Andrea placed the remaining items into the case, as Lillian and Christopher came running into the bedroom, dressed in their pajamas.
"Are you guys excited?" she asked, as Leonard stepped into the room with Holly in his arms. "Four days with Grandpa!"
"Yes! Yes!" they shouted in unison, as Holly babbled at them. "Mommy, are you and Daddy gonna bring back presents?" Lillian asked, as she played with the rejected dress on the bed.
Leo snorted, "Is that what you're worried about?" he asked, as Andrea slipped on her shoes. "Christmas is coming, Lily-Pad."
Christopher pouted, "Can you call us in Pear-ris?" he asked, clutching one of his dinosaurs to his chest.
"Of course we can!" Andrea said, as she picked him up. "Since Daddy has that conference to attend, Mommy will call you guys as much as possible that day."
"We better get going before we miss the shuttle," Leo said, looking down at his watch. "Pop and Phil are downstairs putting away the groceries they picked up."
She nodded, "Okay guys," she smiled, setting Christopher down to zip up the suitcase. "Do you have everything? Identification cards and shuttle tickets?"
Leo sighed, "Andy, I packed everything that we need," he insisted, as Lillian tore out of the room. "Just grab your bag and lets get going!"
Doing what she was told, Andrea followed him out of the room with her suitcase and purse, holding onto Christopher's hand in the process, as they made their way down the stairs.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Lillian shouted, as he came out of the kitchen. "Mommy and Daddy are going to France!"
"I know, sweetheart," he chuckled, as his daughter and son-in-law came downstairs. "Got everything?"
They nodded, "I put Holly's car seat in your car," Leo said, handing the infant over to him. "There should be enough formula to last you the four days."
Andrea nodded, "One bottle in the morning and switch to water before bed," she warned. "Otherwise she'll wake up in the middle of the night for a diaper change, and changing a poopy diaper at three in the morning is NOT fun!"
Chris nodded, "I've got everything under control," he insisted, as Phil snorted. "You left a very detailed set of instructions in the kitchen, Andy. You make it sound like I'm watering houseplants and feeding animals instead of my grandchildren."
She scowled, as Joanna came out from the den. "Please make sure your brother and sisters don't drive your grandfather up a wall," she begged, as the teen hugged her. "And you better be good, Jo. No backtalk."
"Yes Mom," she sighed, as she moved to give Leo a hug. "Bye Daddy!"
Making their way out to the car, Leo and Phil shove the suitcases into the back seat, as Andrea stands with the kids.
"Be good," she says, hugging Lillian and Christopher at the same time. "No fighting and no backtalk to Grandpa or Uncle Phil. That means you, Lillian."
The little girl giggled as she kissed Andrea on the cheek, "And my little Holly girl," Andrea cooed, taking the youngest of the McCoy children from Chris. "You're going to have so much fun the next four days!"
"We better get going if we want to make that shuttle," Leo said, coming over to them. "Or we'll be taking the next one at midnight."
Giving Holly a kiss, Andrea handed her over to Leo, before stepping up to Chris. "You call us if anything happens with the kids or yourself, Daddy," she said, hugging him tightly. "Uncle Phil promised to come over after work to help, that way you're not doing all the work alone."
"Andy, we'll be fine!" he insisted, kissing her cheek. "Do not spend your entire trip worrying about us! You're going to Paris with your husband. Enjoy the four days of peace and quiet."
She nodded, "Kay," she said, as Phil came over to give her a hug. "Make sure he takes care of himself, Uncle Phil. I give you full permission to hypo him until he listens."
"I will take that into consideration," Phil chuckled, kissing her forehead. "Have fun, kid. It's a great city."
With their final goodbyes, Andrea and Leo climbed into the car, waving goodbye to the kids, Chris and Phil.
"Bye Mommy!" Lillian and Christopher squealed, waving as the car backed out of the driveway. "Bye!"
Once the car was out of site, Lillian and Christopher ran back into the house, while Joanna stayed behind with the older men. "Do you want me to put Holly down for bed?" she asked, as the infant babbled. "It's gonna take a while to get the other two down, especially now that Mom and Dad are gone."
Chris groaned, "How hard?" he asked, as the teen snickered. "You know what? Let them run about for another hour or so. They'll tire out eventually."
Joanna took Holly from him and shook her head, "Oh man," she sighed, as Holly beamed at her. "You have no idea what they're capable of, Grandpa. No idea."
