The Frozen Wedding (:

This morning, we got up and moving around nine.  Eugene was worried sick about officiating, so he headed out pretty soon afterwards.  Around one, Zelia and I rounded up the girls, Pascal, and a couple of blankets for the kids, and we headed for the shelving unit.

(This is where the ceremony was to take place; and the drawer to the far  righthand side that's hanging open?  That's our hiding spot.  xD)
We got settled into the shelving unit's dresser drawer, but then I noticed Eugene pacing nervously around this side of the room. 
"Watch the girls for a minute?"  I asked Zelia.  She nodded, and I hopped back out of the drawer, sprinting over to give him a pep-talk. 
He noticed I was hurrying over to him, and he paused his pacing, giving me a curious expression.  I unfortunately tripped in the last stride over to him, and ended up on all fours on the floor. 
Well, that was an improvement.  Normall, I'd go flat on my face. 
"You alright, hon?" 
I looked up, and found him looming over me.  I was surprised that he wasn't laughing, but then again, this was Eugene we're talking about. 
"Yeah.  Ugh, I'm so clumsy..." I sighed, standing before he could offer help. 
"You're fine," he chuckled.  "What were you hightailing it over here for?" 
I gave him a sheepish grin.  "Zelia and the girls are at the drawer.  I just saw you were pacing and I wanted to just tell you to quit being nervous.  You'll do fine, I know it!"  I grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.
 He gave me a nervous, yet genuine, grin.  "Thanks for coming to talk." Eugene glanced over my shoulder and got a panicked expression on his face.  "Ohh no.  You better go.  They're coming already." 
I looked over my shoulder and saw the whole bunch of them coming - they were about halfway here -, chattering away giddily. 
"Okay.  I'll see you - you'll do great!"  I told him, reaching up on tiptoe to give him a quick kiss before darting away for the drawer. 

I dove into the drawer, almost landing right on Zelia. 
"SHH!"  Zelia immediately gave me a warning glance, and I looked over to see Jordan sleeping. 
"Okay," I nodded quietly.  "Thanks.  He's so nervous...I feel bad for him!" 

She nodded, but then ducked down.  "They're here." 
I ducked down, peeking out over the edge of the drawer.  Everyone was there, except for us, the guys, and my hubby, of course. 


Watching them get ready, all in a tizzy, made me both feel bad and feel good, if that's even possible.  I felt a little disheartened, because we'd always made plans about how we would all dress when Anna and Elsa got married.  How I'd have to be the maid of honor for both of them, regardless of if Eugene and I ended up getting married before them...which had seemed like a faraway whimsy at the time.  But all that had been before Anna got tired of my awkward little self.  But at the same time, I felt good, remembering my own wedding day.
My, but how things can change in just a few months.

Speaking of things changing so quickly, I almost choked as I saw Punzie carefully setting her own tiara on Elsa's head, since Anna was wearing Piper's veil.  She laughed and carried on with them as if the three of them were old pals.  What had changed with HER?!

We stood silently and watched for awhile, and I held Audrey up so she could see as soon as her daddy came into view. 
As soon as my hubby stepped in with the two guys, the girls went all into a flurry, and the brides hid until Eugene had assumed his position, Kristoff off to his side. 
My poor husband's face was milk white, and from HERE, I could even see his shaking hands, which he quickly hid behind his back when Kris turned to say something to him.  After he'd said whatever he'd said and turned away, Eugene glanced up towards the shelf and caught my eye, so I gave him a wink. 
And then Elsa stepped out from their hiding spot.  I caught Anna poking her head out  to watch her.
THAT'S when Kristoff looked just about as terrified as my husband, but he managed to give her a smile as he took her hands into his. 

 

Eugene's voice shook as he led them through their vows; likely because absolutely everyone was looking in that general direction -- I know he knew it was because of the bride and groom, but still.  That many pairs of eyes looking towards you could be alienating if you're shy. 
He guided them through their vows, they tied their engagement ribbon together clumsily, and then Kristoff and Elsa shared their first -- incredibly awkward -- kiss as a husband and wife.  Kristoff's face was about as red as a beet now, but he and Elsa shared the same expression of relief, excitement, and happiness as they went to sit down. 
Hans strode up to stand perpendicular my husband, and as he did so, Zelia turned towards me. 
"I'm going to take the girls back to the shelf, 'kay?  Before anyone gets fussy." 
"Don't you wanna stay to see Anna and Hans-"
"Not particularly," Zelia giggled quietly. 
"Well, I'll come too-"
"No, no, no.  You stay here.  That husband of yours is liable to faint." 
I stifled a giggle before I helped her gather the girls and Pascal.  I don't know how she made it to the floor with both of them soundlessly.   Nobody noticed her walk right by, which was a blessing. 

And then I turned back to the ceremony, just as Anna had taken her place beside Hans.  They both looked so excited, and I had to smile.  They went through their vows, tied their engagement ribbon together, and then Hans spoke up.  I won't include his relatively long speech, in which he expressed his undying love for the girl he was marrying right this moment, and how he intended to love her until  the last day of his plastic life.  After that, he tipped Anna back and they shared an extremely long, fervent kiss. 
Well then. 
I almost burst out laughing when I caught Eugene shifting from foot to foot and glancing away, because he was so embarrassed by their kiss. 
When their kiss finally ended, everyone slowly left after congratulating both of the couples, and then Tangled Fan swept in to take pictures of the newlyweds. 
Sooo, I had to sit that out and wait. 
(I snatched some pictures of hers to post, which are right below xD)

FINALLY, the foursome left, but I waited for a bit longer, just to make sure that they wouldn't see me heading home. 

 

When I finally popped my head up out of the drawer to see how far they had made it, I saw Eugene coming.  He stopped in front of the shelving unit, giving me a smile.  I gave him an awkward little wave, peering around to make sure I wasn't going to be seen by anyone.
"Are you a damsel in distress?"  he called, and I giggled.
"Maybe.  Just waiting -- are they back to their shelf yet?" 
He didn't answer, so I just watched him as he bounded up to the drawer. 
"Yeah, they're pretty much to the shelf, as far as I could see.  I hung back," he explained. 
"Oh wow...why?  You could've been back home for like, over half an hour," I gasped. 
He hopped into the drawer himself and gave me a wink.  "I wanted to walk home with my girl.  Speaking of girls, where are the kiddos?" 
"Zelia took them home after Elsa and Kris got married.  She didn't want them to get fussy and blow our hiding spot, and she also didn't want to get caught smuggling them back...AND she didn't care to see Anna and Hans' portion of the ceremony."  I sighed.  "But...you did a great job, honey.  I'm so proud of you for doing it-- you looked so nervous, though!" 
"Thanks," he grinned, and I passed a hand through my hair...or at least, I tried to.  Big surprise there, my hand got tangled up in my hair. 
"Oh my gosh, not again--" I grumbled, but he quickly turned me around, working gently to remove my hand from my knotted up hair. "Thanks..."
"No problem," he told me, but as soon as he got my hand released from my hair, he took it and twirled me around to face him. 
I giggled.  "Alright, show off.  That was smooth."
He chuckled.  "I'm just glad that my job is done.  My job of officiating, rather." 
I gave him a quick hug.  "I bet.  You looked SO nervous.  I'd hate to know how nervous you were on our own wedding day!" 
"I was nervous, yeah, but I was more shaky from excitement than anything else.  I was beyond ready to spend the rest of my life with my best friend." he ducked his head in embarrassment, but I was touched. 
I wanted to say something, but I knew I'd embarrass him more, so I just gave him a quick, awkward hug.  "I suppose we should head back?" 
"Yup," he cleared his throat, flashing me a shy grin before he got out of the drawer, helping me over. 
We were quiet until we got to the floor, and I was the first to speak up. 
"So...I thought the girls looked beautiful in their dresses!  Didn't you?  Were the guys nervous?" 
"They were spazzed.  Hans was pretty cool, but....Kristoff freaked out a little bit when he saw Elsa, but he was okay after, it seemed.  And I guess the girls looked nice," he paused, his eyes flicking over me from head to toe, before meeting my eyes.  An honest, but teasing, grin lit his face. 
"What?"  I asked. 
"You definitely looked better in Piper's wedding dress," he blurted, and I burst out laughing. 
"Oh my gosh, Eugene.  You're terrible!  I thought they both were very pretty in their dresses, and I know you think so, too."  I slugged his arm playfully, and he laughed.
"Did you see Hans and Anna's kiss?"  Eugene asked. 
"Uh...yeah.  I think just about everyone was embarrassed by the length of it, but I'm glad they're so in love," I blushed. 
"Yeah," he agreed, "and did you hear Hans' speech?" 
"Yup.  I thought that it was nice of him to tell her all that," I answered. 
My hubby gave me a sheepish glance.  "I planned to do something similar for you on our own wedding day, but I didn't want to embarrass you, and I figured I could tell you all the things I wanted to say then..whenever, instead of all at once and in front of a handful of dolls." 
I gave him a smile.  "Thank you for that, actually.  It would've been kind of awkward." 
He winked, reaching to put an arm around my shoulders.  "Love you." 
We walked in silence once more, at least for a little while.  I, again, broke the silence as a thought crossed my mind.  "Did you know that on March thirteenth, we'll have known each other for six whole months?!" 
Looking at me with a smitten grin, he nodded.  "Six months...seems like time's gone by like a minute, but yep.  I dunno about you, but I've enjoyed every second of it." 
"I agree.  Every second I've been with you, anyway.  The rest of the time - up until I married you, anyway--, I was getting harassed."  I laughed, ducking my head. 
"Do you want to...to go stargazing on the thirteenth?  If the sky's clear, anyway," he stammered out his offer, and I had to grin at his awkwardness.  How could he be so cute when he was awkward?  I was just plain terrifying when I went all awkward!  Ugh.  But regardless.   
I nodded enthusiastically.  "I'd love that...so, so much!" 
We walked the rest of the way home, just chatting and reminiscing on our own wedding day.

