I was woken up by something or someone jumping on my back. “Papa! Are you awake?” I immediately recognized the voice. “Gabe, don’t wake Papa up like that! We don’t want to wake Mom up either!” Lunette reprimanded, and Gabe grumbled as he got off my back. “Paaapaaa!” he groaned as he tapped my back rapidly.
“Mon Dieu…” I mumbled to myself before opening my eyes and looking at the kids. “I’m up! I’m up!” I groaned as I sat up. “What’s up?”
“You told us to wake you up early, remember?” I suddenly realized that I never made them aware of what I considered “early”. I was thinking more of 9 AM and not 6:30 AM.
“Maybe we should start later? Around 8 instead?” I yawned and stretched, just wanting to go back to bed. “Alright, Papa. Come on, Gabe.” Lunette took her older brother’s hand and led him out of the room.
“Are they gone?” You groaned. “Sorry about waking you up. Go back to sleep.” I pulled you into my arms and rested my head on top of yours. “I can’t. Your son is too much like his father, and his enthusiasm woke me up. What’s he so excited for anyway?”
“He’s 5. Does he need a reason to be excited this early in the morning?” I said as we laughed. “Just like his dad.” You mumble, closing your eyes.
However, I didn’t agree. “Me?! I’ve never had that much enthusiasm in my entire life, let alone at this time in the morning!”
“That’s not true! When we went on vacation to the Poconos, and you woke me up for breakfast around 7, and then… Well, that’s how Gabriel got here.”
“Fair enough.” I laugh, but a sense of pride overcomes me. Then there’s a quick moment of silence before I speak up. “Aren’t you proud of the kids?” A wide smile appears on your face. “Of course. Gabriel is so smart and active. Watching him grow has been one of the most wonderful experiences in my life. And it’s the same with Lunie. She is so mature for a 7-year-old.” You say, and a yawn escapes you.
“Let’s get some more rest.” I kiss your forehead as you place your head and my chest and we fall back asleep. About two hours later, Lunette came back into the room and tapped my arm softly. “Papa,” she whispered, “It’s time to wake up.”
“Lunie, mon ange…is it time?” Lunette nodded, and I sighed. “Alright. Let me get ready, and I’ll meet you and Gabriel in the kitchen, alright?” She ran off, and I did my best to move your head off of my chest and softly onto your pillow. I smiled as I watched you sleep peacefully and I kissed your forehead before heading to the bathroom to wash up.
Once I finished, I headed down to the kitchen, where Gabriel and Lunie were sitting on the kitchen island. “Hurry, Papa! I’m so excited!” Gabriel was reeling with excitement as he ran up to me and pulled my arm towards the island counter, then sat back in his seat. I laughed at his excitement, and I can’t lie, it was very contagious. “Okay! But we can’t start until we figure out what we are going to make for your mother.”
Lunie already had a piece of paper and her crayons in front of her. “I think we should make pancakes, a fruit salad, and some water.” Gabriel looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “No! We should make bacon, grilled cheese sandwiches, and get some soda!” He grabbed a crayon from Lunie’s stash and took the paper from Lunie.
“Gabe, watch your tone and be nice to your older sister. We need to compromise and agree on something together.” He took the paper and gave it back to Lunie which made Gabriel pout. I picked Gabriel up and kissed his forehead, then I placed him on the counter, where he sat. “Alright, let’s take a vote.” I took the paper and crayon and began to write down the options. “Who wants to make pancakes?” Lunie and Gabriel both raised their hands. “Gabriel? I thought you wanted Bacon instead?” He shrugged and said, “I changed my mind.”
“Alright then! Pancakes it is! Now, what’s next?” I scan the paper. “Alright, grilled cheese or fruit salad?” Lunie and Gabriel shout “fruit salad” in unison. “So we are going with Lunie’s plan?” Gabriel looked at his sister and nodded. “Fruits are delicious! And cheese makes me fart.” Lunie laughs loudly at her brother’s confession, and her reaction to his statement makes Gabriel laugh, too. Then I joined in. “Thank you for the information, Gabe. So our menu is the menu Lunie came up with. Pancakes, fruit salad, and water. Does everyone agree?” “YES!” They shouted together. “Let’s get started!”
Lunie went to the pantry and grabbed the ingredients that I told her to find, while Gabe focused on picking out the fruits that he wanted to put in the fruit salad. To my surprise, cooking with the kids went a lot smoother than I thought it would be. And when we were finished, we high-fived each other.
“I knew that I smelled something! What’s going on here?” The kids and I looked towards the stairs, shocked. “Ahh noooo!” Gabriel whined. “You’re not supposed to get out of bed!” Lunie scolded, which shocked you. “I didn’t know! I’m sorry! But why was I supposed to stay in bed?” Gabriel ran to the stairs and took your hand, pulling you back to your room. In the meantime, Lunie and I placed your food on the tray and I carried it to our bedroom. When we walked in, Gabriel was tucking you back into bed.
“Surprise!” The kids and I said, placing the tray of food on your lap. “Breakfast in bed? Have you all planned this? Oh my! Thank you! This definitely explains all the whispering and sneaking around from you all lately.” You laugh, and we all join in and eat with you.
Once breakfast was done and the kids ran off to play, I placed the tray on your nightstand and you grabbed my hand. “I really enjoyed breakfast. Thank you.” I kiss your cheek and smile. “No problem. I was starting to feel bad. Between work, other things in our lives, and the kids, we haven’t been able to spend a lot of time together. Just us, you know?”
You leaned over towards me and hugged me. “I know. We’ll figure something out. Maybe establish a schedule for alone time.” I hugged you back, then pulled away. “That will work. I’ll make sure we get that time off together.”
