So, today was the day!
I finally saw Elsa and Anna again.
After the big fiasco over Pascal, Eugene and I finally took a day for ourselves, while Zelia gladly watched the girls for us. Actually, the whole thing was her idea in the first place...but I felt bad having her babysit the girls. When I protested, that's when she basically shooed us off of our own table and forced us to go have a day to ourselves. Sooo we had the whole day to ourselves, and we weren't really sure what to do with it!
We were meandering around, chatting about everything and everything, when I thought I heard Elsa and Anna talking.
"...and I'm so glad Casey's--" Eugene was in midsentence when I heard them.
"Shh," I put a finger to my lips, and he gave me a queer look before he tried to continue. "No, seriously, shush...please."
He did, giving me a look as if he was wondering if I'd finally lost my cookies.
I saw Elsa and Anna walking towards us, but they didn't even seem to know we were there.
At first, I was going to drag Eugene off so we wouldn't be seen, but then I remembered. I had a little bit of ammo that I'd been waiting to use for almost one month.
I gestured towards them, and a mischievous smile lit my husband's face as he realized what I was up to.
So we just continued walking. As soon as Anna saw us, I saw -- and heard -- her try to persuade Elsa to go the other way, but Elsa gave us both a broad smile and dragged her sister along as she came over.
"Hey, Rapunzel! How're you guys? Eugene," Elsa acknowledged him as well, and he nodded shyly.
"Hi, girls! We're doing well. How's married life for you two -- and where are the guys?"
"It's been great -- Kristoff's such a gentleman," Elsa's sweet smile told me that she was still on cloud 9. I guess I shouldn't chuckle at that, since it's been almost four months since Eugene and I got married, and we still haven't fallen from cloud 9!
"Anna? What about you and Hans?" Eugene asked hesitantly, since she refused to look at me. That in itself quite frankly hurt a lot, but that's how she was anymore.
"It's been great," she slipped a glance right beside me at my husband, and then went right back to looking at her boots.
"That's good. So was your wedding all you'd hoped for? I thought it was wonderful."
They both stared at me for a moment, but then Elsa's eyes lit up and she started to giggle. She knew. Wait. How did she know?!
"I thought I saw you, but I wasn't sure!" Elsa flat-out started laughing when she saw her sister's horribly confused face. Confused and enraged.
"Is your husband behind this?! How did you see the wedding? You weren't in attendance, were you?" She continued to ramble, making idle threats. The way she said 'your husband' made me bristle, but I tried to answer sweetly.
"Some things are better left unknown, but no, Eugene was not entirely behind anything," I said.
"Do YOU have something to do with it?" Anna whirled towards her sister, and she held her hands up.
"Noo, no I don't. Rapunzel was smart enough on her own, I'm sure."
Wellll...Eugene had told me when and where, but I didn't want to get him into this.
"Hey, at least I didn't think or say your wedding was stupid or horrible or something..." I interjected. "I don't see why it's such a big deal that I saw it. I'm happy for all of you."
"Hmm." Anna looked like she didn't believe me. I wanted to ask her why she still had such a strong aversion to me, but I didn't say anything. "You'll regret doing that. I promise you will."
Like I could be scared by that. I'd gotten far worse threats from Punzie -- and my own SISTER! When she wasn't...you know..when I didn't know she was my sister.
We stood in awkward silence for a few minutes, but then Elsa spoke up. "Well. I guess I'll have to come visit you guys, and meet your kids. I heard you're on the table?"
"Yup! Come anytime, we'd love to have you. All of you!" I added, and Anna rolled her eyes around.
"Well, we'll see you later then. Nice seeing you!" Elsa called over her shoulder as Anna hauled her off.
"Same!" I called, and when they were out of sight, I turned to my husband. "Well, then."
"Did that...go well, or did it go poorly?" Eugene asked, scratching his forehead.
"I'm not really sure," I laughed. "Nobody got punched, so I guess it went well!"
He chuckled, giving me a mischievous grin. "She really didn't know what to think, did she..."
"Nope," I said. "I just really wish she'd stop being so...I don't know. Defensive? Disgusted with my presence? But regardless. At least Elsa's still friendly! She still seems quite smitten with her husband."
"Well..I'm still quite smitten with you," Eugene gave me that silly grin of his, and I couldn't help but laugh as my heart squeezed. I told him to quit, and he chuckled, but obeyed, instead going back to talking about the Frozen bunch.
Hmm.
Well...I'll be excited to see if Elsa actually does come to visit, but at the same time, I'd just really like to befriend Anna all over again. Or maybe not -- I wouldn't want to go through all this again! Bleagh. At least it's a good thing that nobody got injured when I told her I'd seen her entire wedding...right? xD
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Pascal Part 3
The next morning, Eugene was up before I was. I woke up flat on my face, and he was stroking my hair when I peeled my eyes open, and he said good morning as soon as I moved to look at him.
"Morning. How're your joints?"
He chuckled at my straightforward, prompt question. "My joints are just fine this morning, thank you,"
I gave him a dubious look from under the mass of hair that had fallen over my eyes. "Hmm..you sure?"
He gave me a grin. "I'm sure. Look," he said before turning onto his side -- something he would only be able to do if his joints weren't aching.
I turned on my side to face him, giving him a broad smile, excited. At least, I tried to turn on my side. I hadn't realized that I was right on the edge of the bed, so when I turned on my side, I almost fell off the bed. He saw, though, and grabbed my shoulders, hauling me away from the edge.
"Thanks. And I'm so glad your joints aren't sore this morning!" I scooted over so I could give him a quick hug, but then he put his arms around me and kept me close.
"So...when're we going to start today's search?" he asked, planting a couple of kisses in my hair.
"I'm heading out in a bit, I think, but you're staying here with the kids," I reminded him.
"I don't really feel comfortable with you going yourself, though..." he trailed off.
"Yeah, but you did more than enough yesterday -- I'll be fine today. Okay?"
"Hmmh." he made a noise of non-commitment.
I pulled away from him and then got out of bed, suddenly eager to start the day. When he sat up, I held a hand out to him and helped him out of bed before I went to go brush my hair.
After that, I went to let him know I was going to head out. Zelia was already up, so before I told him I was going to leave, I made a pitstop to tell her to keep an eye out and make sure my hubby didn't leave.
"I'll make sure he doesn't...but I'm fairly certain I won't have to try too hard to keep him here. I'll just have to threaten him once and he'll probably cower in the corner. Unless he decides to go rogue."
I giggled. "Thanks, sis,"
"Yup. I'll see you!"
I'd no more than turned around from talking with her than Eugene had snagged my arm, leading me back behind the cutout.
"Stay safe hon, okay?" he pulled me into a quick hug.
"Yup. I'll be back in awhile. Love ya," I gave him a grin, and then he bent to kiss me before allowing me to hurry off the table.
I searched for several hours with no results before an idea donned on me. What if he was still on the shelf? I only had a few more hours of daylight, so I knew I'd have to do this quickly. Hurrying up to the shelf, I found out I didn't need to hurry after all!
I was met by a certain chameleon that was very pleased to see me.
"Pascal...oh my goodness! Tangled Fan must've forgotten you when she moved us!" I scooped him up and cuddled him affectionately up against my cheek, my heart racing with excitement. I tripped and tumbled down the face of the shelving unit, and fairly ran across the room before working my way up to the table.
When I stumbled up onto the table excitedly, Zelia immediately greeted me with a sharp "SHH!".
Eugene gave me a hopeful stare from across the table.
"The girls asleep?" I whispered, and he nodded. "Okay. We-e-ell, look who I found on our old shelf!" I squeaked quietly, holding Pascal up.
He gave me a huge grin, and was at my side in an instant. "Oh wow....I didn't even think to check the old shelf! Wait till the girls see..."
I nodded, and he reached to hug me, but I slipped past him to carefully set Pascal down between the girls, who were still napping. Then, I let him pull me into a hug.
"What, did you miss me?" I laughed.
"Yep. I missed my girl yesterday, and today...plus I'm glad you found Pascal." At least he whispered, what with my sister being present.
Zelia made muffled gag-ish, tired-of-the-mushy-stuff noises, and I pulled away from Eugene to give her a teasing glance.
"Take it you're not a fan, hm?"
"Nah," she averted her gaze down to her lap, but I caught her furiously attempting to conceal a grin and watching us from the corners of her eyes a moment later.
So I plopped a big kiss on my husband, which surprised him. When he pulled away, I tossed a glance towards Zelia, trying to get the message across that I was teasing her. He suppressed a grin and nodded. But then Audrey rolled over, grazing Pascal with her arm.
We all turned to watch.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and it took a moment for her to realize Pascal was lying on the bed between her and Casey. Then, she was out from under the blanket instantly.
"Casey, Casey, Casey!! Wake up! Pascal's back!" she squealed, shaking her sister's shoulder excitedly.
Casey squirmed away from Audrey's excited shoves, peeling an eye open. When Audrey dropped Pascal on her chest, she shot upright, giving him a hug. Between her and Audrey, they showered him with affection and he fully enjoyed it.
Eventually, Casey glanced up at me and then bolted out of bed, throwing herself at me and grabbing onto my legs.
Laughing, I scooped her up and cuddled her, plopping a kiss in her hair. She gazed up at me excitedly before whispering something in my ear. I tried my hardest not to grin, but I whispered a reply and then she squirmed to get down. I let her go, and she raced back to play with Pascal.
Eugene, Zelia, and I then spent the rest of the evening watching the girls play with Pascal, who seemed quite enthused to be back. Even Jordan got all excited with the return of her chameleon buddy.
We let the girls stay up until eleven, which was about three hours later than usual, since they were all so wound up that they'd never, ever get to sleep if we'd made them go earlier. By then, I was purely exhausted. I sat down on the wicker chair with Jordan to get her to go to sleep while Eugene got the other two girls settled down into bed.
But by the time Jordan was asleep, I guess I'd already fallen asleep. The next thing I remember was Jordan being lifted out of my arms. I looked around groggily and saw Eugene making his way back over to the chair.
"Hey, sleepyhead," he chuckled, brushing the hair out of my eyes.
"Oh goodness...I fell asleep with Jordan, didn't I?" I almost bolted out of my chair, but he put a hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, but you had her in your arms really securely. Not sure how, but you did. It took a bit of work to get her out of your arms, but she was content in them nonetheless," he said, and I relaxed.