By the time we got back to our own shelf, it was around ten.  The girls were asleep, and Zelia was crashed on the wicker chair.  I grabbed a blanket, tossing it gently over my sister, before I checked up on the girls, which Eugene had already done.  And then we went to bed ourselves. 

Decisions, Decisions..

This morning, I was up long before Eugene for once - even though I got up at seven with Jordan.  He'd been up and down through the night again, worrying about what to do with Hans' request.  Honest to goodness, I was just praying he'd make a decision soon.  Who knew he got so serious and conflicted over decisions - even if it was as small as this?  I know that there's other things, too, but wow.  Just made me wonder how long he'd waffled back and forth about asking for my hand in marriage!
But regardless, when he got up at nine-thirty, his shirt all askew and wrinkled up from his restlessness, Audrey and I greeted him with our usual happiness.  After he'd given Audrey a bear hug, he came over to where I stood with Jordan. 
"Morning," he gave me that classic grin - one I hadn't seen since Hans' request.
"Good morning, hon.  Why're you all cheery today?  You've been so worked up about this thing lately."  I asked, instinctively straightening out his shirt with one hand.  He chuckled, reaching for Jordan. 
"I'm going to tell Hans I'll officiate for them," he said simply. 
I gasped.  "Awesome!"
"But..I don't know how I'm going to do this in front of everyone.  Everyone.  Including Punzie.  And while we're at it, I'm really not looking forward to going up on that shelf by myself to tell them." 
I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and a one-armed hug.  "Well, just ignore Punzie.  You're a lot taller than her, so she shouldn't be able to boss you around too much. But I can't blame you for not wanting to go up to their shelf by yourself.  I'd come up, too, but I don't think that'd be a good idea, either.  Plus, I have to stick with the kiddos." 
He nodded.  "Well..wish me luck.  I'll see you in a bit..if I don't, pop your head in and see who's trying to, I don't know...kill me..." 
I  giggled.  "You'll be fine." 
He gave Jordan a kiss on the forehead - which was an absolutely heartwarming sight - before he gave her to me and left for the shelf above. 
As soon as he left, Audrey tugged on my skirt, excitedly going on and on about having a tea party with me, Jordan, and Pascal.  Never a dull moment... (:

We played until noon, at which point Jordan and Audrey were both ready for a nap.  Eugene still wasn't back, so I was just about ready to go check on him.  But I'd no more than gotten the girls settled in for a nap when  Eugene slipped down into our shelf. 
I didn't notice him until I'd stood and turned around. 
With a gasp, I put a hand over my heart.  "Good grief, you surprised me!  The girls are asleep...I was just going to come and see if you needed help fending off Punzie or Anna." 
He flashed a grin.  "No...Elsa and Anna just wanted to tell me how the ceremony was to go.  Eesh, it would've taken about a half an hour if they would've been able to agree on anything...instead of an hour and a half.  But regardless.  I think your sister's about a hundred-and-one percent done with anything to do with wedding talk, by the look she had on her face when I left." 
I giggled hard enough to snort and embarrass myself, but then I remembered about an idea I'd been chewing on for awhile.   "I feel bad for her.  And actually...that's something I'd like to talk about.  I was thinking about inviting her to stay on our shelf - she'd probably go back to the shelf above us to sleep, of course, but during the day...I hate to ask you to think about THIS, especially after your big thing with the last decision, though, so we can wait until whenever to talk about it-"  I blurted, noticing his eyes bugging out.
"N-no, it's fine - I guess that's not a bad idea, but it just surprised me. Ah...don't worry, either...I'm not normally this waffle-y about decisions." 
"That's good to know," I laughed through my nose.  "We'll talk about it later.  For now--why is your face red?" 
"Oh, um...because Anna and Elsa were so excited about me officiating that they both hugged me.  It was...really...really awkward."  His face got purely crimson, and I held back a full-blown laugh for the sake of the girls' naps. 
"You poor thing," I gave his arm a playful punch. 
"So.  The wedding's between the trunk and the old shelving unit on the 28th, at 4 PM.  You thinking what I'm thinking?" 
"Hide in a drawer and watch?"  I asked. 
"Two wonderful minds think alike," he gave me a wink, and I rolled my eyes. 
"You're terrible.  But we'll see." 
We shall see...

Officiating and Some New Info...

Late yesterday evening, Hans came down to talk to Eugene.  I was busy trying to get Jordan to go to sleep, so I just sat on the wicker chair and listened.  Audrey was in the corner, playing with Pascal, as was her normal evening activity. 
When Hans came down, I think Eugene and I were both really surprised, but we greeted him anyway.  I offered to let him sit on the chair, but he quickly turned the offer down with a gentleman-like smile. 
"I, ah, was actually coming down to talk to your husband about something," he added.  
Oh, great.  Don't tell me that he and Anna were breaking up or something!
"Why?"  Eugene asked, flashing me an 'oh no, not again' look.  I tried to suppress a giggle. 
"Well, ah...you probably know that Anna and I..and Elsa and Kris are getting married on the 28th...a big double-wedding, since the ladies wanted to." 
"Yeah, I'm aware of it."  He cast another glance towards me.  "Congratulations.  Um..."
"Well, we were looking for a, ah...someone to officiate it.  You're the only other male doll around here, so..we were going to ask you."  Hans mumbled.  I could tell he felt awkward, talking about wedding stuff.  Well, that would make two of them, since Eugene seemed to be less than enthused to be talking about it, too.  I had to grin as I watched the two men squirm like little boys at the idea of talking about a wedding. 
Glancing down at Jordan, I noticed she'd finally drifted off to sleep, but I kept her in my arms. 
"I don't know.  I don't exactly feel right officiating a wedding my own wife was banned from, y'know?  Kind of..weird, I guess..." he trailed off, giving me a 'help me' look. 
"I understand.   I just don't really know who else to ask.  I asked Anna to let Rapunzel come - they certainly were good friends when I first came here...But she was quite adamant on the matter.  I apologize-"
"It's not your fault, Hans.  And Eugene, I think you should officiate.  It wouldn't matter to me -- goodness, I want everyone to have their happily ever afters, and Hans did officiate our wedding, remember..."  I said quietly, standing and going to stand with the guys. 
He looked torn at that --my husband, not Hans--, and he gave me an unreadable expression. 
"Well..the wedding isn't until the 28th, so it's no big deal at the moment.  Just let us know either way, please?"  Hans said, acting like it was no big deal -- even though I could read the disappointment on his face.  But he only allowed the disappointment to show for a split second, because then he turned to me and Jordan and lowered his voice accordingly.  "Is this your youngest?" 
"Mmhmm," I nodded, allowing him to take a glance at Jordan's sleeping face.  "Audrey's right over there, playing, and she's our oldest." 
He looked past me to offer Audrey a little smile and wave, and she gave him a shy grin in return. 
"Well, you both have been blessed with two absolutely adorable children.  When Anna and I adopt, we'll have to ask you for parenting tips," he joked, and I gave a polite laugh, even though my heart ached with the fact that Anna would never, EVER even consider that - and she probably would never talk to me again, either.   "I suppose I should get going...thank you for your consideration, Eugene, and please let us know what your choice is." 
He nodded, and then Hans left. 
As soon as he was off of our shelf, Eugene gave me a horrified expression.  I held a hand up to him, and he stayed silent until I had put Jordan down in bed for her nap, and ensured that Audrey was going to keep playing. 
As soon as I'd returned to his side, he quietly blurted, "I'm not officiating.  He can give me all the time in the world to decide, but the answer's no." 
"Oh, c'mon, Eugene.  He officiated for our big day, and if you don't want to do it for Anna, do it for Elsa, Kris, and Hans." 
He was conflicted - I could tell.  "But.."
"You know, Eugene, I don't care if you officiate it - it's not that big of an issue for me.  I think you should.  Just think how happy they'll be.  Correction:  Just think about how happy WE were.  Wouldn't you want them to be that happy, too?" 
My hubby's face contorted into a variety of confused expressions.  "I'm not the best choice for officiating anything, and I can't talk in front of a group." 
"You could do it, I know you could - no problem!"  I told him confidently.  "And you could tell me how the wedding goes!" 
He shrugged his shoulders up to his ears.  "I still don't feel right--"
"Well, I don't know why not!  You can do it, and you'd do fine!" 
"I just...look.  Wayyy back, when we were not 'together' for those coupla weeks?  When I bumped into Hans, he said a few things about you that were less than nice.  I don't feel like doing any favors for a fake." 
I processed this information slowly.  "Well, maybe he was trying to prove that we weren't together -- remember, you thought I'd-"
"I didn't know what I thought at that time.  But I did know one thing, and it was that he didn't need to say things about you.  Bet he didn't tell you that." 
I sighed.  I was too tired to care, and that had been upwards of two months ago.  "Yeah, but...but Elsa and Kris-"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not doing it.  If they'd have separate weddings, I'd officiate for Elsa and Kris, even though Kris knocked me out that time." 
"Eugene, they deserve a happily ever aft-"
"I'm not saying they don't, but I'm just refusing to-"
"It's not like they did anything to insult YOU!"  I realized that Audrey could likely hear us, so  I snagged my husband's shirt collar, trying to reach so I could reach to whisper in his ear.  "If anyone should be against this, it should be me.  But do what you want-"
"I plan to.  It's not your decision to make."  He snapped.
Oooh, he didn't just say that like THAT, did he?! 
"And I'm going for a walk. Watch the kids, hm?" 
"It's nine o' clock - where on earth do you plan on going?" 
"For a walk," I replied.  I know, I know...it was snobby of me, but oh well. 
And with that, I slipped away to leave the shelf. 

