Ignoring her pleas, he placed her down while she kicked and splashed about. Jr. slid over with a rubber ducky in hand, he used his weight, and crawled on her. Holding the toy in her face, that distracted her long enough to calm down. Taking it from him, she stared the ducky in its face, switched it between her hands, and slapped it against the water.
Simon breathed out a sigh of relief before he rolled his sleeves and grabbed the shampoo. Putting some on their heads and rubbing it in, Jr. needed a good lather, but Jasmine had just started sprouting thick, black hairs. Soon his daughter wouldn’t be bald. Getting them rinsed was the hard part.
Jr. took it just fine and only grunted for more, but a cascading shower of water over Jasmine’s head set her off. Even with a cloth covering her face, she still kicked into a fake coughing fit.
Laughing out loud, Simon pulled the rag from her face only to have her tears dry up instantly and smile at him. He shook his head and decided that was the end of bath time, “You are such an actress. Good. Make mommy and daddy money. Actually…” Thinking about how child stars usually ended up, he shook his head as he grabbed towels, “…never mind.” He muttered.
Getting them dried off and dressed up for their special day, Jr. sucked on his hand out of hunger. Dressed in a overalls, a suit and tie onesie, and his hair combed to the side, he looked smart and dapper like his father. Jasmine was dressed in a puffy, lime green dress with white flowers and a hairband to match. This was an outfit he’d saved for the day, while Cherish saved Jr.’s.
Kissing her head, he looked down at her, “Look at you. You’re so gorgeous on your birthday. And your brother, look at him, so handsome and stylish if I do say so myself.” He boasted proudly. He picked them up and hauled them downstairs for breakfast which smelled more than satisfying.
Cherish rushed around the kitchen as she set the table, laid out butter, juice, syrup, and utensils. As Simon stepped off into the kitchen, he paused, “Mmmm, what did you make? It smells godly.”
She slid the last couple of pancakes on a plate and glanced up, "The kids favorites. Can you strap them in?" She asked in a winded tone.
Simon’s gaze locked on to the beautiful sight and felt weak, “Thank you. Thank you for everything that is good and all that is holy.” He whispered in approval.
Cherish’s eyes curved inwards before she broke into a grin. He was certainly over the top and yet that was one of the things she learned to love. She never would have known from a year prior that he had such personality. Now, she was thankful she was allowed to stay long enough to see it.
She snapped the knobs of the burners off before she took the babies' bowls and cut the meat and bread into bite sized pieces. She pointed to the small closet in the hallway, "They have long bibs in there. I'm almost done." She whispered hustling over.
He took the babies to their high chairs and strapped them in. Jr. was already eager the moment his little nostrils pulled in the succulent smell of his birthday breakfast. He scooted the highchair across the floor with hard rocks and grunts. His big, piggy eyes rested on Cherish for food, and today proved that he wasn’t the only one. Jasmine reached out with her hands and grabbed as she stared at Cherish with pleading eyes.
Handing them their bottles to keep quiet, she finished up the food and waited for Simon to prep them before setting the bowls down. Simon brought their bibs over and got them ready for their syrupy dream. Jr.'s eyes lit up all while Jasmine pinched the meat and ate one bit at a time. Cherish smiled at them as Jr. gripped a handful and shoveled it in his mouth. She then looked to Simon with a bite of her lip and returned to the plate of food; setting it down, "I'm brewing your coffee now." She said.
Simon rushed over, caught her hands, and kissed her cheek, “It’s okay. I’ll get it. You sit and eat. I’ll clean up.” He said patting along her backside.
Pausing, she glanced at him and felt a pull in her stomach. He always knew what to do and doted on her from day one. Once upon a time she wasn’t used to it, now she was flustered, “Alright, thank you.” she whispered taking her seat between the kids. Making her plate of breakfast, she did the same with his at the table while he made drinks.
With mugs in hand, he prepared his coffee and her tea before he brought them over and sat down, “How long do we have?” he asked as he cut into his pancakes first. Humming with delight, he loved the crispy sides.
She wet her lip and she cleared her throat, “The party doesn’t start for another couple of hours, but uh…I had somewhere else I wanted to go to before. If you don’t mind? I’ll drive.” She stated.
Jr. was far into his meal and his sticky face showed. Jasmine, on the other hand, pinched at her food still and kept the mess to said fingers and lips; far neater than her brother.
“You’ll drive? Wow, it must really be a surprise then.” He whispered. A part of Simon half expected her to take them for a drive to a zoo. She wasn’t known for surprises which made him even more excited and urged him to eat faster. He wanted to know, and he felt a like to a kid again.
"It's something..." Reaching over, she gripped his hand and finished her breakfast.
Finishing about as quickly as his