"Ohh. Good." I stood up, stretched, and wandered back to change into my nightie and brush my hair. Once I was done, Eugene came back. I flopped facefirst onto the bed with a groan.
"Oh, bed...I love you, bed..." I mumbled into the blanket, and I heard Eugene laugh.
When I pulled my head up to look at him, he had a teasing look on his face. "So..when I proposed to you, I knew I was second best to Pascal. But now I'm third best...to the BED?"
I giggled, sitting up and dangling my legs over the edge of the bed. Patting the spot beside me, I looked up at him. "Nah...pretty sure you're on the top of the list, don't worry."
He sat down and put an arm around my shoulders, his cheeks getting a bit red. "Hmm. Well, do you feel better now that Pascal's home?"
"Definitely!" I grinned, and he flashed me that special little grin of his, staring at me adoringly. After a couple of seconds, I squirmed awkwardly. "What?"
"I'm just glad to see you're happy again," he winked, and I rolled my eyes jokingly.
"Whatever, you goof. I'm going to sleep," I said before I gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"So I come in fourth to sleep?" he asked, and I could hear he was trying to keep from laughing.
"Oh, quit," I laughed, flopping onto my back and pulling the blanket up to my chin.
"Morning. How're your joints?"
He chuckled at my straightforward, prompt question. "My joints are just fine this morning, thank you,"
I gave him a dubious look from under the mass of hair that had fallen over my eyes. "Hmm..you sure?"
He gave me a grin. "I'm sure. Look," he said before turning onto his side -- something he would only be able to do if his joints weren't aching.
I turned on my side to face him, giving him a broad smile, excited. At least, I tried to turn on my side. I hadn't realized that I was right on the edge of the bed, so when I turned on my side, I almost fell off the bed. He saw, though, and grabbed my shoulders, hauling me away from the edge.
"Thanks. And I'm so glad your joints aren't sore this morning!" I scooted over so I could give him a quick hug, but then he put his arms around me and kept me close.
"So...when're we going to start today's search?" he asked, planting a couple of kisses in my hair.
"I'm heading out in a bit, I think, but you're staying here with the kids," I reminded him.
"I don't really feel comfortable with you going yourself, though..." he trailed off.
"Yeah, but you did more than enough yesterday -- I'll be fine today. Okay?"
"Hmmh." he made a noise of non-commitment.
I pulled away from him and then got out of bed, suddenly eager to start the day. When he sat up, I held a hand out to him and helped him out of bed before I went to go brush my hair.
After that, I went to let him know I was going to head out. Zelia was already up, so before I told him I was going to leave, I made a pitstop to tell her to keep an eye out and make sure my hubby didn't leave.
"I'll make sure he doesn't...but I'm fairly certain I won't have to try too hard to keep him here. I'll just have to threaten him once and he'll probably cower in the corner. Unless he decides to go rogue."
I giggled. "Thanks, sis,"
"Yup. I'll see you!"
I'd no more than turned around from talking with her than Eugene had snagged my arm, leading me back behind the cutout.
"Stay safe hon, okay?" he pulled me into a quick hug.
"Yup. I'll be back in awhile. Love ya," I gave him a grin, and then he bent to kiss me before allowing me to hurry off the table.
I searched for several hours with no results before an idea donned on me. What if he was still on the shelf? I only had a few more hours of daylight, so I knew I'd have to do this quickly. Hurrying up to the shelf, I found out I didn't need to hurry after all!
I was met by a certain chameleon that was very pleased to see me.
"Pascal...oh my goodness! Tangled Fan must've forgotten you when she moved us!" I scooped him up and cuddled him affectionately up against my cheek, my heart racing with excitement. I tripped and tumbled down the face of the shelving unit, and fairly ran across the room before working my way up to the table.
When I stumbled up onto the table excitedly, Zelia immediately greeted me with a sharp "SHH!".
Eugene gave me a hopeful stare from across the table.
"The girls asleep?" I whispered, and he nodded. "Okay. We-e-ell, look who I found on our old shelf!" I squeaked quietly, holding Pascal up.
He gave me a huge grin, and was at my side in an instant. "Oh wow....I didn't even think to check the old shelf! Wait till the girls see..."
I nodded, and he reached to hug me, but I slipped past him to carefully set Pascal down between the girls, who were still napping. Then, I let him pull me into a hug.
"What, did you miss me?" I laughed.
"Yep. I missed my girl yesterday, and today...plus I'm glad you found Pascal." At least he whispered, what with my sister being present.
Zelia made muffled gag-ish, tired-of-the-mushy-stuff noises, and I pulled away from Eugene to give her a teasing glance.
"Take it you're not a fan, hm?"
"Nah," she averted her gaze down to her lap, but I caught her furiously attempting to conceal a grin and watching us from the corners of her eyes a moment later.
So I plopped a big kiss on my husband, which surprised him. When he pulled away, I tossed a glance towards Zelia, trying to get the message across that I was teasing her. He suppressed a grin and nodded. But then Audrey rolled over, grazing Pascal with her arm.
We all turned to watch.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and it took a moment for her to realize Pascal was lying on the bed between her and Casey. Then, she was out from under the blanket instantly.
"Casey, Casey, Casey!! Wake up! Pascal's back!" she squealed, shaking her sister's shoulder excitedly.
Casey squirmed away from Audrey's excited shoves, peeling an eye open. When Audrey dropped Pascal on her chest, she shot upright, giving him a hug. Between her and Audrey, they showered him with affection and he fully enjoyed it.
Eventually, Casey glanced up at me and then bolted out of bed, throwing herself at me and grabbing onto my legs.
Laughing, I scooped her up and cuddled her, plopping a kiss in her hair. She gazed up at me excitedly before whispering something in my ear. I tried my hardest not to grin, but I whispered a reply and then she squirmed to get down. I let her go, and she raced back to play with Pascal.
Eugene, Zelia, and I then spent the rest of the evening watching the girls play with Pascal, who seemed quite enthused to be back. Even Jordan got all excited with the return of her chameleon buddy.
We let the girls stay up until eleven, which was about three hours later than usual, since they were all so wound up that they'd never, ever get to sleep if we'd made them go earlier. By then, I was purely exhausted. I sat down on the wicker chair with Jordan to get her to go to sleep while Eugene got the other two girls settled down into bed.
But by the time Jordan was asleep, I guess I'd already fallen asleep. The next thing I remember was Jordan being lifted out of my arms. I looked around groggily and saw Eugene making his way back over to the chair.
"Hey, sleepyhead," he chuckled, brushing the hair out of my eyes.
"Oh goodness...I fell asleep with Jordan, didn't I?" I almost bolted out of my chair, but he put a hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, but you had her in your arms really securely. Not sure how, but you did. It took a bit of work to get her out of your arms, but she was content in them nonetheless," he said, and I relaxed.
"Ohh. Good." I stood up, stretched, and wandered back to change into my nightie and brush my hair. Once I was done, Eugene came back. I flopped facefirst onto the bed with a groan.
"Oh, bed...I love you, bed..." I mumbled into the blanket, and I heard Eugene laugh.
When I pulled my head up to look at him, he had a teasing look on his face. "So..when I proposed to you, I knew I was second best to Pascal. But now I'm third best...to the BED?"
I giggled, sitting up and dangling my legs over the edge of the bed. Patting the spot beside me, I looked up at him. "Nah...pretty sure you're on the top of the list, don't worry."
He sat down and put an arm around my shoulders, his cheeks getting a bit red. "Hmm. Well, do you feel better now that Pascal's home?"
"Definitely!" I grinned, and he flashed me that special little grin of his, staring at me adoringly. After a couple of seconds, I squirmed awkwardly. "What?"
"I'm just glad to see you're happy again," he winked, and I rolled my eyes jokingly.
"Whatever, you goof. I'm going to sleep," I said before I gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"So I come in fourth to sleep?" he asked, and I could hear he was trying to keep from laughing.
"Oh, quit," I laughed, flopping onto my back and pulling the blanket up to my chin.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Pascal, Part 2
So I was up at three this morning. Jordan was a bit fussy, and between that and worrying about Pascal, Casey and I didn't sleep a wink all night. She came out with me and stayed up until five, before she finally crashed and I put her back in her own bed. Audrey slept like a rock, as did my husband. But at seven in the morning, Eugene came barreling out from behind the cutout, a panicked look on his face.
"What?" I asked quietly. He gave me a wide-eyed stare before coming to stand beside the wicker chair -- where I was sitting at.
"I just...kinda panicked a bit. You weren't in bed and I couldn't hear you out here, and I was worried that you were already out searching or something, by yourself."
"Nah," I said. "Sorry!"
"It's fine," he said absently, peering down into my face, "but how long have you been up? You look really, really tired."
"Mmmm...since three or so," I shrugged, clearing my throat. "Jordan was up a bit and then Casey was up, and I couldn't go to sleep anyway."
He sighed. "I'm sorry, hon. I was going to head out right now, but instead, I'm going to make sure you go to bed, go to sleep, and I'll wait until Zelia's up before I leave."
"No, no, no. I'm fine, I'm....awake, it's all good," I said. The mid-sentence yawn did not help my case.
"Okay, sure, sweetie..." he said, and I gave him a surprised look, amazed that he was actually willing to let it go. Hah...yeah right! Next, he scooped down and picked me right up out of the chair, and had set me down in bed before I could even protest. "I think my idea's better though - no offense. Now...you go to sleep, okay? Don't worry. I'll be back, and I'll bring Pascal with me."
"Hmm," I made a non-commitant noise, and he gave me a look.
"Pinky promise."
That's not what I was expecting to come out of that look he gave me.
What adult doll does pinky promises?
Apparently, we do now. I guess it was sleep deprivation taking over my brain, but I held my little finger out and linked it with his, rolling my eyes. He flashed me that special grin of his, bent and pushed back my hair so he could kiss my forehead, pulled the blanket up under my chin, and then he left.
I think I just rolled over, and then I was out cold.
When I woke back up at three in the afternoon, I swung my legs out of bed and stumbled out from behind the cutout, rubbing the sleepiness from my eyes. I almost was expecting Eugene to be back already -- not sure why, but I was. Can I blame that on sleep deprivation, too? Zelia was just getting the girls to lay down for their afternoon nap, so I wordlessly scooped Jordan up, wrapping her in her blanket.