I just needed to cool down.   I didn't really know what I was angry about.  Eugene was a big boy, and if he didn't want to perform the wedding, he wouldn't.  But I just didn't want either of the girls to be let down, even if Anna WAS a bit of a jerk.  And maybe I was a bit upset at Hans, too, for pretending to be all nice to me, when in reality, he thought just about as much as me as what his fiancee did. 
Soo, I just walked. 
Eventually, I went back to the shelf - or rather, I tried to. 
About halfway to our shelf, I slipped, slammed my right knee and hip into the edge of the shelf side, and then I fell back down to the floor.
You don't know true, physical pain and agony until you smack your knee into the corner or edge of something.
Wonderful.
I could hardly walk, but I managed to drag myself back up to our shelf, hoping all the way that my husband was already asleep, and that my limp was nonexistant by morning, so I wouldn't have to explain anything. 
Pssh, yeah right!
Eugene was waiting up for me. 
As soon as he saw me, he shot up out of his chair, almost knocking it down.  Thinking fast, he eased it back to its' usual upright position, but then he was at my side in an instant. 
"Hey," I said quietly, trying to move quickly to find my brush. 
"Hey, yourself.  I'm sorry, hon.  I shouldn't have gotten snippy at you, especially after I dropped that piece of information on you...I'm sor-Wait.  Are you limping?" 
"Hm?"  I shrugged, focusing on working the brush through my hair. 
"Come on.  What happened?  Please?" 
I started to ignore him, but when he gave me a look of sheer concern, I sighed.  "I may or may not have slipped when I tried to come back up to the shelf.  No biggie."
He quickly sucked in a breath.  "Oh, gosh...you're not hurt?  Like...like aside from your leg-"
"I'm fine, I promise," I told him, giving him a small smile.
Watching me silently, he waited until I had put my brush down before he pulled me into a hug. 
"I'm sorry for getting snippy with you." 
"It's fine, hon, really - I shouldn't have kept  hounding at you," I whispered, pulling away from him.  "Are the girls both sleeping?" 
"Yep," he nodded, so I started over for the bed.  And sufficiently managed to trip myself.  So now, not only did my right leg hurt something awful, but I had managed to twist my left ankle!  Go me. 
Eugene grabbed me and helped me the rest of the way to bed, watching as I lowered myself down.  
"I'm going to get Tangled Fa-"
"Noo, you're not, I'm fine, and that's that," I told him.  "C'mere." 
He started to look towards the edge of the shelf, instead of going to sleep himself, and I cleared my throat. 
"You look tired.  Come on."
"Okay, okay, fine.  If you're sure you're oka-"
"I'm positive," I laughed through my nose.  "Good night.  And stop mentally freaking out over my little accident - it's nothing, and I'm fine."
"I'm not..."
I gave him a playful shove.  "Oh, yeah right." 
He flashed me a distracted grin.  "Ya got me.  Now YOU c'mere." 
I rolled my eyes as I started to lay down..and felt how really achy my knee still was.
"How did you even do anything when your leg joints were goobered up bad?"  I asked. 
He started to sit up to - I don't even really know why, maybe help me somehow -  just as I gave up on pain-free-ness and flopped down.  Safe to say, we butted heads.  Also safe to say, nobody's getting out THAT scenario without excruciating pain. 
Today just wasn't my day. 
We both grasped our foreheads, and I sucked in a surprised breath at the pain. When we could think straight again, Eugene asked if I was okay. 
"Y-yeah. I'm fine. What about you?" 
"I'm fine.  Sorry!"  We both apologized at the same time, and then I gave a half-giggle, half-groan before I lowered myself back down on my side - this time, without incident.  xD 


Butttt, slumber only lasted so long. Sometime through the night, I woke up, and Eugene wasn't there. 
I swiped the hair out of my eyes, rolling over and half-sitting, looking around with alarm. 
The girls were still in their beds, sleeping, even though Jordan was tossing and turning.  My gaze finally landed on the wicker chair, where Eugene sat with his face buried in his hands, leaning forward on his elbows. 
"Eugene?"  I hissed, clearing my throat and watching the darkness. 
He  shot up out of his chair and gave me an alarmed look.  "Go back to sleep, hon." 
I motioned him to come back over.  "Assuming you can't?"
Shrugging, he silently strode over.  "Just thinking." 
"About the wedding?"  I whispered, and he sighed, lowering himself down beside me.  I tucked my legs up underneath me, slipping a hand under the blanket so I could rub my knee without him noticing. 
"Mmhm, the wedding...and other things." 
"What other things?"  I asked quietly, tilting my head with curiosity. 
He shook his head, so I put a hand on his shoulder and went silent. I figured that if he wanted to talk, he would.  I remembered that when we were dating, all I'd do is be there for him, and he'd usually open up, so I hoped that that approach still worked. 
It did. 
"Is your leg feeling any better?" 
"My knee feels bruised, but that's all.  No worries," 
He sighed again.  "I just feel like an undeserving idiot.  I just had to go and snap at you...I'm sorry." 
"It's fine," I said quietly, surprised he was still hung up on that.  "Noo problem.  I annoyed you into snapping, so it's mostly my fault." 
"And good grief, you could've gotten hurt, like really, really hurt...and you could've even gotten broken or something.  And what was the last thing I did to you?  THAT.  I didn't hug you or tell you I loved you, or-"
"Hon."  My voice cracked as I realized he was going through the same guiltiness I'd gone through with him before -- only he hadn't seen me laying on the floor unconscious.  I hadn't even gotten knocked out.  "I'm fine, and you need to stop thinking about that.  It's hard, I  know, but you need to." 
"You don't kno-" He broke off when I met his eyes.  "...You do know."
The silence at that point was nearly deafening.  He silently put a hand over the blanket on my lap, and I laced my fingers with his, deciding what I could say next. 
"So...what're you leaning towards doing about the wedding?"  I finally asked.
"I dunno..." he shrugged, and I just left it at that. 
"Well, I guess you DO have about a week and a half to decide.  So don't worry about that, and don't worry about me, m'kay?"  I reached to kiss his cheek, and he gave me a quick, but genuine, grin.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, and I was just about to lay down and go back to sleep, when I heard a quiet gasp and then the quick pitter-patter of a set of tiny feet.  
Audrey appeared at the foot of the bed, a fearful look in her eye. 
"What's wrong, honey?"  I asked quietly, pulling my hand away from Eugene's. 
"I-I had a bad dream," she said breathlessly. 
"Aw..well, c'mere-"  I started.
"Why're you and Daddy up?"  she asked, cutting me off midsentence. 
"I had a bad dream, too," was his reply, to which I flashed him a quick, questioning glance.  Had he really had a nightmare - was that why he hadn't been able to sleep?  He nodded, and I turned back to our daughter. 
"Well...do you want to c'mere for a bit?"  I asked, leaning forward and reaching towards her.  She quickly accepted my offer, and I pulled her up onto my lap, hiding the grimace when her foot hit my knee. 
She buried her face in my shoulder, so I held her close and stroked her hair.  When I looked up after a few minutes, I caught Eugene staring at us both, so I reached over and gave him a quick, one-armed hug before I continued stroking Audrey's hair.  He reached over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek, so I grinned at him before asking Audrey if she wanted to sleep with us. 
That was a definite yes, so the three of us settled back down to go to sleep, Audrey snuggled up against me. 

