"Kids......., Come fast and have your breakfast.", I put the pancakes on their plates, and keep it aside on the counter for them to come get it. I wait for a few minutes but don't hear any noise.

"Are you guys coming down or should I come upstairs to your room?", I raise my voice. I know it was a weekend and my kids ought to sleep in a little, but it was already 10:30, and Arjun had planned to take us somewhere this afternoon. Where this somewhere was, you should ask him, because........... he wouldn't tell me.

I walk up the stairs, still hearing no sound. Esha's room was closer to the stairs while Kiran's and Sanjay's were opposite hers. I knock on Esha's door, calling out her name, but there was no reply. I try the handle and the door opens. Switching on the lights, I her still covered with her blanket, from head to toe. Sighing I walk up to her and pull the blankets off.

And not so surprisingly, there are only pillows under it. Irritated I check the room thoroughly and still no sign of her.

I walk up to Kiran's room, expecting the same. This wasn't the first time my kids were pulling this prank with me. Last time this happened they were playing hide and seek inside the green house, with their dad, my beloved husband. He was the master mind behind their pranks.

Nearing his door, I see the lights suddenly turn off and hear small feets rushing inside along with whispers. I open the door and switch on the lights. I see three pairs of small feet hiding behind....

A big card with letters cut out from different colour papers on it. Big means, as big as to cover my eight, seven and three year old kids behind it.

Happy birthday Mama.....

Was written on it with a lot of origami butterflies and flowers decorating its sides.

A small hand comes from up and pulls open the card. The edges and sides are decorated with photos of me with my kids from different times during past five years and in the middle there is a drawing covering both the flaps of the card. It looked like my kids tried to draw and colour a picture of our family.

There were words like 'Mama', 'Papa', 'Sanju', 'Kiran' and 'Esha' written on respective heads. There were three envelopes stuck on the chests of the pictures with 'Kiran', 'Sanju' and 'Esha' written on the top.

I first take the one with Kiran's name on it. Inside, there was a folded piece of paper with his scratchy handwriting filling it in different colour ink..........

To the best Mama of the world,

I love you soooooooooo sooooooo sooooooooooooo much.

I love your smile.

I love your eyes.

You are the most beautiful girl Mama and Esha is second (otherwise she will kill me).

I love your songs.

I love your dance.

I love your stories.

I love your pancakes.

I like you helping me study.

I like you helping me with my hurt knee and elbow with out pain.

My friends say they want you as their Mama and I always fight with them.

I am not giving you to anyone and will protect you and Esha.

I love you soooooo soooooooo sooooooooooo soooooooooooooooo sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much.

You are the best mother in this world.

Happy birthday Mama.

A smile breaks on my face as I read the letter. Next I take my youngest ones, three year old Sanjay's, envelope. Inside the folded paper there was a heart shape in it coloured in red and on top 'I love you mama' and below the heart 'Happy birthday mama' written in his messy handwriting.

Smiling I take the last one with Esha's name. Same like the previous ones, there was a folded letter inside with her handwriting in black and red sketch, she always acted more mature than her age.........

To the most loveliest and beautiful girl,

You are the best mother anybody can ask for.

Mama you remember last week when me and Bhaiya were helping you to clean your drawers. I saw this file and asked you what it was. You got sad and told me never to open it. But sorry Mama, I did not listen to you and looked it. It had my name and baby photo. There was also 'adoption' written on top.

I read it and asked to papa. He told me to write this letter.

I am happy you adopted me, Mama. Because I got the best family.

I really wanted to tell all this to you face to face, but I'm afraid and scared Mama. What if you send me back.

I love you so much Mama, please don't send me back.

Love you the most.

Happy birthday Mama.

Tears drip down my face and I feel six small hands wrapping around me. I hug my kids close to my chest. Just then a large pair of hands wrap around four of us and pulls us back to his chest.

"Happy birthday to the best women in our lives.", Arjun tells and kisses on top of my head. I smile through my tears.

We break our group hug after a few minutes and Arjun sends the kids downstairs to have their breakfast, while I wipe away my tears.

As soon as the kids leave the room, Arjun's lips are on me and I melt in his arms. Even now he doesn't fail to make my heartbeat triple it's speed or give the shivers when his skin touches mine.

Finally when we break apart to the sound of kids squealing and playing with water from the hosepipe in the backyard, Arjun has lost his shirt while his hands were inside mine. Laughing he wears his shirt and I adjust mine and we go to the backyard to play with our kids.

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We had moved out from Arjun's parents home, not far from it, a few weeks after Tani's and Trisha's marriage. Our parents were totally against us moving out, but both of us, especially Arjun, needed some alone time with each other. It was true that being around other family members was good, but Arjun wanted to build one from scratch.

Ajay and Megha with their kids still lived there along with others. Ma and Arjun's Dad are on a world tour, in their own world but never fails to call us every two days.

Kiran is a slow learner and has a bit difficulty with his studies, but he is excellent in athletics. Even at the age of eight, he was faster than most of his seniors. He is a big softie just like his dad. And sure has the same temper issues.

Esha had joined the school along with Kiran. She had the brains but was too lazy to participate in sports.

When we sent them school together at kindergarten, the teacher called me the very next week, telling she couldn't control the twins. Ya right, we told everyone other than family the kids were twins, even the kids thought so (until recently). They were equally troublesome and we had to pull them out of school, when the complaints started getting out of hand.

I became their teacher, and that was when I noticed my kids. One was a slow learner while the other only needed to hear or see things once. After a lot of discussion and arguments with Arjun, we decided to put both the kids in different schools.

The kids weren't happy, Arjun was mad at me telling his princess wouldn't have her brother's protection. But more than that I was worried about the faculties and other students in the school. If those two were together, they could turn the place into hell in a wink. After a lot of explaining to everyone in group as well as individually, they were convinced.

Sanjay always had a soft spot for his sister. He would listen to her more than anyone else. He will be beginning to go to school after a few months.

When Esha realised that she was adopted she did the best thing of talking with Arjun. Arjun had asked her not confront me directly and rather gave her the idea of birthday card. That night I had a heart to heart conversation with my daughter. Comforting each other, I slept with her that night.

To say Arjun was annoyed would be an understatement. It was just I had missed the rough night he had planned for me and instead he had to satisfied with a cold shower. But I did compensate him the very next day, when the kids had gone to play with their cousins and have a sleepover there.

My life with Arjun isn't perfect and it will never be perfect. We have times where we argue a lot. There are times where we knowingly or unknowingly hurt each other. But what we never broke was our promises and now we go through every thing together. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Afterall, getting married to my high school crush was the best thing in my life.

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