"I see you woke up," Zelia said, and I nodded. "Your husband told me to find some duct tape and tape you to bed if you didn't go to sleep by the time he left, but when he checked on you before he left, he said you were out cold."
I stifled a laugh. "Did he say when he was coming back?"
"Nope. He seemed pretty dead-set on finding...you know who...today." She didn't make mention of the name, since Casey and Audrey were just starting to drift off to sleep.
"Hmm. Maybe once this little one goes to sleep, I'll go look for him and make sure he doesn't go all obsessive."
"I'd just let him go-- you won't be able to find him, I'm sure. Unless he's making a big huge wracket - in that case, you could find him pretty easily. But everything seems quiet, so I wouldn't try to look," Zelia discouraged me.
I grunted, and then remained silent until Jordan had drifted off to sleep. After I set her down in bed, Zelia spoke up again.
"How're you holding up, sis?"
"Ehh...I'll survive," I said. "I'm more worried for Casey and Audrey, just in case Pascal's not okay."
"Yeah. Everything'll work out, I'm sure," my sister said, before pulling me into an extremely awkward, one-armed hug.
Eugene wasn't back at seven, and he wasn't back by ten, which was when the girls finally collapsed from exhaustion, after spending every waking hour asking about Pascal, and when Daddy was coming home. Neither of which I could answer, which sufficiently upset me. I wished I could answer all their questions, but I couldn't. Audrey seemed no worse for wear, but she obsessively asked about Pascal and her dad. Of course, Casey was an upset wreck.
When the girls went to bed and Jordan was finally drifting off to sleep, I pulled Zelia aside.
"Should I go look for Eugene? He might've fallen off of something, and-"
"He's fine, I'm sure. Chill out, go to sleep...he'll be back soon, I'm sure."
"What if he isn't, though?" I'd been worried all day long, and I choked up when I added, "I couldn't live with myself if he's laying hurt somewhere...or...or worse!"
"He is fine, Rapunzel. You're worrying too much. I promise he's fine," she told me. I knew she was getting tired of me worrying about him. "Now..I'm going to bed. Don't do anything stupid, 'kay?"
I was more than slightly offended, but I huffed and went to go brush my hair out.
After that, I just laid in bed and worried, listening intently for any sound indicating he was hurt nearby, or that he was coming home.
When Eugene finally came back around 1 in the morning, I was still up. I was out of bed and had tackled him into a relieved hug within seconds. He was surprised, and I think I almost knocked him down, but he hugged me back.
"Ohh my gosh, I was so worried. Why didn't you come back until now?" I reached to cup his cheeks in my hands, but jerked them back when I realized they were wet. "Why're your cheeks wet? Were you...were you crying?! Why? What happened? Eugene?"
"If you pause your chatter for a moment, sweetheart, I'll answer you," he said quietly, and I shut up. "Yes. I was crying. It's stupid, but I was just so upset that I couldn't find him, and I didn't want to face the girls in the morning and say I didn't find him. And...I didn't want to come home to go to sleep, even though I could barely walk, because I thought it selfish of myself to come home and sleep while you and the girls probably wouldn't sleep much again tonight. Also stupid, right?" I'd never heard him give a self-depricating laugh. That was my category. I always gave the self-depricating laughs. But he gave a self-depricating laugh, which tore at my heart even more than the fact that he was crying, and the fact that he'd stayed out so long, thinking that sleeping was selfish.
And now I was crying a bit, too. "Oh, honey...I'm so sorry. You didn't have to stay out this late, it wouldn't have been selfish of you to come home. Your leg joints aren't sore, are they?" I hadn't worried about his joints in a long time.
He didn't answer me, but the audible gulp that came from him told me everything. That's when I broke down bawling like a baby.
"Ohh....Ohh no...I'm so sorry, Eugene...oh my gosh...Oh, why didn't I go look for you, I would've made you--"
"Hon. It's my own fault, not yours. Okay?" When I turned away and continued to fret under my breath, he tipped my chin up and carefully bent to kiss me until I quieted down. "Now...I'm going to go sit for awhile and head back out, okay?"
"It most certainly is NOT okay, husband of mine. You are going to bed, and you are going to sleep, right now." I said firmly. When he started to refuse, I grabbed his arm. "Honey, if you don't get to bed this second, I don't know how, but I will use every bit of strength in me to get you there, and I'll make sure you STAY there, even if it means me staying up all night on guard so you don't leave."
He looked down at me, a look of surprise on his face. Likely, he hadn't expected me to be so firm with him. Silently studying my face, he looked as if he was considering not listening to me. When I made a move to pull on his arm and drag him a step or two (just to prove my point), he chuckled despite himself. "Fine."
I tucked myself under his arm, helping him to bed. He could hardly walk -- I wasn't sure if it was tiredness or his joints, and it scared me. But I put a brave face on once he turned to sit. He eased himself down at the edge of the bed, and then held his hands out. I stood in front of him, and he took my hands in his.
"I promise I'll stay put. Sorry I didn't find him today, and sorry I made you worry," he said.
He had stayed up until 1 in the morning, searching for Pascal, had called himself selfish for wanting to sleep, messed up his leg joints AGAIN...and he was APOLOGIZING?
I tried to hide the tears streaking down my face. "It's fine, h-honey..." I immediately wanted to kick myself for my midsentence, involuntary sob.
"C'mere," he took his hands away from mine so he could pat the spot beside him on the bed. I sat down, bringing my knees up to my chest. "Hey - don't worry, okay? If you say you're not, you'd be lying, and lying is bad, y'know..."
I realized he was trying to get me to lighten up, so I gave him a small smile. "Mmhm. No promises, though. And tomorrow, I'll go out and look."
"We will," he corrected.
"Nope. You're staying with the girls, and I'll make sure Zelia keeps an eye on you, so you don't try to leave to find me."
He gave me a mock-terrified look, but it lost its effect when he yawned in the middle of it. "Okay. That's enough for me to stay put. But I don't want you going out alone,"
"I'll be fine. I won't stay out all night," I bit off the 'and get myself hurt like you did' part.
"Sorry," he gave me a bashful expression, picking up on what I'd thought about saying. "But it's no more than what I did the first time he--" he broke off midsentence, as if he hadn't meant to say that.
But what had he meant by that? He'd helped me search during the day, and went by himself one day -- which was, of course, the day he'd found him-- but...
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing," he said quickly, not looking at me.
"Tell me...I know when you're not telling me something."
He glanced over at me and sighed. "Alright...I went back out to search for him every night. It was dark, but I turned the lamp on in my shelf and then would just stay around the area that the lamp illuminated. I'd take you back home and then waited until I figured you would be asleep."
I was touched. "Oh my gosh, Eugene...why?! We'd only known each other for a month back then!" My brows furrowed, and I pushed aside the urge to cry more.
"Back then, it was my life mission to make you smile and make you happy. Well...it still is, but...I don't know. I just wanted to find your buddy. I knew he meant a lot to you, and you meant a lot to me, so therefore, I wanted to put my best efforts towards finding him. And he still means a lot to you, and you will always mean a lot to me. And this time, it's even more important, because the girls like him so much." he shot a shy glance towards me. "So there you have it."
I didn't know what to do at first, but then I almost knocked him over again, grabbing him into a tight hug from the side. "How will I ever repay you...between back then and tonight....?" I just felt like I needed to do something for him in return.
"Being my wife is all you need to do. Don't get all mushy on me, okay? I'll probably cry more," he joked, attempting to lighten the mood.
I pulled away, but still kept an arm around him. We both sat in silence for a little bit, but then he made mention of going to sleep, so I watched as he gingerly scooted himself backwards, finally easing himself down onto his back with a grimace.
"Do you want me to get Ta-" I started to offer, but he broke me off.
"Nah, I'm good. Little bit of sleep and I'll be fine. Go to sleep yourself, I'm sure you're tired too." He stretched an arm out and beckoned for me to curl up beside him, so I obliged, reaching to kiss his cheek.
Well...we'll see what tomorrow holds. Or today. Whatever it is.
"What?" I asked quietly. He gave me a wide-eyed stare before coming to stand beside the wicker chair -- where I was sitting at.
"I just...kinda panicked a bit. You weren't in bed and I couldn't hear you out here, and I was worried that you were already out searching or something, by yourself."
"Nah," I said. "Sorry!"
"It's fine," he said absently, peering down into my face, "but how long have you been up? You look really, really tired."
"Mmmm...since three or so," I shrugged, clearing my throat. "Jordan was up a bit and then Casey was up, and I couldn't go to sleep anyway."
He sighed. "I'm sorry, hon. I was going to head out right now, but instead, I'm going to make sure you go to bed, go to sleep, and I'll wait until Zelia's up before I leave."
"No, no, no. I'm fine, I'm....awake, it's all good," I said. The mid-sentence yawn did not help my case.
"Okay, sure, sweetie..." he said, and I gave him a surprised look, amazed that he was actually willing to let it go. Hah...yeah right! Next, he scooped down and picked me right up out of the chair, and had set me down in bed before I could even protest. "I think my idea's better though - no offense. Now...you go to sleep, okay? Don't worry. I'll be back, and I'll bring Pascal with me."
"Hmm," I made a non-commitant noise, and he gave me a look.
"Pinky promise."
That's not what I was expecting to come out of that look he gave me.
What adult doll does pinky promises?
Apparently, we do now. I guess it was sleep deprivation taking over my brain, but I held my little finger out and linked it with his, rolling my eyes. He flashed me that special grin of his, bent and pushed back my hair so he could kiss my forehead, pulled the blanket up under my chin, and then he left.
I think I just rolled over, and then I was out cold.
When I woke back up at three in the afternoon, I swung my legs out of bed and stumbled out from behind the cutout, rubbing the sleepiness from my eyes. I almost was expecting Eugene to be back already -- not sure why, but I was. Can I blame that on sleep deprivation, too? Zelia was just getting the girls to lay down for their afternoon nap, so I wordlessly scooped Jordan up, wrapping her in her blanket.
"I see you woke up," Zelia said, and I nodded. "Your husband told me to find some duct tape and tape you to bed if you didn't go to sleep by the time he left, but when he checked on you before he left, he said you were out cold."
I stifled a laugh. "Did he say when he was coming back?"
"Nope. He seemed pretty dead-set on finding...you know who...today." She didn't make mention of the name, since Casey and Audrey were just starting to drift off to sleep.