Well....we'll see what Eugene does about Hans wanting him to officiate.  He's not said anything about it today to me, but I'm giving him space.  And my knee's still feeling bruised, but thankfully, he's letting me have my way (It took some convincing, though).  Soo, I'll let you know what he decides as soon as I know myself!

Frozen Engagements and Other...Interesting...News...

So....today was interesting. 
Deciding that I hadn't seen Anna or Elsa in awhile, this afternoon I decided to see if anyone was interested in going for a walk.
Eugene had already told me to take a day to have some fun, so after I gave him and the girls hugs and 'see-you-later's, I popped up onto the shelf above us.
"Hey, guys!"  I called to anyone who'd listen.  Punzie immediately gave me a look, but I overlooked that.
What I wasn't expecting was to see both Elsa and Anna with ribbons in their hair. 
"Hey, sis!"  Zelia said,  but I was too busy staring at the Frozen sisters, eyes wide. 
She came over to me, and so I grabbed her wrist and dragged her to a corner of the shelf.
"When'd THAT happen?!"  I whispered, jerking my head in their general direction. 
"Two..days ago, I think?"  She said, squinting as she thought. 
"Why didn't you tell me - wait.  Why didn't THEY tell me?!  Did they get engaged at the same time?" 
"Yeah.  Uh...I'm sorry, I just...Anna...UGH."  Zelia broke off, shaking her head. "Anna immediately pulled me aside and told me to not tell you.  Their big double wedding is going to be the 28th...she invited me, but then added not to tell you THAT, either.  When I asked why, she said it was because you were so - and I quote - 'clumsy, and she didn't want you to do something to distract from their big day'.  Elsa wasn't happy, and Hans and Kristoff weren't pleased, either, but Anna's making sure you don't get invited.  I told her that I wasn't attending the wedding unless you were allowed to come, too." 
I felt my neck get hot with pain and anger.  "Why...Ugh, I don't even want to know why I get treated like this anymore...Zelia, you go to the wedding.  You shouldn't-"
"NO!  I refuse to go if she's gonna act like that!" 
I took a deep breath, an idea forming in my mind.  "Why don't we go for a walk?" 
"Sure...?"  Zelia gave me a confused look. 
"But first.."  I walked right over to where Anna and Elsa were sitting with their fiances, planning their double wedding and giggling like crazy.  "Hey, girls...congratulations, by the way!"
Anna gasped, whirling to look at me.  "Oh!  Um, uh...thanks."
"When's the wedding?"  I asked, trying to appear innocent. 
"Umm...we haven't decided yet, but we're-"
"February 28th," Elsa broke her off. 
"But we didn't plan to invite you, cause you know...with you having the kids and everything now, we figured you'd be too busy." 
Elsa gave her a disgusted look before standing up.  "She's lying.  I'm sorry."  Was all she whispered in my ear before she moved away from her sister.
I gave her a quick nod before saying, "Well...you're right.  I am busy, but we still would have come.  Congratulations, though, to all four of you." 
Hans mouthed a 'sorry' right before I left the shelf quickly, Zelia hastily following suit. 

We were silent until we got to the floor. 
"Thanks for telling me the truth, Zelia."  I mumbled.  "I can't believe this." 
She shook her head.  "I don't, either.  Of all the people...you know what?!  Anna doesn't deserve your attendance at that wedding, anyway!  Elsa might, but not Anna!" 
I shrugged my shoulders up to my ears, willing my churning emotions to quiet.  "I'm trying to not get mad, but it's really hard.  I should be used to this anyway." 
"No, you should never get used to-"
"Weeeelll, I did.  I shouldn't be surprised, anyway.  But regardless.  I'm over it.  I'm done.  Why don't you go to the wedding so you can give me a good insider report on it?" 
"I'm sure it will stink and be boring, plus I don't want  to go if you're not allowed to go."  Zelia said adamantly, and then we basically just walked in silence for awhile.  My mind was too muddled to say anything, and I was afraid I was going to cry if I said anything.  "Well, I'm going back.  You coming?"
"Nahh...you go on ahead.  Thanks again, for being honest.  And for coming for a walk," I gave her a convincing grin, and she gave me a look that told me she read right through my brave face, but she nodded and left. 

I walked for awhile after Zelia left.  I needed to have some time alone to think and I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to cry -- I didn't want to cry in front of the girls, nor did I want to in front of Eugene...especially over something so silly and idiotic! 

Hm, right. 
I'd made it about halfway across the room when I heard footsteps rapidly approaching me from behind.  Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. 
I turned quickly to see none other than my husband. 
"Eugene!"  I gasped, hoping he hadn't noticed I'd been crying.  "Wh...what are you doing here?  Where are the girls?  How'd you find me?"
He left his hand on my shoulder.  "Zelia came back, immediately telling me that I should hunt you down and talk to you.  And she offered to watch the girls for us for as long as we wanted, so there is absolutely NO hurry.  What's wrong?"
"Nothing."  I said, a little too fast. 
"Well, there's obviously something.  Let's see.  You never go for unexplained walks, your sister was worried about you, you look distressed, and your eyes are rimmed with red.  I'd say there's something wrong."  I sighed, and turned me so he could look me in the eye, setting his other hand on my shoulder, too.  "Tell me.  Please?" 
"It's stupid.  You'll laugh at me for this..." I trailed off, but then I dove into the whole spiel.  About how Anna hadn't told me, but she'd instead told my sister.  How she'd lied to my face, basically.  That she didn't want me at the wedding because she knew I'd become the center of attention...because of my awkwardness.  "And do you finally see why I can't stand myself?  I bet you always thought that I was overreacting when I said that sooner or later, everyone ditches me because of my awkwardness.  Well, I wasn't!  I wish I wasn't this way.  If I weren't so awkward, maybe I could actually have a friend or two.  And you...you are the one doll who's stuck with me the longest, and quite frankly, I'm sorry you have to have a wife like me.  You could've done so much better  - with some pretty doll who's smart and pretty, elegant, graceful...and you end up with frumpy, awkward old me for the rest of your plastic life.  You deserve more.  You're so perfect, and...then there's me." I finished my rant, which had lasted a surprising amount of time.

He swallowed...took a deep breath...and thought for a minute.  "You know, Rapunzel...while I'm a bit mad at Anna for being like this...and I can completely understand your angst....I don't really know how to word this, so bear with me, and I'm sorry if I offend you, but this has been a long time coming, and I feel that this is the appropriate time to tell you this.  You're blind, my dear girl.  You are blind as a bat.  All you see is...is minor imperfections and dolls who don't like you.  But at the same time, you can see the best in other dolls.  You need to start seeing the best in yourself-"
"Don't you see?  I can't - I can't because there's not much good IN me!"  I broke him off, to which he gave my shoulders a gentle shake, telling me to listen. 
"NO.  There you go again!  Let me tell you this, Rapunzel.  You need to pay more attention to the fact that your sister loves you, your daughters both love you, and I love you!  Do you really need to focus on the past; on dolls that were only temporary, untrue friends?  No.  You don't.  And you'll only bring yourself down more by doing so.  And..and you say I'M perfect?!  To most, I'm about as imperfect as it gets!  I'm shy, I'm awkward at times, I'm not the 'bad boy' type, and oh, let's not forget about how bad I am with words!  And yet you think I'm perfect.  And YOU - most dolls see you and see your awkwardness, your shyness, and your quietness...and they don't like what they see.  But when I look at you...I see perfection.  Your daughters see perfection - in different ways, of course.  Your sister sees perfection.  Well..maybe not perfection, but she still loves you, and you can't deny any of this.  You don't see the beauty in yourself.  You might not be all made up and bold like the others, but it's what's on the INSIDE that counts.  And you're pretty on the outside to boot - which is a rare combination.  When I-I...when I see you...what you don't see is your sweet smile.  Your big green eyes, full of curiosity and kindness.  How you stood up for Elsa when Anna was being nasty to her.  The love pouring from your eyes when you hold our little girls.  The adorable way you laugh and cover your eyes after you've done something silly or awkward.  And you have to be a pretty special person to love me, and to love and accept your sister, especially after what she did.  Let alone not totally wig out on Anna earlier...  I could go on, but I won't.  And don't you ever - I repeat, EVER - apologize for marrying me, based off of your 'imperfections' or 'appearance'.  Rapunzel, you're the b-best thing that's ever happened to me -- you and the girls -- and I don't know w-what I'd do without you...any of you...and it drives me purely MAD that you think so low of yourself, and I wish I could show you how much we all love you, and that you don't need to, nor should you, focus on the negatives in life!" 

