencils to everyone. It is called 'Match the Candy Name."

"Everyone will have three minutes to match the candy bar with the clue. Your time starts...now!"

Jordan fell asleep in my arms. He looks like Shane and smiles like Bliss.

Time went by fast because the timer went off. Thankfully, Jordan stayed asleep.

"Pencils down. Bliss and the girls will now pass out the answer key."

"There are three prizes for whoever has the most right."

Lesia, Tatianna, and Graeme raised their hands. "Congratulations. Rocco has your prizes." Once the winners had their prizes, we, meaning the parents, have a surprise for the kids.

"Before Noeli and Marco cut the cake, we have a surprise for the kids. Nonno Kalani, Nonna Salomé, Nonno Antonio, Nonna Isabela, Adrian, Lesia, Julian, and Brently have a gift for the kids."

Each of the kids were given a gift bag - the boys received blue bags, and the girls received a pink bag. Jordan got a gift bag too. Adrian handed Jordan's bag to Bliss.

Once the kids had their bags, "It's cake time. Marco and Noeli, follow me inside the house."

My dad placed the cake on the island in the kitchen.

"It's beautiful, Kam. I love it. I want a picture before we cut it."

Marco pulled out his phone to take a picture. Dad then handed them a knife. They cut the cake together.

"Marco? Sofia? Come and get your cake from mommy and daddy."

They ran over to Marco and Noeli quickly.

Jordan started opening his eyes and getting fussy. It must be feeding time, so I went to find Bliss.

"Hey Shane, have you seen Bliss? It's feeding time for Jordan."

"I believe she is outside. And, thank you for watching Jordan."

"You're welcome, Shane. I wanted you both to enjoy the day. Jordan was a good boy today. He didn't cry once. He loved spending the day with Aunt Kam."

Jordan and I went to find Bliss, who was talking to Christina, Erica, and Gunner.

"Bliss, it's feeding time."

"Okay. I'll take him, and be right back."

Bliss' POV

I carried Jordan to the first-floor nursery. He cried for the whole walk. "Okay, okay I'm coming, little boy."

I sat in the rocking chair, lifted up my shirt and bra. Jordan immediately felt relaxed as he started feeding. I turned on his mobile that is above the crib so nursery rhymes would play.

I wiped the tears from his cute little face. "You have been a good boy today, staying with Aunt Kam. Yes, you have. Mummy loves you, Jordan."

Jordan's eyes were on me the whole time he was feeding. "You sure do look like your daddy, Jordan. I hope you have Shane's accent when you learn how to talk. My sweet little baby boy, mummy is so happy you are home. I would have been lost if anything happened to you at the hospital. Your big brother and sisters love you too, especially Pilar and Shane."

After 25 minutes, Jordan was finished, so I pulled my bra and shirt down. We took a trip to the bathroom so I could wash Jordan's hands and mine. We then left the nursery and went outside to find Kam, who was talking with Marco and Noeli.

"Thank you so much Bliss for having the shower at your house. We have had so much fun today," Marco said as he hugged me and Jordan.

"You're welcome, Marco. Kam and I agreed to rotate houses so she can have a break. I love hosting parties too." Jordan went right back to Kam. I can't wait for us to have many more parties like this. We will have plenty of good times in the future.

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The games are courtesy of www.games-for-baby-showers.com

Cake picture is courtesy of Can Stock Photos - © Can Stock Photo / nadine