"Hmm. Maybe once this little one goes to sleep, I'll go look for him and make sure he doesn't go all obsessive."
"I'd just let him go-- you won't be able to find him, I'm sure. Unless he's making a big huge wracket - in that case, you could find him pretty easily. But everything seems quiet, so I wouldn't try to look," Zelia discouraged me.
I grunted, and then remained silent until Jordan had drifted off to sleep. After I set her down in bed, Zelia spoke up again.
"How're you holding up, sis?"
"Ehh...I'll survive," I said. "I'm more worried for Casey and Audrey, just in case Pascal's not okay."
"Yeah. Everything'll work out, I'm sure," my sister said, before pulling me into an extremely awkward, one-armed hug.
Eugene wasn't back at seven, and he wasn't back by ten, which was when the girls finally collapsed from exhaustion, after spending every waking hour asking about Pascal, and when Daddy was coming home. Neither of which I could answer, which sufficiently upset me. I wished I could answer all their questions, but I couldn't. Audrey seemed no worse for wear, but she obsessively asked about Pascal and her dad. Of course, Casey was an upset wreck.
When the girls went to bed and Jordan was finally drifting off to sleep, I pulled Zelia aside.
"Should I go look for Eugene? He might've fallen off of something, and-"
"He's fine, I'm sure. Chill out, go to sleep...he'll be back soon, I'm sure."
"What if he isn't, though?" I'd been worried all day long, and I choked up when I added, "I couldn't live with myself if he's laying hurt somewhere...or...or worse!"
"He is fine, Rapunzel. You're worrying too much. I promise he's fine," she told me. I knew she was getting tired of me worrying about him. "Now..I'm going to bed. Don't do anything stupid, 'kay?"
I was more than slightly offended, but I huffed and went to go brush my hair out.
After that, I just laid in bed and worried, listening intently for any sound indicating he was hurt nearby, or that he was coming home.
When Eugene finally came back around 1 in the morning, I was still up. I was out of bed and had tackled him into a relieved hug within seconds. He was surprised, and I think I almost knocked him down, but he hugged me back.
"Ohh my gosh, I was so worried. Why didn't you come back until now?" I reached to cup his cheeks in my hands, but jerked them back when I realized they were wet. "Why're your cheeks wet? Were you...were you crying?! Why? What happened? Eugene?"
"If you pause your chatter for a moment, sweetheart, I'll answer you," he said quietly, and I shut up. "Yes. I was crying. It's stupid, but I was just so upset that I couldn't find him, and I didn't want to face the girls in the morning and say I didn't find him. And...I didn't want to come home to go to sleep, even though I could barely walk, because I thought it selfish of myself to come home and sleep while you and the girls probably wouldn't sleep much again tonight. Also stupid, right?" I'd never heard him give a self-depricating laugh. That was my category. I always gave the self-depricating laughs. But he gave a self-depricating laugh, which tore at my heart even more than the fact that he was crying, and the fact that he'd stayed out so long, thinking that sleeping was selfish.
And now I was crying a bit, too. "Oh, honey...I'm so sorry. You didn't have to stay out this late, it wouldn't have been selfish of you to come home. Your leg joints aren't sore, are they?" I hadn't worried about his joints in a long time.
He didn't answer me, but the audible gulp that came from him told me everything. That's when I broke down bawling like a baby.
"Ohh....Ohh no...I'm so sorry, Eugene...oh my gosh...Oh, why didn't I go look for you, I would've made you--"
"Hon. It's my own fault, not yours. Okay?" When I turned away and continued to fret under my breath, he tipped my chin up and carefully bent to kiss me until I quieted down. "Now...I'm going to go sit for awhile and head back out, okay?"
"It most certainly is NOT okay, husband of mine. You are going to bed, and you are going to sleep, right now." I said firmly. When he started to refuse, I grabbed his arm. "Honey, if you don't get to bed this second, I don't know how, but I will use every bit of strength in me to get you there, and I'll make sure you STAY there, even if it means me staying up all night on guard so you don't leave."
He looked down at me, a look of surprise on his face. Likely, he hadn't expected me to be so firm with him. Silently studying my face, he looked as if he was considering not listening to me. When I made a move to pull on his arm and drag him a step or two (just to prove my point), he chuckled despite himself. "Fine."
I tucked myself under his arm, helping him to bed. He could hardly walk -- I wasn't sure if it was tiredness or his joints, and it scared me. But I put a brave face on once he turned to sit. He eased himself down at the edge of the bed, and then held his hands out. I stood in front of him, and he took my hands in his.
"I promise I'll stay put. Sorry I didn't find him today, and sorry I made you worry," he said.
He had stayed up until 1 in the morning, searching for Pascal, had called himself selfish for wanting to sleep, messed up his leg joints AGAIN...and he was APOLOGIZING?
I tried to hide the tears streaking down my face. "It's fine, h-honey..." I immediately wanted to kick myself for my midsentence, involuntary sob.
"C'mere," he took his hands away from mine so he could pat the spot beside him on the bed. I sat down, bringing my knees up to my chest. "Hey - don't worry, okay? If you say you're not, you'd be lying, and lying is bad, y'know..."
I realized he was trying to get me to lighten up, so I gave him a small smile. "Mmhm. No promises, though. And tomorrow, I'll go out and look."
"We will," he corrected.
"Nope. You're staying with the girls, and I'll make sure Zelia keeps an eye on you, so you don't try to leave to find me."
He gave me a mock-terrified look, but it lost its effect when he yawned in the middle of it. "Okay. That's enough for me to stay put. But I don't want you going out alone,"
"I'll be fine. I won't stay out all night," I bit off the 'and get myself hurt like you did' part.
"Sorry," he gave me a bashful expression, picking up on what I'd thought about saying. "But it's no more than what I did the first time he--" he broke off midsentence, as if he hadn't meant to say that.
But what had he meant by that? He'd helped me search during the day, and went by himself one day -- which was, of course, the day he'd found him-- but...
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing," he said quickly, not looking at me.
"Tell me...I know when you're not telling me something."
He glanced over at me and sighed. "Alright...I went back out to search for him every night. It was dark, but I turned the lamp on in my shelf and then would just stay around the area that the lamp illuminated. I'd take you back home and then waited until I figured you would be asleep."
I was touched. "Oh my gosh, Eugene...why?! We'd only known each other for a month back then!" My brows furrowed, and I pushed aside the urge to cry more.
"Back then, it was my life mission to make you smile and make you happy. Well...it still is, but...I don't know. I just wanted to find your buddy. I knew he meant a lot to you, and you meant a lot to me, so therefore, I wanted to put my best efforts towards finding him. And he still means a lot to you, and you will always mean a lot to me. And this time, it's even more important, because the girls like him so much." he shot a shy glance towards me. "So there you have it."
I didn't know what to do at first, but then I almost knocked him over again, grabbing him into a tight hug from the side. "How will I ever repay you...between back then and tonight....?" I just felt like I needed to do something for him in return.
"Being my wife is all you need to do. Don't get all mushy on me, okay? I'll probably cry more," he joked, attempting to lighten the mood.
I pulled away, but still kept an arm around him. We both sat in silence for a little bit, but then he made mention of going to sleep, so I watched as he gingerly scooted himself backwards, finally easing himself down onto his back with a grimace.
"Do you want me to get Ta-" I started to offer, but he broke me off.
"Nah, I'm good. Little bit of sleep and I'll be fine. Go to sleep yourself, I'm sure you're tired too." He stretched an arm out and beckoned for me to curl up beside him, so I obliged, reaching to kiss his cheek.
Well...we'll see what tomorrow holds. Or today. Whatever it is.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Moved...Again...and A Certain Chameleon Causing Trouble Again...UGH
So today, Tangled Fan finally moved us to the location she was planning on moving us to.
Man. Had I complained about moving again?
I was so wrong.
We are now on a table. We're permitted half of the table, and may get something as a divider someday, she said, because she plans to put other stuff on the other side.
There's no cramped spaces, and our ceiling is the actual room's ceiling. This place is HUGE! We've also got the Rapunzel cutout, so Eugene's and my bed is on one side of it behind the thick piece of plastic cardboard that holds it up, and Zelia's is on the other side, so we've at least got some privacy. The girls sleep on the other side, by the chairs. We can leave all our furniture set up, and the girls still have TONS of room to play. Oh, and Zelia's staying with us, if you hadn't picked that up by my mention of her bed.
Another amazing thing? Our side of the table is right up against the windowsill!!! Eugene and I can step out onto the windowsill any time we want. I am honestly so excited about this right now! Our 'bedroom' behind the cutout is right up against the windowsill, so I have the feeling that from here on out, I'll be sitting on the window when I can't go to sleep.
I hope Tangled Fan never moves us again...(Hah, yeah right - who am I kidding?)
But regardless. Our day was spent getting things situated and rearranged, and keeping the girls occupied. Casey's slowly coming out of her shell, and has recently taken the biggest shine towards Pascal. For some reason, I didn't see her at all today with the chameleon.
Well, once we'd finally gotten all the furniture situated and were getting the girls settled down to go to sleep, I scooped Casey up.
"Ready to go to bed? Or do you wanna talk a bit before bed?" I offered, sitting away from Audrey, Jordan, Eugene, and Zelia.
"Okay, but..where's Pascal?" she asked, giving me an innocently worried expression.
Oh no.
"Pascal? Isn't he here?" I quickly glanced around the table. Nope. I stood up with her still in my arms, checking behind the cutout. Nope. "He hasn't been here all day?"
"Huh-uh. Is he gone, Momma?" she gave me a worried gaze.
"Um...I-I don't know, honey. I'm sorry. We'll look for him in the morning, m'kay?"
Her eyes filled with tears, and then she buried her face into my shoulder and cried silently. I held her and stroked her hair, surprised that nobody noticed her. I felt absolutely horrible. She was just starting to slowly come out of her shell, and then this happens. What if Pascal had been crushed during Tangled Fan's frenzy, moving us dolls around? I couldn't even bear to think of it! The last time he disappeared was five months ago, on his own accord, but in my opinion, this was even worse, what with the girls being so fond of him. :(
She cried herself to sleep soon after she started, which was just a bit after Audrey and Jordan had been put to bed. I didn't want to put her to bed, I just wanted to hold her until she woke up and tell her that we'd find Pascal no matter what.
When I finally put her to bed and covered her up beside Audrey, Zelia went to bed herself, but Eugene came over and hugged me from behind.