After his incredibly lengthy speech, he took a deep breath, huffing.  I wasn't sure what to make of what he'd just said.  When his brown eyes held mine in an intense, compassionate gaze, the wheels turned in my head.  I'd spent all my life trying to please everyone; trying to hide who I was.  Trying to be elegant and graceful, un-awkward, just so I could be accepted.  And after Eugene came around, I stopped hiding myself from everyone.  Sure, this caused so much grief in my life that it wasn't even funny, but geesh.  Recently, I've been so focused on those who didn't like me...when I hadn't even stopped to think about Zelia, Jordan, Audrey, and Eugene loving me for who I was and accepting me.  Why had  I been focusing on everyone else for so long, when I could've been happy and oblivious all this time?  I knew it was a habit from previous homes, but I really needed to drop that habit. 
My eyes filled with tears as this sunk in, and I grabbed my husband into a tight hug, burying my face into his shoulder.  He hesitated, but then held me close, placing a few kisses in my hair.  We just stood in one another's embrace for a little bit, until I pulled away.  
"Thank you for...um...that speech.  You've hit the nail on the head, and yeah, I'm blind.  I'm sor-"
He pulled  me close again, giving me an impulsive, gentle kiss.  "Don't apologize, okay?" 
I nodded.  "I ever tell you how much I love you?  I probably haven't told you enough." 
"Hmm..." he gave me that adorable grin of his.  "I could stand to hear it again, though.  But, as far as the wedding...want to crash it in our own, shy way?  We'll find out when and where, and watch from afar.  And then you can freak Anna or Elsa out if you talk to them again, and be like 'oh yeah, your wedding was cool'."  He attempted to ease up the mood.
I giggled, giving him a shove.  "Absolutely not.  You're such a goofball." 
"You wouldn't love me any other way - admit it," he winked as we started to head for our shelf. 
I wrapped an arm around his waist, feeling relieved after our talk.  "No...I wouldn't.  Thanks for the talk."
"It make you feel better?  I was a bit worried to tell you, because I figured there was a fifty-fifty chance - either you'd have THIS reaction, or you'd blow up in my face."  He put an arm around my shoulders and squeezed, and we stayed quiet for the rest of the walk back to the shelf. 
As soon as we came back to our shelf, Zelia gave me a knowing look, likely meaning that (since it was around eight), the girls were asleep. 
I nodded, and she quietly came over. 
"He talk to you?"  She asked in a whisper. 
"Yeah," I said quietly. "Quite the speech, but one I really needed." 
She surprised me by giving me a tight hug.  "I love you, sis.  I should've told you about them before-"
"It's fine.  Love you, too," I told her, returning her sisterly embrace. 
"See you tomorrow."  She said, and then she left. 

Whew..Okay.  Soo...What do I do now?  Do I try to figure out what's bugged Anna, or do I take Eugene's advice, let it go, and just focus on those who care about me?  Hmmmph....

Our Day Out [=

This morning,  Eugene woke me up early.  Zelia was coming at 7, so we needed to get up and around earlier than usual. 
Of course, 6:30 AM is not my normal wake-up time, unless one of the girls gets up...so I could hardly get myself to stay awake. 
"Hey, sleepyhead...wake up..." I could hear Eugene quietly saying this repeatedly, but I couldn't even lift my head!  I finally managed to, though, mumbling. 
"I'm up, I'm up..." I yawned, working to peel my eyes open.  When I did get them open, I caught Eugene giving me an amused expression.  "What?" 
"Nothing.  Sorry to wake you up, but Zelia's coming in about half an hour," he whispered, brushing the huge amount of hair out of my eyes. 
Half...half an hour? 
I stretched, reluctant to get moving.  "Ughhh.  Okay.  I need to get ready, but I don't want to move...and I don't want to wake the girls, either." 
"Understandable.  Stay here for a bit, then," he told me, wrapping me up in his arms. 
I grinned, allowing my eyes to shut again, but I'd no more than gotten comfortable again, and then Jordan started whimpering. 
I shot upright, twisting to see her.  Eugene quirked a brow as he sat up too.  We both watched her, waiting to see if she was going to wake up or not.
After I was sure that miss Jordan wasn't going to wake up and I'd decided to stop watching the girls sleeping (cause they're so sweet and adorable...), I turned back to Eugene as a thought crossed my mind.  I hadn't even realized how different I felt now that I wasn't completely and utterly alone in the doll world. 
I turned sideways, twisting my torso so I could look him in the eye.  "Eugene?  Um, thanks." 
"What?" Eugene gave me a puzzled expression. 
I sucked in a deep breath, but held it, trying to decide how to explain.  Instead, I just let it out in a huge exhale, starting to turn away.  "Never mind - just me being weird."  I gave a self-depricating, quiet laugh. 
"Hey, you've peaked my curiosity now, hon.  What's up?"
"Thanks, cause I just realized that...I ah, I haven't had that lonely, hopeless feeling in a long time.  So th..thanks for sticking with me."  I buried my face in my hands, feeling my face heat up terribly.  "I'm sorry.  That sounded so stupid." 
He chuckled.  "No, it didn't.  And..I'm actually really glad ya feel that way."  He winked, and I reached to give him a quick hug before slipping away to get ready for the day. 

I wore my normal dress, but I braided my hair, scattering a few flower-ribbon things Tangled Fan had made throughout the braid. 
I'd just finished up when Zelia dropped down to our shelf - a bit more gracefully than when she had come down a few days ago. 
"Hey, sis - wow, you look great!"  Zelia said, giving me smile.
I almost choked.  Sure, Zelia's changed, but I still wasn't used to getting compliments from her.  "Oh, um, thanks..."
"Great?  JUST great?"  Eugene came up behind me, carrying Jordan.  I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I saw the love pouring from his eyes.  "You look beautiful." 
I laughed, rolling my eyes as I went to go see what Audrey was up to. 
Playing with Pascal, as was her norm. 
"Hey, sweetie, Aunt Zelia's going to watch you guys today.  Be good, sweetie, okay?  Love you," I told her, reaching to hug her. 
"Okay.  I like Aunt Zelia, she's fun.  Love you, Momma!"  She hugged me back, and my heart squeezed.  I gave her an extra little hug and then left her to resume playing with Pascal.  I held Jordan while Eugene said bye to Audrey, and then Zelia took the baby from my arms.
"You guys stay out as long as you like - I think I can handle them.  And I'm glad to be on a shelf other than the one I'm always on," she coughed and rolled her eyes upward. 
"Say no more," I giggled. "Well, thank you.  I'll see you all later!" 
"Have a good - romantic - day, guys!"  Zelia teased as soon as Eugene came back and we'd turned to leave the shelf. 
I thought for sure my husband was going to fall off the edge of the shelf at that one.
His face grew red.  "Uh..yeah...Um...we will."  

As soon as we got to the floor, I giggled.  "I'm sorry, bud, but you're never living that one down.  Your face is so red..."
"You haven't seen your face, have you...." he told me, and I felt it get hotter. 
"Hmmm."  I shook my head, grinning. 
We walked in silence for a bit, but then Eugene slung an arm around my shoulders comfortably.  "You really look nice today, hon."  He gave me that classic grin of his. 
"Oh, well...I don't really think so, I mean, I just put those flower things in my braid, but...thanks," I blundered on, and he chuckled.
After that, we just talked for a good, long time.  Reminiscing, discussing an assortment of things, and discussing the future. 
We also watched Tangled on Tangled Fan's laptop.  I cried like a baby at the end...and when I glanced over at Eugene, he was staring at me.  Not sure whether he was thinking about the movie, or wondering if I'd lost my mind.  But regardless :D  And we both sang "I See the Light" at the top of our lungs.  Yeah, you read that sentence correctly - I sang too.  Eugene knew better than to say anything about it, knowing he'd embarrass me, but he gave me a  surprised smile, which quickly turned into an adoring gaze as he started singing, too.  :]

By the time we were done watching Tangled, it was dark on the floor. 
"We'd better get back to the shelf," I told him, but he shook his head. 
"Let's go check and see if the sky's clear...if you want to stargaze for awhile?" 
I gave him a broad smile, my heart quickening with excitement.  "Is that even a QUESTION, Eugene?!  Of course!"  I thought for a minute, though, considering the fact that he hadn't been on such a long trek since his accident.  "But..your legs-"
"-Are fine.  I promise," he winked, giving me a quick, one-armed hug before leading me up to the windowsill.

