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. 

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!

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....

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. 

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.   

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. 

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.

 

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." 

"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?! 

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. 

 

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 

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! (:

The Frozen Wedding (:

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

Decisions, Decisions..

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

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

Officiating and Some New Info...

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

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


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

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

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