"Hey," he whispered.
"Hey, yourself," I tried to keep the tension from my voice. Yeah, right. Eugene the Psychic knew something was up.
"What's wrong?" he asked, taking my hand and leading me back to bed.
He sat down on the bed, watching me closely as I brushed through my hair -- I didn't even bother with my nightie.
"Casey said that Pascal's been gone all day today. S-she cried herself to sleep. I just...what if he's buried under a bunch of stuff or even crushed -- you know Tangled Fan was in a hurry today when she moved us." I rambled on about things that could've happened; none of them good, until I was done brushing my hair. When I'd finished, he pulled me down to sit beside him.
"Everything will be alright, so don't worry, okay? I'll go out in the morning to look for him. Or I could go now, if you want-"
"No! You're staying here. It can wait till morning. I suppose it's silly to worry, but I am. I just hope for the girls' sake that we find him," I added a sigh to the end of the sentence, rubbing my eyes. I was tired as all getout, but I was worried, and probably wouldn't sleep at all tonight...yay.
"We'll find him, I promise," my husband reassured me, kissing my cheek before moving to lay down. I did, too, and was just getting comfortable when a little voice caught my attention.
"Momma?"
I scooted to the edge of the bed to see Casey, staring worriedly up at me.
"Can't sleep?" I asked quietly, immediately reaching to pull her up into bed. She straddled my stomach and stared at me tiredly, nodding. "I'm sorry."
"I promise we'll find him, honey. We'll start searching tomorrow morning. Now...I know it's hard to sleep, but you need to get some rest so you're fueled up for when Pascal comes back. I'm sure he'll want to play," Eugene told her, and she seemed to believe him.
"Okay, Dad...good night. Love you." It must've just slipped out, because her face held a look of surprise. Same with Eugene's face and mine, I'm sure.
She tumbled off of my stomach, burrowed under the covers and curled tight up against me; burying her face in embarrassment and tiredness, but was fast asleep once more within minutes. When I put an arm around her, I finally glanced up at Eugene, who was still staring at her in wide-eyed silence. He caught me watching him watching her, and managed a surprised smile.
"I can't believe she said that," he barely breathed it, and I nodded. He turned on his side, putting an arm across her, resting his hand on the arm I'd thrown across her, and I think he was asleep soon, too.
Oh well, I guess it's a good thing that everyone else could sleep.
Man. Had I complained about moving again?
I was so wrong.
We are now on a table. We're permitted half of the table, and may get something as a divider someday, she said, because she plans to put other stuff on the other side.
There's no cramped spaces, and our ceiling is the actual room's ceiling. This place is HUGE! We've also got the Rapunzel cutout, so Eugene's and my bed is on one side of it behind the thick piece of plastic cardboard that holds it up, and Zelia's is on the other side, so we've at least got some privacy. The girls sleep on the other side, by the chairs. We can leave all our furniture set up, and the girls still have TONS of room to play. Oh, and Zelia's staying with us, if you hadn't picked that up by my mention of her bed.
Another amazing thing? Our side of the table is right up against the windowsill!!! Eugene and I can step out onto the windowsill any time we want. I am honestly so excited about this right now! Our 'bedroom' behind the cutout is right up against the windowsill, so I have the feeling that from here on out, I'll be sitting on the window when I can't go to sleep.
I hope Tangled Fan never moves us again...(Hah, yeah right - who am I kidding?)
But regardless. Our day was spent getting things situated and rearranged, and keeping the girls occupied. Casey's slowly coming out of her shell, and has recently taken the biggest shine towards Pascal. For some reason, I didn't see her at all today with the chameleon.
Well, once we'd finally gotten all the furniture situated and were getting the girls settled down to go to sleep, I scooped Casey up.
"Ready to go to bed? Or do you wanna talk a bit before bed?" I offered, sitting away from Audrey, Jordan, Eugene, and Zelia.
"Okay, but..where's Pascal?" she asked, giving me an innocently worried expression.
Oh no.
"Pascal? Isn't he here?" I quickly glanced around the table. Nope. I stood up with her still in my arms, checking behind the cutout. Nope. "He hasn't been here all day?"
"Huh-uh. Is he gone, Momma?" she gave me a worried gaze.
"Um...I-I don't know, honey. I'm sorry. We'll look for him in the morning, m'kay?"
Her eyes filled with tears, and then she buried her face into my shoulder and cried silently. I held her and stroked her hair, surprised that nobody noticed her. I felt absolutely horrible. She was just starting to slowly come out of her shell, and then this happens. What if Pascal had been crushed during Tangled Fan's frenzy, moving us dolls around? I couldn't even bear to think of it! The last time he disappeared was five months ago, on his own accord, but in my opinion, this was even worse, what with the girls being so fond of him. :(
She cried herself to sleep soon after she started, which was just a bit after Audrey and Jordan had been put to bed. I didn't want to put her to bed, I just wanted to hold her until she woke up and tell her that we'd find Pascal no matter what.
When I finally put her to bed and covered her up beside Audrey, Zelia went to bed herself, but Eugene came over and hugged me from behind.
"Hey," he whispered.
"Hey, yourself," I tried to keep the tension from my voice. Yeah, right. Eugene the Psychic knew something was up.
"What's wrong?" he asked, taking my hand and leading me back to bed.
He sat down on the bed, watching me closely as I brushed through my hair -- I didn't even bother with my nightie.
"Casey said that Pascal's been gone all day today. S-she cried herself to sleep. I just...what if he's buried under a bunch of stuff or even crushed -- you know Tangled Fan was in a hurry today when she moved us." I rambled on about things that could've happened; none of them good, until I was done brushing my hair. When I'd finished, he pulled me down to sit beside him.
"Everything will be alright, so don't worry, okay? I'll go out in the morning to look for him. Or I could go now, if you want-"
"No! You're staying here. It can wait till morning. I suppose it's silly to worry, but I am. I just hope for the girls' sake that we find him," I added a sigh to the end of the sentence, rubbing my eyes. I was tired as all getout, but I was worried, and probably wouldn't sleep at all tonight...yay.
"We'll find him, I promise," my husband reassured me, kissing my cheek before moving to lay down. I did, too, and was just getting comfortable when a little voice caught my attention.
"Momma?"
I scooted to the edge of the bed to see Casey, staring worriedly up at me.
"Can't sleep?" I asked quietly, immediately reaching to pull her up into bed. She straddled my stomach and stared at me tiredly, nodding. "I'm sorry."
"I promise we'll find him, honey. We'll start searching tomorrow morning. Now...I know it's hard to sleep, but you need to get some rest so you're fueled up for when Pascal comes back. I'm sure he'll want to play," Eugene told her, and she seemed to believe him.
"Okay, Dad...good night. Love you." It must've just slipped out, because her face held a look of surprise. Same with Eugene's face and mine, I'm sure.
She tumbled off of my stomach, burrowed under the covers and curled tight up against me; burying her face in embarrassment and tiredness, but was fast asleep once more within minutes. When I put an arm around her, I finally glanced up at Eugene, who was still staring at her in wide-eyed silence. He caught me watching him watching her, and managed a surprised smile.
"I can't believe she said that," he barely breathed it, and I nodded. He turned on his side, putting an arm across her, resting his hand on the arm I'd thrown across her, and I think he was asleep soon, too.
Oh well, I guess it's a good thing that everyone else could sleep.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
It's Been Six Months
So.
I thought it was the husband who always forgot anniversary dates and such. Not the wife.
Well, guess who totally forgot that today marked our 'known each other for six months' anni...here's a hint: it wasn't Eugene.
I woke up around seven this morning, on my side with an arm tucked up underneath my head, the blanket tucked under my chin. I quietly cleared my throat and stretched my legs out, wondering if Eugene was up yet, or if any of the girls were up (which would've been a rare surprise. They've been sleeping in until nine or so for the past week; even the baby). I got my answer; Eugene wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me up against him, giving me a 'good morning, gorgeous'.
I grinned to myself. "Morning, hon. So...how long've you been up?"
"Just a little bit. Did you sleep okay? You seemed to toss and turn a bit."
I twisted around so I could see his face, which held a bit of concern. "Yeah -- I didn't keep you up, did I? Sorry!"
"No no, you're fine," he chuckled quietly. "I was just wondering. I guess the big mystery date for today isn't going to happen, since Casey just came here? Just wanting to make sure, in case you're expecting to go somewhere and we don't."
"Huh? What're you...?" I asked. What was he even talking about? Big mystery date? What was today?
"For our six-months-of-knowing-each-other anniversary. We really need to find a better name for that, though, because it's a mouthful," he reminded me.
OH. Ohhhh no. Great - just great. I know he'd spent plenty of time planning it after Anna and Elsa's weddings, and he'd looked forward to today so much. Gosh, I'D looked forward to it, too! How dumb was it of me to forget and then blatantly ask him what the heck he was talking about?!
I shot upright, giving him a horrified look. "Oh my gosh. Ohh my gosh. I'm so sorry, I completely and utterly forgot, and I know you spent so much time planning to make a special day for us today, and I totally forgot, and I'm not even going to make up some stupid excuse, I just plain forgot...I'm so sorry! Oh my goodness, what is wrong with me?!" I blurted this all out in record time -- quietly, of course.
He sat up, too, but he was smiling. Good grief. I completely forgot about the one day he'd spent so much time fretting over, and what does he do? SMILE. He smiles. Wow. "Hey, it's fine--"
"No, it's not, I-"
"You are perfectly fine, it's fine, and all I was doing was making sure you were okay with not doing anything today, because Casey just came home yesterday. It's fine, sweetie, really it is," he reassured me, giving me that classicly adorable grin.
I felt like crying, but then I would've been overreacting to the situation. "Oh, gosh...I screw up and forget about all this, and you're still perfect and you don't get upset."
He had to clap his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing loud enough to wake everyone. When he'd calmed his urge to laugh, he once more grinned. "No worries. We just adopted another little girl, it's perfectly fine to forget about stuff. I don't have to have some big date with you to enjoy our 'big-mouthful-I'm-not-gonna-say-again' anniversary."
I giggled, and he gave me that 'gotcha -- made you smile' look. Yes, he'd sufficiently managed to make me feel better about the whole situation...big surprise there. He always did.