When I glanced up at the sky above, the sight nearly took my breath away. And then Eugene, who was behind me, put his hands on my shoulders, resting his chin on top of my head. "I had hoped that we could do this tonight. Go back to where our life together started to begin."
My heart fluttered as I thought back to the evening we'd gotten back together, gotten engaged, and, I think, fallen in love with each other even more than we'd been before.
"Hmm," I sighed, grinning up at him. I allowed myself to be led over to the corner of the windowsill, where Eugene settled in the corner, pulling me into his lap.
We sat in silence for awhile, just looking up into the sky and enjoying one another's company. I was also reminiscing on the night we'd gotten engaged. I know it was just about over two months ago, but still. That night would always hold an extra-special place in my heart. I finally gave a content sigh, snuggling up a bit closer to Eugene and wondering if he was thinking back to that night, too. When he put his arms snugly around me, tracing my hairline with little kisses, I figured I had my answer. When he spoke up, I was positive. "We should do this more often. This makes me think about when we got engaged. I'll never forget the feeling that came over me when I saw you on the chair, waiting for me that night. Gosh, I'll never even forget what I felt when I saw you for the first time."
I laughed. "When you saw me on the chair, you probably thought, 'Oh, great. The crazy chick's back.'"
He burst out laughing, but when he was done, he shook his head, his eyes glimmering in the darkness. "More like 'Oh my gosh, here's the girl I adore, who I thought I'd never get to see again.' And when I met you for the first time...I dunno, you just seemed like everything I ever wanted was...hanging off of an alarm clock cord. And at the same time, my world as I knew it was crumbling down, because I wasn't usually brave enough to go help some strange doll, let alone talk to her."
I gave him a shy smile as he studied my face with a gentle expression. I knew I could never top THAT little speech, which had just made me melt. Except for the part reminding me about my near-accident with the alarm clock.
"Well...I'll never forget the feeling that washed over me when you took me in my arms for the first time in about two weeks. Hmm...I'll never forget how you made -and make - me feel - every moment between meeting you and the day my plastic life is up." I laughed, totally botching what I'd hoped would turn out to be a sweet, heartfelt, perfect monologue. Hah, me? Perfect? Funny.
But he didn't seem to be affected negatively. He gave me that special grin of his again, looking like he wouldn't trade me for the world. (But seriously, what's a doll gonna do with the world?...)
I pulled away from his arms, resituating myself to face him so I could lean over and kiss him. Our lips met in a slow, gentle kiss, and when it ended, I gave him another shy grin, settling back down on his lap and leaning my head up against his chest, gazing out the window once more. He draped his arms around me, giving my shoulders a quick squeeze, and then proceeded to stroke my hair.

We sat there, whispering to each other for awhile and watching the sky above us...until clouds came in and the snow started.  By then, we were tired anyway. 
Getting back to our shelf was tough, since it was really, really dark in the room by then.  Butttt we made it back around 9:30PM. 
Both the girls were asleep, and Zelia was dozing on the chair when we got back. 
I was just about to get Zelia a blanket to let her sleep down here, when she jerked awake. 
"Oh, gosh!  You guys are back.  Hey.  Uh..the girls just went to bed about an hour ago, they tuckered themselves out.  They were really good, both of them!  How was your day?" 
"It was wonderful," I told her, and she smiled. 
"Romantic?" 
Casting a sideways glance towards Eugene, I grinned, seizing the opportunity to tease.  "Very." 
His face grew horribly red - so red that I could tell it was, even though it was dark-, and Zelia laughed quietly. 
"Okay, well...can I see you guys tomorrow sometime?" 
"Sure," Eugene said, and I gave her a quick hug before she left. 
I don't know about my husband, but after that, I fell asleep as soon as I curled up on my side under the blankets, tired from the day.  Tired, but content. (:

Let The Sickness [And Awkwardness] Rage On...

This morning, I was up at five with TWO sick little girls.  I'd  gotten some sleep last night, so I was a bit more aware of my surroundings, at least xD 
At five this morning, Jordan had started up crying again, so I'd gotten up to hold her on the wicker chair for awhile.  After a little bit, Audrey came over, lugging her blanket and Pascal. 
"What's the matter, sweetie?"  I asked her quietly when she came over and stood in front of the chair, staring at me. 
"I don't feel good," she said, her voice gravelly. 
"Uh oh...well, c'mere.  You can cuddle with your sister and I," I told her, shifting Jordan to my other arm so I could scoop Audrey up, setting her down on my lap. I put Pascal on her shoulder, and then wrapped her up in the blanket  - pretty good work with just one arm!

When Eugene woke up at seven, I was sitting on the chair with Jordan, Audrey, and Pascal. 
He came over to the chair, giving the three of us - or maybe the four of us, if he was smiling at Pascal too - a grin. 
Which quickly vanished. 

"Guess who else is sick," I told him, glancing at Audrey, who was cuddled up to my side.  Jordan whimpered.  "Annd guess who else isn't better yet." 
He sighed, reaching out to offer to scoop Audrey up.  "Do you want to go for a walk with Dad?  We'll go get Tangled Fan, and she'll get you and Jordan some meds that'll make you feel better." 
She hesitated, but then nodded, and Eugene scooped her up into his arms. 
"We'll be back in a few," he told me, bending down carefully to kiss me.  I stopped him with a 'not around the kids' and he instead kissed my cheek, giving me a wink as he and Audrey left. 

When Jordan, Pascal, and I were alone on the shelf, I turned my full attention to my less-fussy, but still-sick baby. 
"So..how're we feeling today, hmm?"  I asked, shifting her around in my arms.  As soon as I said that, she started whimpering, her face crumpling up as she got ready to have a good cry.  "Okay, okay...we're still not feeling good...okay, baby girl..I'm sorry.  We'll get you feeling better soon," I told her, trying to keep her from going into full-out wail mode. 
Pascal crawled up onto my shoulder, making himself quite at home, and then I tried singing to Jordan to get her distracted and quieted down. 

In about half an hour, Tangled Fan came back with Eugene and Audrey. 
"So...two sick kiddos?" 
"Yeah," I told her, and she reached to take Jordan from my arms.
  Helping Eugene and Audrey by setting them up on our shelf before she checked Jordan over, she talked as she did her thing. 
"They've likely either gotten ear infections or some sort of bug.  I'm pretty sure that this medicine will help, and they should be better by tomorrow.  If not, let me know, and I'll give them another dose.  'Kay?" 
"Okay," Eugene and I said simultaneously, and she smiled. 
She gave both the girls a bit of medicine, saying that it would likely make them drowsy, but that it was normal; and then she left. 
"Well..if it makes them drowsy, it might be a good thing...at least for Jordan's sake.   This girl NEEDS sleep," I said, giving her-Jordan- a kiss on the forehead.
"That's for sure!"  Eugene said. 

And then, with a thump and a sound THWACK, Zelia was on the shelf. The hard way.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed, hurrying over to help her up with my free hand.
"Thanks," she panted. "I didn't mean to make such a loud entrance. Not used to leaving shelves."
I laughed. "You okay?"
"Yeah. I came to see you and the little ones?"

"Oh! Well, this isn't the best time, cause they're both sick, but if you're not gonna be scarred for life by this one crying.." I half-joked, turning my attention to Jordan.
"Eh. No problem." Zelia leaned in to look at Jordan, and came back up with a look of wonder. "She's absolutely adorable...even if she's sick!"
I gave her a surprised smile. I'd never seen her this way before. But then again, Zelia seemed to be full of surprises anymore. Seeing as she's becoming a totally different person..! And I can see the sisterly resemblance now - the falling when trying to come to our shelf pretty much did it.

"And this is Audrey," I told her, walking over to Eugene, who was still holding her.
Zelia gave her an honest-to-goodness smile. "Hi, Audrey! I suppose I'm your aunt, since I'm your mom's sister. Nice to meet you, princess."
That did it for Audrey. She gave her a shy smile, silently reaching towards her. Eugene stood and allowed my sister to take Audrey from him, although he gave me a slightly alarmed/surprised expression as soon as Zelia wasn't looking.
I sat down on the floor with Jordan, gesturing for Eugene to stop standing guard and to go sit on the chair. He did, and then I watched as Pascal jumped off of my shoulder and made his way for Zelia and Audrey.
Oh, great...
He climbed into Audrey's lap, and she promptly started showing Zelia the chameleon. Oh, if only she knew...
Zelia flashed me a horrified look, to which I just shrugged, and she just sat there, listening to Audrey bubble on and on about Pascal. I was surprised about how Audrey managed to be upbeat, even though she was sick.

Zelia stayed with us for the day, making it clear that she was happy to visit with us, because of the overly dramatic, lovey-dovey foursome (if you know who all I'm talking about...) above us....happy to visit us, even when Jordan was crying loudly.

