The neighborhood is littered with kids. The kids spend all day outside during the summer, swimming in the lake, or having snowball fights during winter. On bad snow days, they come to our house and make cookies.

We homeschool the kids. Kilee turns back to normal and hangs out with the kids her age. She's seventeen now, and she's got a boyfriend.

Peeta set him down for three hours while Kilee was at the mall with her friends and interrogated him. Kilee walked into the door and was completely pissed at Peeta. She refused to talk to him for a week.

Now we have four teenagers and a six year old.

"Hey Mom?" Kilee asks. Peeta's playing football with the kids in the backyard while I make dinner.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"How did you know when you loved Dad?" she asks.

"You love Aiden, don't you?" Hallie demands as she brushes past me to the fridge. She's fourteen, Brennan and Bailee are thirteen.

"I don't know." She sits down on the counter. "Mom, how did you know?"

"I didn't…he said I love you….and I realized I loved him too. That's it. Then again, I'd been in love with him since I was a baby and didn't even know." I reply.

"Since you were a baby?" Hallie repeats.

"Yeah, you guys know we grew up together, right?" I ask. They both look shocked. "Oh come on! You guys knew that." I say disapprovingly.

"I didn't." Bailee joins us in the kitchen and gets a bowl of hot Cheetos with much more than she's going to eat. "So do you love him Ki?"

"I don't know!" She looks frustrated.

"Well I'm not an idiot, Kilee Mellark. I know your sexually active with him."

"Mom!" she exclaims as Hallie and Bailee start laughing.

"What? It's true. Don't think I can't hear you moaning at night. Either that or your masturbating,"

"Mom!" she groans. "Shut up! That's disgusting!"

"What, that I'm talking about it or that you know I'm right and just don't want to admit it?" I reply.

"Fine! Dammit, yes, we've had sex."

"Well I hope your using protection." I say.

"Mom!" She groans.

"Oh calm down. Just wait till I tell your father. He's going tro have the sex talk with you." ni snicker and she groans.

"Whatever! How do I know if I love him?" she demands.

"Well you've had sex…which obviously means you've kissed. When you kiss, do you get a tingle?" I ask

"That's the stupidest fucking question-"

"Watch your mouth!" I shout at her. She sighs.

"Yes, why?" she asks.

"Because I got that when I kissed Peeta."

"Okay, I don't want to hear about you and Dad's love life. That's disgusting." Kilee grumbles.

"Do you guys still have sex?" Hallie asks.

"Hang on," I walk to the back door. "Hey babe?" I call. He catches the football and wipes sweat off his forehead, turning his attention to me.

"What?" he asks.

"Kilee's had sex and the girls want to know if we still do." I say. His face turns to stone and he tosses the ball to Brennan who starts to toss it with Chase. Most of the family lives up here now. Both boys are hysterical.

"Mom! I can't believe you told Dad!" Kilee shouts from the kitchen. Peeta brushes past me.

"You've had sex?" He demands.

"Yes…" she mutters, her voice dull, her face bright red.

"Don't. You're going to get pregnant and you're going to have quadruplets and youor going to live in a fucking trailer with a zillion kids and you're going to be begging your mother and I for money. Don't have sex, don't get pregnant, don't get married and never move out. If you do, you'll get hit by a car and die."

Kilee, Hallie and Bailee roll their eyes. "That's bull shit." Kilee says.

"Language." I say, spraying her with the water from the sink.

"Hey!" she exclaims.

"What? Watch your damn mouth." I reply.

"Your curse all the time." She snaps.

"And I'm thirty eight years old." I snap back.

"Are you going to answer my question?" Hallie demands.

"What's your question?" Peeta asks.

"Do you guys still have sex?" Peeta snorts and I laugh. I steal some Cheetos from Bailee's bowl.

"Why do you think the walls in this house are soundproof?" I ask.

I've learned, over years, that no matter what happens, life goes on. The attack from 9/11 changed my life, but, when the nightmares come back at night sometimes, Peeta is always there to lead me through it. He's always there to hold me up. He's got my back, and he's never going to leave.

I trust Peeta with my life, and I know that family is everything.

I remember when I was nine. I didn't understand why my Mom always took the least best things so Prim and I could have the best. I get that now. I remember I asked her "Mama, why don't you take the better things?" she had laughed and said "Oh honey, you'll understand when your older. With kids of your own."

She was right. I do understand.

My family comes first.

If someone came into the house and said he had to kill one of us, or all of us, I would willingly go.

My family is what I live for.

My family is my entire life.