Our Life Together

Getting Used to Things

"Mom!  Dad!"  Liam runs into our room followed by Jack and Olivia "Can we all go play with Hannah and Evan?  Please?" 

"You, Jack and Gabe can, but she stays here unless we bring her."  Brad says picking up Liv "She's too little to be walking with you guys."

"I wanna play!"  She yells, forcing herself to start crying "Not fair!"

"We'll take you down to play later.  We promise."  I assure her "Maybe if you're good we'll take you for ice cream on the way."

"I want ice cream."  Gabe walks in "That's not fair.  Just because she's the cute one she gets ice cream and I don't."

"Well fine, if you stay here until we take her you can get some too.  I don't know when we're leaving though, so you might be waiting a while."

"Okay!"  He looks to Jack and Liam "Have fun."

They leave a few minutes later, and I watch out the door to make sure they aren't going the wrong way.  Alyssa texts me a few minutes later letting me know that they just got to her house.

"We're hungry.  You guys should feed us."  Gabe says, acting like he is about to die of starvation.

"Yeah Brad, you really should make us something.  I'm hungry too."

"You have legs."  He looks at me like I just said something crazy "Last time I checked you know how to turn on the stove too."

"Well in that case," I turn to Gabe "We have plenty of waffles and you know how to use the toaster."

He walks away in defeat, taking Olivia, who looks confused, but is trying to act mad, with him. 

"You look tired."  Brad comments on my noticeable exhaustion "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Yeah a little.  It's starting to get harder though, and the kicks would not stop at all.  There was a party or something."

"And I wasn't invited?  That's not cool."  He laughs, but quickly gets the hint that I don't find this very funny "Well I'm sure he or she is very sorry that they kept you awake all night.  They'll apologise by sleeping all night once they're out."

"All I know is that it better be freaking adorable."  I sigh getting out of bed "If not then none of this was worth anything."

We walk out of the room and to the kitchen where Gabe is making a huge mess.  He let Liv hold the box of waffles which is now dumped upside down, and he is digging in the toaster with a metal fork.

"Gabriel!"  I quickly stop him "You gonna light the freaking thing on fire!  You can't use a metal fork in the toaster!"

"Well it's not my fault."  He decides "I was never told I couldn't use metal in a toaster.  It works fine in the microwave.  I leave spoons and forks in there with my food all the time."

"Oh my God."  Brad runs to the microwave that is currently turned on to look at what is in it "You're lucky.  From now on you don't do anything unless we tell you it's okay first."

"Brad he's going to be asking us about everything.  The boys were supposed to learn this stuff from you!  What the hell have you been teaching them?"

As I ask this, I see Gabe walking by us eating cereal out of the box, dropping pieces all over my floor. 

"Jesus.  She's my only hope in this family."  I pick up Olivia, helping her put the waffle she has half thawed out in the toaster "You won't be like them, right?"

"No, mommy."  She smiles "I good."

We wait for her waffle and then I hand it to her so she can run off and eat it.   I walk over to Brad, who is supposed to be making my breakfast, wrapping my arms around him.

"Does that kid ever stop moving?"  He asks, obviously feeling it on his side "It's like a freaking gym in there.  It should be tired from last night's party."

"Well yeah, that's what happens when it's hungry.  There's a little monster." I laugh "Seriously though, I'm hungry.   Hurry up."

He finally finishes the food and we go over to the table to eat.  The kids are laying on the floor, one eating his cereal that is now half dumped out of the box, and the other picking apart her waffle so she only has to eat the pieces with chocolate chips.

"They are so weird.  I really hope they don't act like this around other people.  We probably seem like terrible parents."

"They better not.  If I taught them one thing, it was to be more normal around other people.  I didn't raise little assholes."  I say. 

We eat our breakfast and have them clean up their messes before deciding it's time to get ready and leave. 

"Come on, princess."  I grab Liv's hand "You need to get ready before you can leave your castle."

"I wear princess dress?"  She stops walking, and looks up at me batting her eye lashes "Please?"

"Of course you can, baby, but you need to let me do your hair."

I get her upstairs, fight with her for a good 10 minutes before she even thinks about letting me brush her hair, and finally, after what seems like forever decide she looks good enough to go outside.

"We go get ice cream now?  And play?" She asks Brad once hrs carrying her.

"Yep, but you have to promise to be a good girl, or we'll just take you back home." He says, just to see her get defensive and tell us that she's always good.

"I'm always good too and I don't get anything special."  Gabe complains "She's so lucky."

"You just admitted that you don't listen to anything you were told about cooking.  You don't get to talk."

"Fine, but in my defense Liam does the same thing."

"We'll talk to him later."