"So...did you ever think that in six months, we'd be married with three kids?" My forgiving hubby put an arm around my shoulders and used the other to gesture towards the girls, who were all still sleeping.
"No...Not even in my dreams could I have imagined all this," I couldn't help the smile that teased the corners of my mouth. Then, I scooted around to face him, feeling the need to tell him this. "So...um..this is probably gonna sound dumb, but...uh...well...out of the almost four years of my life, these six months of knowing you have by far been the best. You make my day brighter...every day...and you're the sweetest doll I've ever known. You also helped me get over that idiot Flynn, and...basically everything. And you're really sweet and kind and funny and you have great taste in music, and I love ya." I ran the last sentence all together, suddenly getting embarrassed.
Kudos to him - he didn't laugh. Especially after that weird bit about music - why had that even come out? It was true, though, but..still...
He took my hands in his, giving me a sincere smile before he pulled me into a sweet little kiss that somehow said everything. I gave him a grin, settling back beside him and tucking my legs under the blanket again. Pulling me close to his side, he planted another kiss on the side of my head before we sat and watched the girls sleep for a few moments. He was the first to speak up again.
"I can't believe it's been six months since I first saw ya. Half a year since I met the beautiful and sweet girl that I still can't believe I can call my wife," he gave me a wink, and I grinned, leaning my head up against his shoulder...my face blazing red.
"Not sure how you fell in love with me, seeing as the first time you talked to me, you were saving my scrawny neck from falling off the deck."
He snorted in an attempt to not laugh, and I shoved him playfully. At that moment, Jordan started fussing, so I got out of bed, reaching to help him up. He ducked down to give me another quick kiss, snagging my shoulder before I could whirl away to go pick up Jordan.
"I'll take care of her so you can get dressed," he said, and I glanced down at my nightie, nodding as he went past me to get Jordan.
By the time I was dressed and my hair brushed and braided, Audrey and Casey were up. I gave both of them a good morning, and asked how they had slept. Audrey had clearly slept a full night's sleep, but Casey looked tired.
"Casey, you didn't sleep well...did you?" I asked when she didn't answer the first time. She shook her head, shrugging her shoulders to her ears. "Sorry to hear that...if you don't sleep well tonight, let me know. I'll be happy to stay up with you, sweetie."
She gave me an unsure look, but nodded. With that, I left to get a book.
It took but a minute to get a book. Our shelf is literally right beside a shelf crammed FULL of books. I snagged the first book in the Phantom Stallion series by Terri Farley, and then it took some yanking to get it dislodged from the other books (they were so tightly packed on that shelf...good grief. I think Tangled Fan needs to get rid of some books before her shelf explodes.)
And then I hurried to get back.
Audrey's whole face simply lit up when she saw me with the book, and I had hardly moved the furniture around to sit on the floor, before she'd taken her place on my lap, grinning a toothy grin up at me.
Well, if that didn't melt your heart...
I gave her a kiss on the top of her head, and then invited Casey over to sit on my lap as well. She hesitated, and for a minute, I thought for sure she'd come right over and sit. And then she climbed up on the wicker chair and sat instead. Pascal, who is still feeling quite bent out of shape, stayed far away from ALL of us, for some reason. Eugene and Jordan sat down beside me and Audrey, and I flashed a glance towards Casey before I started reading the book aloud.
We had read for about an hour, and weren't stopping -- every time I would pause, Audrey would give me a pleading look and I'd just have to continue --, Casey surprised us.
She slowly made her way over towards us and then cuddled up against my side. I didn't say anything, didn't embarrass her or make a big deal. I just quietly put an arm around her, not even pausing with the dialogue in the book. But on the inside, I was literally freaking out. I know it's a small move, but still. We continued reading until Audrey eventually got bored, which took a long time. When we finished the end of chapter four and I had shut the book, she looked between me and Eugene.
"Can I have a horse? I want a horse," she gave us both a winning smile.
"Um...er..." Eugene stammered, giving me a horrified look over her head. "We'll see."
Sure - Tangled Fan had tons of model horses, but she could easily get thrown and severely injured. Just because they're not real life horses didn't mean you couldn't get hurt.
She hurried away, not even glancing at Casey, and then commenced playing with Pascal.
I glanced down at Casey, who had fallen asleep, and then pointed at her, catching Eugene's eye. He smiled and nodded, quietly standing up and carrying a sleepy Jordan to go take a nap. When he returned, he offered to take Casey to bed, but I shook my head. I carefully scooped her up into my arms, sitting on the wicker chair with her until she woke up an hour later.
When she woke up, she glanced up at me shyly.
"Did you have a good nap?" I asked, wanting to hug her but not wanting to be obvious that I was excited that she hadn't immediately rushed away as soon as she'd woken up.
She nodded. "Sorry."
"What for?" I asked, confused.
"For falling asleep on you. You probably had things to do-"
I broke her off with a kiss on the cheek. "Nope. No biggie. Did you enjoy reading, or were you bored by it?"
"I thought it was fun," she said, flashing a shy smile.
"That's good," I stroked the hair away from her face and smiled at her, and then she left my lap.
The rest of the day went by without any more groundbreaking-Casey-events. She sat on the wicker chair by herself, and I could tell Audrey was getting frustrated by Casey's shyness. But after today's progress -- already! -- I'm feeling pretty confident. I hope.
I thought it was the husband who always forgot anniversary dates and such. Not the wife.
Well, guess who totally forgot that today marked our 'known each other for six months' anni...here's a hint: it wasn't Eugene.
I woke up around seven this morning, on my side with an arm tucked up underneath my head, the blanket tucked under my chin. I quietly cleared my throat and stretched my legs out, wondering if Eugene was up yet, or if any of the girls were up (which would've been a rare surprise. They've been sleeping in until nine or so for the past week; even the baby). I got my answer; Eugene wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me up against him, giving me a 'good morning, gorgeous'.
I grinned to myself. "Morning, hon. So...how long've you been up?"
"Just a little bit. Did you sleep okay? You seemed to toss and turn a bit."
I twisted around so I could see his face, which held a bit of concern. "Yeah -- I didn't keep you up, did I? Sorry!"
"No no, you're fine," he chuckled quietly. "I was just wondering. I guess the big mystery date for today isn't going to happen, since Casey just came here? Just wanting to make sure, in case you're expecting to go somewhere and we don't."
"Huh? What're you...?" I asked. What was he even talking about? Big mystery date? What was today?
"For our six-months-of-knowing-each-other anniversary. We really need to find a better name for that, though, because it's a mouthful," he reminded me.
OH. Ohhhh no. Great - just great. I know he'd spent plenty of time planning it after Anna and Elsa's weddings, and he'd looked forward to today so much. Gosh, I'D looked forward to it, too! How dumb was it of me to forget and then blatantly ask him what the heck he was talking about?!
I shot upright, giving him a horrified look. "Oh my gosh. Ohh my gosh. I'm so sorry, I completely and utterly forgot, and I know you spent so much time planning to make a special day for us today, and I totally forgot, and I'm not even going to make up some stupid excuse, I just plain forgot...I'm so sorry! Oh my goodness, what is wrong with me?!" I blurted this all out in record time -- quietly, of course.
He sat up, too, but he was smiling. Good grief. I completely forgot about the one day he'd spent so much time fretting over, and what does he do? SMILE. He smiles. Wow. "Hey, it's fine--"
"No, it's not, I-"
"You are perfectly fine, it's fine, and all I was doing was making sure you were okay with not doing anything today, because Casey just came home yesterday. It's fine, sweetie, really it is," he reassured me, giving me that classicly adorable grin.
I felt like crying, but then I would've been overreacting to the situation. "Oh, gosh...I screw up and forget about all this, and you're still perfect and you don't get upset."
He had to clap his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing loud enough to wake everyone. When he'd calmed his urge to laugh, he once more grinned. "No worries. We just adopted another little girl, it's perfectly fine to forget about stuff. I don't have to have some big date with you to enjoy our 'big-mouthful-I'm-not-gonna-say-again' anniversary."
I giggled, and he gave me that 'gotcha -- made you smile' look. Yes, he'd sufficiently managed to make me feel better about the whole situation...big surprise there. He always did.
"So...did you ever think that in six months, we'd be married with three kids?" My forgiving hubby put an arm around my shoulders and used the other to gesture towards the girls, who were all still sleeping.
"No...Not even in my dreams could I have imagined all this," I couldn't help the smile that teased the corners of my mouth. Then, I scooted around to face him, feeling the need to tell him this. "So...um..this is probably gonna sound dumb, but...uh...well...out of the almost four years of my life, these six months of knowing you have by far been the best. You make my day brighter...every day...and you're the sweetest doll I've ever known. You also helped me get over that idiot Flynn, and...basically everything. And you're really sweet and kind and funny and you have great taste in music, and I love ya." I ran the last sentence all together, suddenly getting embarrassed.
Kudos to him - he didn't laugh. Especially after that weird bit about music - why had that even come out? It was true, though, but..still...
He took my hands in his, giving me a sincere smile before he pulled me into a sweet little kiss that somehow said everything. I gave him a grin, settling back beside him and tucking my legs under the blanket again. Pulling me close to his side, he planted another kiss on the side of my head before we sat and watched the girls sleep for a few moments. He was the first to speak up again.
"I can't believe it's been six months since I first saw ya. Half a year since I met the beautiful and sweet girl that I still can't believe I can call my wife," he gave me a wink, and I grinned, leaning my head up against his shoulder...my face blazing red.
"Not sure how you fell in love with me, seeing as the first time you talked to me, you were saving my scrawny neck from falling off the deck."
He snorted in an attempt to not laugh, and I shoved him playfully. At that moment, Jordan started fussing, so I got out of bed, reaching to help him up. He ducked down to give me another quick kiss, snagging my shoulder before I could whirl away to go pick up Jordan.
"I'll take care of her so you can get dressed," he said, and I glanced down at my nightie, nodding as he went past me to get Jordan.
By the time I was dressed and my hair brushed and braided, Audrey and Casey were up. I gave both of them a good morning, and asked how they had slept. Audrey had clearly slept a full night's sleep, but Casey looked tired.
"Casey, you didn't sleep well...did you?" I asked when she didn't answer the first time. She shook her head, shrugging her shoulders to her ears. "Sorry to hear that...if you don't sleep well tonight, let me know. I'll be happy to stay up with you, sweetie."
She gave me an unsure look, but nodded. With that, I left to get a book.
