February 24th, 2018
Brandon's POV
Spongebob Squarepants was all that we ever watched now. The boys always had full control over the TV remote and even when I would want to change the channel to something Tana and I would enjoy, Gunnar would just run off and hide the remote. No matter where I looked, or for how long I would search for it, I could never find it. Plus, Ammon and Henry would never give up his hiding spot since they found it so funny how frustrating it was for me. Tana thought it was quite entertaining too so she didn't help me look for it. I could never win.
Elisa was crawling around along the living room floor, looking to cause some mischief I'd assume. As I sat on the couch, I watched my baby quickly move around the floor until she ended up at the toy box that was placed next to our marble fireplace. The kids didn't have many toys here, just the basics they like to play with on a day-to-day basis, as they had their own toy room upstairs which was filled with all sorts of different toys and board games that would take hours and hours to get through, which was a good thing sometimes - especially when Tana and I wanted a little break. We knew it would keep them entertained and occupied for a good amount of time.
Elisa plopped herself down next to the box and started rummaging through to see what she could find. Eventually, she pulled out an action figure, which was holding a small gun. I didn't like when she wanted to play with these kinds of toys as I was always worried that she would somehow choke on the small parts. I stood from where I sat comfortably, snuggled into my wife and headed straight to my baby. Elisa watched me with the biggest pout on her face when I had to take the action figure from her and I placed it right on top of the fireplace, which was totally out of her reach, so that I wouldn't have to worry for her safety while playing with it. There was a soft doll right next to her, so I placed it to sit on her lap. That's when the screaming started. She just erupted and tears fell from her eyes as she began to have one of her famous tantrums.
"Baby, calm down. Look, play with this one." I held the doll in front of her again, and waved it gently back and forth hoping it would take her attention away from what she really wanted.
Her face scrunched up as she continued to cry, her volume slowly increasing. Then, she turned to Tana. "Mommy! Daddy is being mean!"
I turned to face Tana, simply shrugging my shoulders. She just smiled. I stared at her for a few seconds before turning my attention back to Elisa who had by now crawled over to the corner and laid down next to her eldest brother.
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A few hours had gone by and everybody was starting to get hungry. It was almost 1pm, so Tana tossed me my cell phone, and I called this new Chinese we had come across a couple weeks ago. We'd only been living in Park City for less than a year, therefore meaning we had to find a bunch of new restaurants to try out.
When food finally arrived a little later, I sorted it all out by putting everyones food on their individual plates, before bringing them back into the living room where we sat to have a late lunch together. Elisa's was in her favourite bowl. I crouched down beside her, hoping for some attention as she was still ignoring me. "Baby look. Daddy's got you food." Before blinking, she focused on me and snatched the bowl from my hands, an instant grin spreading across her gorgeous little face before she started to shovel the chicken and rice into her mouth. I left her sippy cup at her side so that it was there whenever she needed it.
I turned to Tana. "See. The way to a girl's heart is definitely by feeding her." I chuckled as did she. I joined her back on the couch and we ate and watched whatever the boys wanted to, since apparently we had no say whatsoever on what would be on TV from now on.
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25th February, 2018
Tana's POV
Today was a big day. It was Elisa's 2nd birthday. Even though she didn't really understand what was going on, Brandon and I made sure to throw our little girl a small birthday party, inviting all her uncles, aunties and her grandpa.
I had been shopping this morning to pick up a few extra things that were needed for food. Brandon thought it would be easier if we put out a spread, so that people could pick what they wanted to eat rather than only having one option. It was all coming together nicely. Brandon had been decorating the downstairs of the house all morning with 'Happy 2nd Birthday, Elisa!' banners along with balloons that had the same thing written on them. He was super excited to celebrate his youngest baby getting a year older, although the both of us really didn't like the fact that she was actually slowly beginning to grow up.
Brandon was just happy Elisa's birthday fell on the same day as Beatles guitarist, George Harrison.
1pm came around quickly and family members started to show up. This consisted of Brandon's dad, sisters and brother along with their spouses and kids. Also, my brother and his wife came too. Everybody mingled and made a huge fuss over the birthday girl, who absolutely loved having all the attention on her, so the smile didn't leave her face once as everybody's gave her hugs and kisses. Ammon, Gunnar and Henry were running around playing with their cousins, and I just had to warn them to make sure they didn't break anything as they went from room to room playing hide and seek.
It was only going to be a short party, since Elisa had to have her routine nap at around 4pm, meaning people didn't stay for long. Everybody brought her a gift and a card, which she really did appreciate, especially when she ripped the paper open and saw what people had brought her. With Brandon's assistance, of course. After we sung her Happy Birthday, and everyone had a slice of cake. Brandon, Ammon, Gunnar and Henry wafted their pieces down. They definitely got their appetite from their dad.
Elisa was exhausted now and desperately needed to take her nap. One-by-one, the house got quieter and quieter as family members left until there were none here. As people were leaving I began to clean up the small amount of mess that was in the kitchen. It didn't take long, thank God. Brandon carried Elisa upstairs, who has practically asleep with her head on his shoulder, as the boys and I followed. He laid her down on her little bed, changed her into her pyjamas then tucked her in and left her so that she could take a well needed nap. The three boys changed into pyjamas too and all climbed into bed.
So, Brandon and I went to bed too.
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Hey! I'm gonna try and bring this story closer to now as it was left for a few years.
Please comment and vote!