  When it was time for her to head up to her shelf - it was actually starting to get dark-, she pulled me aside. 
"Rapunzel, you are so blessed.  Two little girls that are absolutely beautiful, and a husband that loves you more than anything else in the world.  I'm not saying I hate or envy you for having that - no, if anyone deserves it, you do.  Just..thank you for accepting me as your sister, even after all I'd done to you." 
I was tearing up by the end of her quick little speech.  I'd grown quite fond of my sister, now that her true personality was showing.  "Oh, Zelia...I..of course I'd accept you.  Why wouldn't I?!  Once a person gets past your tough exterior, you're pretty kind and sweet, but you also won't take rude or nasty...ANYTHING.  And you're more than welcome to come visit us any time.  I know Anna's been pretty..."
"Snobby lately?" 
"Yeah."  I choked, thinking about what I'd just said about her being 'pretty kind and sweet'. 
"Thanks, sis...and thanks for the offer.  I'm sure I'll be using it...and if you ever need anyone to come watch the kids or to help you out with them, I'm your gal." 
I gave her a warm hug, but then Eugene spoke up. 
"Actually...would you be able to watch the kids for the day on the 10th?  We're planning on having our Valentine's day - slash - 2 month anniversary...outing...then..." As he realized he'd blurted out the specifics (Valentine's day and the anniversary), his face grew positively beet red, and he trailed off. 
Of course, Zelia couldn't resist.  "Ooooooh....sounds romantic...!" 
His discomfort grew by the second - based off of the awkward look on his face, and his shifting from foot to foot while staring at the ground.  I slugged Zelia jokingly on the arm before I buried my face in my hands, trying to decide whether to giggle or groan from the awkwardness of this situation.
"What's ro-man-iatic?"  Audrey stammered out, and I peeked between my fingers to see her staring up at me inquisitively.
Okay. 
Groan from the awkwardness. 
Seriously.  Why...?!  We were just going to go for a walk, maybe sit on the windowsill awhile, and probably read or watch a coupla movies together - as was our custom.  Why was this so embarrassing!? 
"N-nothing, sweetie."  I scooped her up and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.  "But, Zelia....really.  You know us - nothing extravagant or anything...just walking and reading and stuff-"
"I know, I'm teasing," Zelia laughed, "but yeah - I can watch them on the tenth." 
"And...Eugene, if the girls are still sick, we're not doing anything on the tenth, okay?"
"Well, yeah..of course," he told me, still stumbling over his words horribly. Poor guy xD
"Okay, well - I guess I'll see you guys later. Bye, Audrey," Zelia said before scrambling around to get back to her shelf. 

The rest of the evening, the girls were very pleasant.  Jordan wasn't crying nearly as much, thankfully.  Hopefully, they'll be feeling better soon, and we'll be able to get some sleep - all four of us. 
When it was time to go to sleep, the girls were more than ready.  They were both tired, and a wee bit drowsy from the medicine, so going to sleep wasn't a problem, it seemed.  We made sure they were tucked in well so they wouldn't get cold or anything, and then headed to bed ourselves. 

Eugene flopped down on his back, and I sat down to spread the blanket.  Glancing over at him, I giggled quietly, wadding up the blanket and throwing at his face instead of spreading it out.
"You goof....making our plans for the tenth seem overly romantic or something," I told him, and he grumbled, rummaging around until he pulled the blanket off of his face. 
He tossed it back at me, grinning, and I caught it before spreading it out. 
"I told you I'm not good with people or words - especially when it comes to that sister of yours." 
"I know.  She intimidates you."  I flashed him a toothy grin. 
"I wouldn't say that...She doesn't necessarily-"  He chuckled, giving me a sly look.
I leaned over him.  "Ohh, yes she does."  I teased, dropping  a corner of the blanket over his face. 
Next I knew, he'd pushed the blanket away from his face, put a  hand on the back of my head, and had pulled me into a passionate kiss.
When the kiss ended, I gave him a surprised look.  "Well, ah...wh-what's that for, exactly?  I'm..I was teasing you." 
He gave me that special grin of his. "I'm just glad to see you in a better mood than you've been." 
"Hmm."  I said, and he eased his hand off of the back of my head, reaching instead to tickle me.  "You--ughh!"  I exclaimed, squirming away and laughing quietly, giving him a shove. 
He chuckled.  "Oh...c'mere." 
"No!  You'll do something to me," I exclaimed, trying [and failing] to give him a reproachful glare.  What I got in return was just a loving/teasing gaze.  Right before he snagged my arm, pulling me close. 
I furiously attempted to hide my grin.  "You're terrible." 
"I know, but you wouldn't have me any other way, would you?   Love you." 
"You're right...I love you, too.  I can't wait for the tenth," I whispered, burrowing under the blanket.  "And I hope the girls are better - like, hopefully tomorrow?!" 
He laughed through his  nose.  "Same here.  Hopefully, they'll sleep the night." 
This husband of mine couldn't have said it any better. 

Moving AGAIN...Yay...

Sooo, today Tangled Fan got the brilliant idea to move us around.
Jordan is still crying almost constantly, and I'm running on two hours of sleep, but she just HAD to come and move us...the whole way across the room.

We're now on a small bookshelf.  We have the same amount of space that we used to, but it's so much darker - probably the color of the wood - and I'm really worried that Audrey will get carried away playing or something and run right off the edge of the shelf.  Maybe I'm just over-worrying. 
And this move has just gotten Jordan worked up even MORE....yay.
Tangled Fan says that this may or may not be temporary.  Oh my gosh, I seriously hope that this is temporary.  Like...how about we go back to our old shelf in an hour?!

I guess that everyone else was moved, too, because EVERYONE else was on the top of the shelf, directly above us, and making plenty of noise. 
Double yay. 

Soo today was spent getting situated (thank goodness, we still have our blankets, the wicker chair, and the girls' beds), trying to keep Jordan's screaming and crying to a minumum (hah!), and trying to keep a fidgety Audrey busy.

Eugene had only gotten about four hours of sleep, so we were BOTH running on empty.  So, naturally, we were both a little frazzled.  I don't know how he did it, but my hubby managed to keep his head, while I was just about to lose it.  I could hear a loud (not in an argumentative way, it didn't seem) conversation going on above us, and I just hoped that they quieted down soon so that Audrey could at least try to go to sleep! :\
Around eight, Anna actually came down.  Jordan was in full-out wail mode.  I was on the wicker chair, trying to get her to go to sleep, quiet down, anything..while Eugene played with Audrey and Pascal. 
"Whoa.  That's who's making all that noise!  What's wrong with her?"  She asked, nodding her head towards Jordan. 
"Yes.  I'm not sure; I think it's just too much for her, moving to our old shelf and then to this, and...I don't know.  But this is miss Jordan," I told Anna.  Even though I was so tired, and distressed because I wasn't able to help Jordan, I felt my heart squeeze as I plopped a kiss on the top of my crying baby's head before holding her away from my shoulder so Anna could see her.  "Do you want to hold her?" 
She held her hands up, backing away.  "Nooo thank you.  She's...quite loud." 
"Well, I'm sure all babies get that way at one time or another.  The older girl we adopted, Audrey, is over there with Eugene," I told her, gesturing towards Audrey. 
"She's cute," Anna glanced towards Audrey, and then looked back at Jordan.  "I hope she'll go to sleep soon.  You all look tired."
"I hope so, too, but she hasn't slept through the night well for the past couple of nights, so I'm not holding my breath." 

She got a horrified-slash-disgusted look on her face. 
Ohhh boy.  Here it comes. 
"Wow.  You know you can hear her clear up to our shelf?" 
"Yeah.  But what am I going to do?"  I asked.  "Trust me, it's not like we're not trying to get her calmed down!" 
"I just...yeah...she's loud," Anna said as Jordan loosed a  particularly loud cry.  I shifted her so she could look over my shoulder and she quieted to just whimpers. 
Even though she'd quieted, Anna was grating those maroon bootheels across the last shred of nerves I had left. 
"Well, you guys were being really, really loud earlier, too, so I suppose Jordan shouldn't be a problem down here."  I said, trying to keep the edge out of my voice. 
"Hey, now-" Anna started to bristle and move to get in my face, but then, Eugene, after asking Audrey to take Pascal and play on the wicker chair for a few minutes, jumped up and snagged Anna's arm, whispering something in her ear. 
She gave him a dirty look before pulling away from him and promptly leaving the shelf.  
I gave him a wide-eyed look, moving over to him as I rubbed Jordan's back.  "What'd you tell her?!" 
"That you were tired, upset, irritated, and right; so she needn't fly off on you about the baby," he said, and I gave him a small smile, silently thanking him for doing so. 
He nodded, pulling me close to his side. 
"I don't know why she has to be...this way...anymore..." I groaned, and he leaned to kiss my forehead. 
"She's probably the type that can only have one friend at a time, and right now, that's Hans.  She'll get over it sooner or later, probably after they're married - if they get married - and she'll go back to being your friend."  He told me. 

I sighed, thinking this over.  "You're prbably right..." I  glanced back down to Jordan, who was back to crying.   Another thought formed in my head.  "Do you think...maybe she's sick?  Jordan, rather.   All this stress, y'know, and she's just a little one..."
He gave me a calculating glance, and then looked at Jordan.
"It's possible..." he said.  "Since she's not sneezing much, she might have an ear infection or a tummy bug or something." 
"That's what I was thinking."  I said, instantly feeling even worse for Jordan.  "Poor little thing!" 
He nodded, reaching to take her from me.   I let him ease her away, turning to see what Audrey was up to. 
She was fast asleep. 
Tuckered out, I suppose...I carried her to her bed, covering her up.  I gave her a quick peck in the hair, and grinned as I noticed Pascal making his way over to the bed. 
"Hmm, quite taken with Audrey, are we...?"  I asked him quietly, scooping him up and giving him a cuddle against my cheek before I tucked him under the blankets beside Audrey. 
When I turned around, I saw Eugene giving Jordan a gentle kiss on the forehead, cuddling her in his arms.  Her sobbing quieted just a little bit, and I grinned.  He just had that magic touch.  Wish I was able to get her to quiet down when I held her! 