It took but a minute to get a book. Our shelf is literally right beside a shelf crammed FULL of books. I snagged the first book in the Phantom Stallion series by Terri Farley, and then it took some yanking to get it dislodged from the other books (they were so tightly packed on that shelf...good grief. I think Tangled Fan needs to get rid of some books before her shelf explodes.)
And then I hurried to get back.
Audrey's whole face simply lit up when she saw me with the book, and I had hardly moved the furniture around to sit on the floor, before she'd taken her place on my lap, grinning a toothy grin up at me.
Well, if that didn't melt your heart...
I gave her a kiss on the top of her head, and then invited Casey over to sit on my lap as well. She hesitated, and for a minute, I thought for sure she'd come right over and sit. And then she climbed up on the wicker chair and sat instead. Pascal, who is still feeling quite bent out of shape, stayed far away from ALL of us, for some reason. Eugene and Jordan sat down beside me and Audrey, and I flashed a glance towards Casey before I started reading the book aloud.
We had read for about an hour, and weren't stopping -- every time I would pause, Audrey would give me a pleading look and I'd just have to continue --, Casey surprised us.
She slowly made her way over towards us and then cuddled up against my side. I didn't say anything, didn't embarrass her or make a big deal. I just quietly put an arm around her, not even pausing with the dialogue in the book. But on the inside, I was literally freaking out. I know it's a small move, but still. We continued reading until Audrey eventually got bored, which took a long time. When we finished the end of chapter four and I had shut the book, she looked between me and Eugene.
"Can I have a horse? I want a horse," she gave us both a winning smile.
"Um...er..." Eugene stammered, giving me a horrified look over her head. "We'll see."
Sure - Tangled Fan had tons of model horses, but she could easily get thrown and severely injured. Just because they're not real life horses didn't mean you couldn't get hurt.
She hurried away, not even glancing at Casey, and then commenced playing with Pascal.
I glanced down at Casey, who had fallen asleep, and then pointed at her, catching Eugene's eye. He smiled and nodded, quietly standing up and carrying a sleepy Jordan to go take a nap. When he returned, he offered to take Casey to bed, but I shook my head. I carefully scooped her up into my arms, sitting on the wicker chair with her until she woke up an hour later.
When she woke up, she glanced up at me shyly.
"Did you have a good nap?" I asked, wanting to hug her but not wanting to be obvious that I was excited that she hadn't immediately rushed away as soon as she'd woken up.
She nodded. "Sorry."
"What for?" I asked, confused.
"For falling asleep on you. You probably had things to do-"
I broke her off with a kiss on the cheek. "Nope. No biggie. Did you enjoy reading, or were you bored by it?"
"I thought it was fun," she said, flashing a shy smile.
"That's good," I stroked the hair away from her face and smiled at her, and then she left my lap.
The rest of the day went by without any more groundbreaking-Casey-events. She sat on the wicker chair by herself, and I could tell Audrey was getting frustrated by Casey's shyness. But after today's progress -- already! -- I'm feeling pretty confident. I hope.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Casey, Part 2
Yesterday, Tangled Fan's guinea pig passed away, so she ended up forgetting about bringing Casey to meet us until today. On top of it all, she finally let us know that this was, once again, TEMPORARY, and was planning on giving us a 'much nicer place to stay after she was done spring cleaning her room'. Hm. Right. But regardless...
Tangled Fan told us that Casey might not show it, but she was excited to get a new family. Excited, but scared, I'm sure. She gave a smile when she saw us for the first time, but remained silent and refused to meet anyone's eyes. Tangled Fan warned us that if she felt upset or threatened about something, she would run, and had done so before.
She's really a beautiful little girl -- disregard the odd outfit she's wearing; Tangled Fan said she was hard-pressed for outfits for the young dolls -- but she seems extremely flighty.
Audrey was so excited, but Casey did not share her enthusasim. When Tangled Fan left, Casey retired to the wicker chair, not saying a word; Audrey hounded after her to come play with her. She would have nothing of it. Sooo, it ended up that Audrey, Zelia, and Eugene played teaparty with Audrey, Jordan and Pascal in tow; Casey wordlessly studied her new surroundings while I wordlessly studied her. Eugene attempted to coax her to come play, but she'd have none of it; politely shaking her head. He flashed me a concerned look, and I shrugged.
Meanwhile, Pascal was disturbed by all the changes -- the new member of the family AND the new shelf had him worked up-- and he kept leaving Jordan to pace around and check things out. He gave Casey a wide berth.
After I watched Casey for awhile, I finally wormed my way around my hubby and Audrey, pulled up my box to sit a bit closer to the wicker chair, and gave her what I hoped was a confident smile.
"Hey. Mind if I sit here?"
She shook her head, turning so her back wasn't a hundred percent towards me. She watched me out of the corner of her eye.
Clearing my throat, wishing I could simultaneously clear the awkwardness of the situation, I put a hand on the arm of the chair. "So...what kind of things do you like to do, Casey?"
She froze, but then slowly turned to look past me. "I don't really know. I've never really done anything,"
"Hmm...we'll have to change that!"
She flashed me a small smile, but I saw the curiosity in her eyes, so I began to list a few things we could do -- horseback riding, reading, walks, even dancing.
"That sounds fun," she said quietly, but I could see she didn't believe me.
"C'mere," I held out my arms, and to my surprise, she hesitantly moved close enough for me to scoop her up. I allowed her to stand in my lap, since she didn't want to sit. "You know...you can trust us. We're not gonna hurt you or lie to you. Whenever you're ready, let us know and we'll start doing stuff, m'kay?" I studied her face, which was unreadable.
But then she nodded silently, and for a minute, I thought she was going to sit and let me hold her, but then she squirmed away to go sit by herself again.
Hmmh..I know it's gonna take some time, but I just want nothing more than to get her to trust us right now, and it killed me to see her this distant.
But for the time being, I slid off of my perch and joined in on Audrey's game, but I kept an eye on Casey. She remained silent and on the chair for the rest of the evening.
When it was time for bed, I said goodbye to Zelia while Eugene put Jordan to bed, and then we both got the girls to go to sleep. Audrey eagerly gave both of us hugs, told us she loved both of us in return to our 'Love you, sleep tight's, and then I turned towards Casey while Eugene tucked Audrey into bed.
She tried to slip past me to just go to bed, but I managed to get ahold of her, giving her a hug and telling her I loved her. Eugene echoed me, and when I handed her over to my hubby so he could tuck her into bed too, I might have just seen the slightest of a true smile on her face.
When we were sure the kiddos were asleep, I brushed out my hair and slipped into my nightie before heading to bed myself. I flopped down on my back, wanting to talk but not wanting to wake Eugene, because as far as I could tell, he was asleep already.
I guess I was wrong about Eugene being asleep, because after a short while, he sighed and turned on his side.
"So...Casey," he whispered.
"Hmm....Casey, indeed. Do you think she'll come around? It's killing me that she's distant and doesn't necessarily trust us."
He nodded. "I'm sure she'll come around,"
"Yeah..." I sighed. "I hope she does soon."
"Don't worry -- she will. How about tomorrow, we read? We'll see how all our girls like it."
I gave him a smile. "That sounds great. I suppose we should go to sleep ourselves. Night."
So...we'll see. Fingers crossed that tomorrow goes well!
She's really a beautiful little girl -- disregard the odd outfit she's wearing; Tangled Fan said she was hard-pressed for outfits for the young dolls -- but she seems extremely flighty.
Audrey was so excited, but Casey did not share her enthusasim. When Tangled Fan left, Casey retired to the wicker chair, not saying a word; Audrey hounded after her to come play with her. She would have nothing of it. Sooo, it ended up that Audrey, Zelia, and Eugene played teaparty with Audrey, Jordan and Pascal in tow; Casey wordlessly studied her new surroundings while I wordlessly studied her. Eugene attempted to coax her to come play, but she'd have none of it; politely shaking her head. He flashed me a concerned look, and I shrugged.
Meanwhile, Pascal was disturbed by all the changes -- the new member of the family AND the new shelf had him worked up-- and he kept leaving Jordan to pace around and check things out. He gave Casey a wide berth.
"Hey. Mind if I sit here?"
She shook her head, turning so her back wasn't a hundred percent towards me. She watched me out of the corner of her eye.
Clearing my throat, wishing I could simultaneously clear the awkwardness of the situation, I put a hand on the arm of the chair. "So...what kind of things do you like to do, Casey?"
She froze, but then slowly turned to look past me. "I don't really know. I've never really done anything,"
"Hmm...we'll have to change that!"
She flashed me a small smile, but I saw the curiosity in her eyes, so I began to list a few things we could do -- horseback riding, reading, walks, even dancing.
"That sounds fun," she said quietly, but I could see she didn't believe me.
"C'mere," I held out my arms, and to my surprise, she hesitantly moved close enough for me to scoop her up. I allowed her to stand in my lap, since she didn't want to sit. "You know...you can trust us. We're not gonna hurt you or lie to you. Whenever you're ready, let us know and we'll start doing stuff, m'kay?" I studied her face, which was unreadable.
But then she nodded silently, and for a minute, I thought she was going to sit and let me hold her, but then she squirmed away to go sit by herself again.
Hmmh..I know it's gonna take some time, but I just want nothing more than to get her to trust us right now, and it killed me to see her this distant.
But for the time being, I slid off of my perch and joined in on Audrey's game, but I kept an eye on Casey. She remained silent and on the chair for the rest of the evening.
When it was time for bed, I said goodbye to Zelia while Eugene put Jordan to bed, and then we both got the girls to go to sleep. Audrey eagerly gave both of us hugs, told us she loved both of us in return to our 'Love you, sleep tight's, and then I turned towards Casey while Eugene tucked Audrey into bed.
She tried to slip past me to just go to bed, but I managed to get ahold of her, giving her a hug and telling her I loved her. Eugene echoed me, and when I handed her over to my hubby so he could tuck her into bed too, I might have just seen the slightest of a true smile on her face.
When we were sure the kiddos were asleep, I brushed out my hair and slipped into my nightie before heading to bed myself. I flopped down on my back, wanting to talk but not wanting to wake Eugene, because as far as I could tell, he was asleep already.
I guess I was wrong about Eugene being asleep, because after a short while, he sighed and turned on his side.
"So...Casey," he whispered.