I came over, looking down at Jordan.  "Man...now that we're pretty sure she's sick, I just feel really, really bad...I don't know why, but I do." 
"Motherly instinct," he winked, and my face grew red.  He bent to kiss my cheek."Now...so you can get some sleep, I'm gonna  take miss Jordan out for a walk or something, okay?"
"Nope.  This is a different spot, and it's dark, and I don't want you getting lost or hurt or something.  Either of you." 
He started to say he'd be fine with her, but I shook my head adamantly.  No way was he leaving the shelf, especially not with Jordan! 
Finally, he sighed. "Okay, fine.  She's quieting down a little bit, anyway." 
"Mhmm," I said, and we just stood quietly for a few minutes, listening as Jordan's crying lowered to just the occassional whimper for the first time in several hours.  She also seemed to have a bit of trouble holding those little eyes of hers open...
"I bet she'll go to sleep for awhile if one of us holds her for a bit," my husband whispered, so I nodded quietly, reaching to carefully scoop her from his arms, taking her over to the chair. 
He headed off to bed, and I stayed up for about half an hour, until I was sure she was going to stay asleep for awhile.  That whole half an hour, I sung random songs in an extremely hushed, quiet tone - so nobody was disturbed or woken up by me, or heard my horrid singing.  'I See the Light' and 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman?' from Tangled and Frozen (respectively) seemed to do the best with soothing her. 
After I was positive she was going to stay asleep, I carefully laid her in her bed and made sure she was wrapped up well, before I went to bed myself.  I was at the point where I was so tired I didn't even notice it anymore...if you've ever been that tired before to know what I mean?

To my surprise, Eugene was still awake.  He promptly wrapped me in his arms when I crawled under the blankets.  "She asleep?" 
"So far," I whispered. 
"Good.  Hopefully she'll be better soon.  I don't know how long ailments should last in kids," he said quietly. 
I propped myself up on my elbows.  "I dunno either, but if she's not better tomorrow, I'm going to talk to Tangled Fan." 
"Well...I wouldn't get too worried quite yet-" he broke off, meeting my eyes.  "-but I suppose it wouldn't hurt.  It'd put both our minds at ease." 
I smiled.  "I'm probably just over-worrying.  What's new with that?" 
He laughed through his nose, but I noticed that he didn't contradict me xD
I gave him a quick kiss, which he returned - and then gave the tip of my nose a peck, as well as my forehead. 
I buried my face in his shoulder for a few seconds, drinking in the scent of his plastic.  And then a wave of concern came over me, wondering if the girls would sleep okay tonight, because of us changing shelves.  I pulled away from him abruptly, sitting up so I could look at the girls, who were sleeping by the wicker chair. 
"What?"  Eugene asked, sitting up himself and giving me a concerned look. 
"N-nothing...Just being paranoid."  I whispered, and he put a hand on my shoulder. 
"About what?" 
"I don't know...just me being me."  I wasn't exactly sure how to explain myself, so my default answer came in handy.
"Because of the new shelf?"
"Yeah...probably," I whispered, laying back down.  He did, too, and then pulled me close again.  "I miss our shelf." 
"Me, too.  Hopefully this is only temporary, though, so don't worry that pretty mind of yours."  He planted a couple of kisses in my hair.  "And don't worry too  much about Jordan, either, okay?  We'll get her feeling better soon.  Annnd...I'm sure Anna will come around." 
My heart squeezed, realizing he was covering every single thing I was worried about.  Turning to my belly, I met his eyes and gave in to the smile teasing the corners of my mouth.  "You know, hon...if you can make this girl smile when she's stressed and running on two hours of sleep...you're pretty awesome. I love you." 
He gave me that grin of his, brushing a strand of hair away from my eyes.  "Anything to make you smile, sweetie.  Love you, too.  Now....try to get some sleep before miss Jordan gets up again - sound good?" 
"The idea of sleep sounds amazing," I laughed through my nose, burrowing under the blankets. 
We'll see how tomorrow goes...

How We Spent Our 2 Month Anni...

This morning, I woke up late.  Jordan had been up almost all night, so I'd been up and down...and up and down...and up and down with her, almost all night.  Eugene had gotten up with her some too, of course.
But when I woke up this morning, everyone else was up, and Eugene was carrying a screaming Jordan whilst frantically trying to get Audrey to not pull Pascal's tail.  Or try to mess with his...tongue...
Did I even want to get up? 
Sighing, I tried to sit up, but I quickly realized that I was tangled up in my own hair. 
Oh boy. 
Revision:  No.  I definitely don't want to get up. 
I started working on disentangling myself, and then I stood up, blinking tiredly. 
Eugene, who must've finally persuaded Audrey to behave (for now), noticed me and came over. 
I half expected him to shove Jordan into my arms, based off of the harried expression on his face, but he immediately gave me a small smile, shifting a still wailing Jordan to his other arm so he could slip the other around my waist. 
"Morning,"  he said, sneaking a quick kiss onto my forehead. 
"Morning.  Want me to take her?"  I asked. 
"If you want to...but, ah...." he trailed off, glancing towards Audrey. "No, no, no, honey.  Pascal doesn't want to" - he broke off and cringed - "to be carried by his tail!  Set him down, please-" Breaking off once more, he gave me an overwhelmed and alarmed expression, so I slipped away from him to save Pascal. 
"Audrey, sweetie, don't carry Pascal by his tail, okay?  Hold him like this."  I demonstrated  how to hold Pascal, and she nodded, reaching to try for herself.  "There we go.  You don't want Pascal to get hurt, right?" 
"No.  I'm sorry, Pascal," she said, giving him a very serious expression. 
"Atta girl," I told her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and watching her tear off to do something else before I went to stand and go help Eugene with Jordan. 
He was walking up right behind me just as I turned to go to him. 
"Oh!"  I jumped back, surprised.  I stomped on my own hair and almost tripped myself, so Eugene grabbed me with his free hand, laughing.  When I had my balance back, I thanked him before turning my attention to our youngest - and somehow loudest - little family member.  "Oh my...does my little girl want to come on over here?"  I asked her, tickling her belly in an attempt to get  her to stop crying. 
"I have a feeling that she's crying because she didn't get much sleep last night," Eugene told me, and I nodded. 
"Probably...I can't blame her!"  I laughed.  "Lemme see if I can quiet her down long enough to go to sleep, 'kay?"
"Okay," he told me - without hesitation, I noticed.. xD -, so I reached to scoop her out of his arms.

I never considered how distressing it truly is to hear a baby cry and you can't do anything about it. 
By the afternoon, I'd convinced myself that I was a horrible mother, there was no quieting Jordan, and I was obviously doing something wrong.  Jordan just kept fighting sleep and crying.  I tried to keep laying her down in her bed, trying to get her to sleep, but she wouldn't have that, either.  And by the afternoon, she was too worked up to even think about sleeping!  I took her for a walk when Audrey went to take a nap, just so we wouldn't have TWO grumpy girls. 

Our two-month anniversary went by...loudly.  Eugene and I had decided earlier that, since the girls had just come here, we wouldn't do anything for our two month anniversary until the tenth of February - instead of doing something for Valentine's Day AND our anniversary on seperate days, we were combining it into a day-long outing.  Not sure how we were going to wing it, seeing as Zelia hasn't made it over to see the girls as of yet.  I'm not sure she WANTS to come see them quite yet!  She'd be scarred for life. 
When we *FINALLY* got Jordan to go to sleep for the first time all day long...around 1 in the morning...I was about to drop dead out of exhaustion.  Audrey had somehow managed to fall asleep at nine o' clock and stay asleep through Jordan's frequent whimpering; I wish I knew HOW!  When I finally put her in bed and had covered her up, flicking the lamp off, I went to go to (or stumble to; I was blinded by the fact that the lamp wasn't on anymore) bed, but thudded into something. 
"Wh-whoa," I muttered, moving to go around whatever it was, blinking in an attempt to get some of my vision back.  I guess it must've been Eugene that I bumped into, because I felt a hand touch my side. 

"It's just me," he whispered, and I nodded, able to see just a wee bit better.  And then I felt him pick me up. 
"Wait, wait..wait a sec," I tried to keep from gasping in surprise.  "I can walk to bed!" 
He just wordlessly gave me a kiss on the forehead before taking me over and setting me down in bed before crawling up into bed himself.
Flopping onto his back, he gently pulled on my arm, so I put my head on his chest, sprawling an arm out across him.  "You looked tired." 
I stifled a laugh.  "Honey, I was literally three or four steps away from the bed.  But thank you." 
He draped an arm around me.  "Sorry we didn't do anything today...I didn't forget-"
"Oh goodness, Eugene.  You don't have to apologize!  It's fine, and if we do something on the tenth, that'll be just fine."  I whispered, moving so I could give him a quick kiss. 

I had no more than let my head rest on his shoulder again with a sigh, pulling the blankets up snug to my chin and getting nice, warm, and cozy...than Jordan started crying again.

It's gonna be a long night.