"Hmm....Casey, indeed. Do you think she'll come around? It's killing me that she's distant and doesn't necessarily trust us."
He nodded. "I'm sure she'll come around,"
"Yeah..." I sighed. "I hope she does soon."
"Don't worry -- she will. How about tomorrow, we read? We'll see how all our girls like it."
I gave him a smile. "That sounds great. I suppose we should go to sleep ourselves. Night."
So...we'll see. Fingers crossed that tomorrow goes well!
Monday, March 10, 2014
Casey, Part 1
Sooo. Tangled Fan moved us around again. (I snitched this pic she took - that's why everyone's posed xD)
Everyone except for us and Zelia are on the dresser again, even Merida.
I did notice that Tangled Fan left a couple of spaces empty (it's hard to see in this picture, though) so I'm wondering if she's planning on getting MORE to add to her collection? Good grief. But regardless....
Everyone except for us and Zelia are on the dresser again, even Merida.
I did notice that Tangled Fan left a couple of spaces empty (it's hard to see in this picture, though) so I'm wondering if she's planning on getting MORE to add to her collection? Good grief. But regardless....
This is what we were met with. Zelia isn't on the shelf with us, but instead she's up and over one shelf; so she'll still be able to visit often. We're directly above our old shelf (the shelf Eugene used to live in when we first met.)
Thanks to Tangled Fan, she did all this right before she had to leave -- something about horse related chores-- and then she tossed our belongings up on the shelf and left.
Thanks to Tangled Fan, she did all this right before she had to leave -- something about horse related chores-- and then she tossed our belongings up on the shelf and left.
Zelia decided to take the girls with her for a walk for the day, keeping them out of the way while we worked to get things set up. Thank goodness.
This is how we'll sleep. (Plus blankets and everything.)
And this is how we'll set up for the day. Why does this shelf seem so roomy? I still haven't quite figured it out yet...
And another small, yet EXTREMELY BIG tidbit that Tangled Fan told us earlier today, before she left?
She found a little girl doll, by the name of Casey, who needs a family. Now, at first I figured she just wanted her out of her bins, but she explained further that she had a very hard time fitting in well with families, as she'd been tossed around and neglected before, back when Tangled Fan had her ginormous Barbie collection, which was several years ago (they're all off in new homes, I've heard, except for a few child-sized dolls, of course). Of course, now you're probably thinking 'but dolls can't be neglected!' Right? Well, their doll families can not pay attention to them, they can just completely ignore them and not do anything with them, and they can put them down verbally as well. Casey had fallen victim to all of these scenarios. Tangled Fan had mentioned that she had planned on waiting until Anna and Hans or Elsa and Kris were ready to adopt, but had realized that she wouldn't fit well with either family, and also preferred that we take her, since we had more 'parenting experience'.
A month.
We've been parents for a little over a month.
Alrighty then. We're experienced parents, alright! But regardless.
We've been parents for a little over a month.
Alrighty then. We're experienced parents, alright! But regardless.
Being the suckers that we are, we agreed on the spot to meet her tomorrow. We planned on talking to Audrey when she got home, if she wasn't so tired she couldn't understand a thing.
So once we got done rearranging our shelf, Eugene plopped down on his wicker chair, and I commenced brushing my hair, which of course, was a horrible mess.
When I was done, I turned to see how terribly pale and worried my husband looked.
When I was done, I turned to see how terribly pale and worried my husband looked.
Promptly moving to his side, I asked what was wrong.
"Eh. Nothing, just tired."
"Hmm...how am I not buying that? I think you're nervous or excited for tomorrow," I told him.
When he sighed, I knew I'd hit the nail on the head, so I pulled up my box (Oh, how I'd missed my box...) and sat beside him, scooping Pascal up onto my lap.
And then I waited him out.
And then I waited him out.
It didn't take too long for him to finally open up.
"I'm nervous, yes. And excited, of course...but I'm...worried, mostly."
"I'm nervous, yes. And excited, of course...but I'm...worried, mostly."
"Why?" I was nervous, yeah, but I didn't see why he was worried! I was sure that Audrey would handle the situation okay.
"I'm just worried that I won't be a good enough father for Casey." It came out in almost a whisper, and he avoided my eyes.
Of all the absurd things! HIM? Not good enough?!
Of all the absurd things! HIM? Not good enough?!
I jumped up and grabbed his hand in both of mine, surprised by his confession. Pascal, disgusted with me, retired to sit beside Eugene on the chair.
"Eugene, you know you'll be a perfect father. You already are a great dad! Just look at Audrey. She absolutely adores you! And you're sooo good with Jordan. Casey won't be any different; she'll love you, I'm sure. You'll bring her right outta her shell, and everything will be grand."
"Will it? I just...she's got such a complex background that I'm afraid I'll accidentally trigger some memory, and she'll be scared of me for life."
"You won't. Ignoring or yelling at her would probably trigger something, and I have never known you to yell -- the only time I ever heard you raise your voice was when we hit that rough patch before we got engaged. And you'd never ignore her. I know you, and you wouldn't. If you didn't ignore me ever, you won't ever ignore Casey. You'll do fine, I know it. So don't be worried, 'kay, hon?"
He nodded slowly, before finally meeting my eyes. I gave him a small smile, which he returned. He was silent for a few minutes, and I could tell he was processing everything carefully before he opened his mouth.
"You're right - as always. Thanks," he added a wink, and I laughed.
"Sure thing."
We both sat in silence for a few minutes, and I could tell the nervousness was seeping back in the shelf, so I tried to think of something to do.
"Why don't we go through some of the songs on the iPod? I'm pretty sure there are some new songs on it," I suggested.
His whole entire face lit up. "I'm game."
Soo then I hopped down to the deck, grabbed the iPod, and crawled back up, and we sat and listened to (and discussed our favorite) songs for the rest of the afternoon, waiting until Zelia came back with Audrey and Jordan.
"Eugene, you know you'll be a perfect father. You already are a great dad! Just look at Audrey. She absolutely adores you! And you're sooo good with Jordan. Casey won't be any different; she'll love you, I'm sure. You'll bring her right outta her shell, and everything will be grand."
"Will it? I just...she's got such a complex background that I'm afraid I'll accidentally trigger some memory, and she'll be scared of me for life."
"You won't. Ignoring or yelling at her would probably trigger something, and I have never known you to yell -- the only time I ever heard you raise your voice was when we hit that rough patch before we got engaged. And you'd never ignore her. I know you, and you wouldn't. If you didn't ignore me ever, you won't ever ignore Casey. You'll do fine, I know it. So don't be worried, 'kay, hon?"
He nodded slowly, before finally meeting my eyes. I gave him a small smile, which he returned. He was silent for a few minutes, and I could tell he was processing everything carefully before he opened his mouth.
"You're right - as always. Thanks," he added a wink, and I laughed.
"Sure thing."
We both sat in silence for a few minutes, and I could tell the nervousness was seeping back in the shelf, so I tried to think of something to do.
"Why don't we go through some of the songs on the iPod? I'm pretty sure there are some new songs on it," I suggested.
His whole entire face lit up. "I'm game."
Soo then I hopped down to the deck, grabbed the iPod, and crawled back up, and we sat and listened to (and discussed our favorite) songs for the rest of the afternoon, waiting until Zelia came back with Audrey and Jordan.
Soo...I'll let you know what tomorrow brings! I'm still pretty nervous and excited, and we also probably will get absolutely no sleep tonight due to our (unnecessary) nervousness, soo...we'll just have to see! xD
Friday, March 7, 2014
Quick Update and A Hint of Curiousity
Super quick pop in for today...just to let you know what's been up. Things have actually been really quiet, amazingly enough. Tangled Fan came in this morning, though, to tell us that she might rearrange yet AGAIN...which is super annoying [you'd think that she would eventually like things how they were in her room and not mess around, right?! Does anyone else have issues with their humans rearranging shelves constantly?? But then again, maybe we'll finally get to go back to our old shelf! Hmmm]...and she ALSO has something to discuss with us.
Hmm...wonder what that is?
The suspense is killing me...killing me, I tell you!! I'm excited and worried, and I'm pretty sure Eugene's feeling the same way. Meanwhile, Audrey's been wanting a playmate. I mean, we're all doing our best to keep her occupied and playing constantly, but she says she wants someone 'her age to play with'. I'm not quite sure how we'll go about that one, seeing as if/when Anna and Elsa start families, they'll likely not want to visit with us and let their kids play with Audrey. So for now, Zelia, Eugene, and I are trying to dig into our inner child xD
And speaking of Anna and Elsa, I have yet to come across an opportunity to freak them out about stalking them on their wedding day (they've been scarce..Zelia's been enjoying their absence, apparently they are exploring the room and going for walks outside for their honeymoons), but when I get a chance, I will be sure to tell you all the reaction, dear readers... =}
While I'm on, I figured I would bring up the old idea that I'd gotten awhile back (I can't even remember the post I included it in) that Zelia could stay with us. After talking it over with Eugene this week, and talking it over with Zelia herself, Zelia decided that she would not move in with us completely, but she definitely would keep coming to visit daily or at least weekly -- she absolutely loves the girls. (:
So that's all for now, I'll keep you guys updated on whatever happens! (:
Hmm...wonder what that is?
The suspense is killing me...killing me, I tell you!! I'm excited and worried, and I'm pretty sure Eugene's feeling the same way. Meanwhile, Audrey's been wanting a playmate. I mean, we're all doing our best to keep her occupied and playing constantly, but she says she wants someone 'her age to play with'. I'm not quite sure how we'll go about that one, seeing as if/when Anna and Elsa start families, they'll likely not want to visit with us and let their kids play with Audrey. So for now, Zelia, Eugene, and I are trying to dig into our inner child xD
And speaking of Anna and Elsa, I have yet to come across an opportunity to freak them out about stalking them on their wedding day (they've been scarce..Zelia's been enjoying their absence, apparently they are exploring the room and going for walks outside for their honeymoons), but when I get a chance, I will be sure to tell you all the reaction, dear readers... =}
While I'm on, I figured I would bring up the old idea that I'd gotten awhile back (I can't even remember the post I included it in) that Zelia could stay with us. After talking it over with Eugene this week, and talking it over with Zelia herself, Zelia decided that she would not move in with us completely, but she definitely would keep coming to visit daily or at least weekly -- she absolutely loves the girls. (:
So that's all for now, I'll keep you guys updated on whatever happens! (:
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