Hi everyone! So, just a few things here. First, this chapter was written by childatheart94! Yay! Okay. Second, in this chapter, Baby Gabriel is introduced. Gabriel is Tony and Maria's son and he is about eight months old in this story. I will be quiet now. Thank you all and enjoy!

"No Gabriel! That's mine!"

Rose and her brother were spiritedly fighting over a tube of red frosting. Gabriel let out a high pitched scream as Rose tried to pry the frosting tube from his tiny fingers.

"Mommy! Gabriel took the frosting and won't give it back! Why are Maribel and Gabriel so mean to me?"

"Rose, he's a baby; I don't think he took it from you on purpose," Maria reassured Rose from across the table. She was currently wiping up a bowl of colored sugar that Maribel had tipped over.

"But I want it back!" Rose whined as Gabriel grabbed a handful of Rose's hair. Maribel giggled over the tray of cookies she was decorating, happy to see their brother was already on her side.

"OUCH! LET GO!"Rose's screams for help only amused Gabriel more and he began to yank even harder on his sister's hair. Maribel just sat back and laughed, waiting for the day she and Gabriel could pick on Rose together.

"Okay, that's enough. Let go of Rose," Maria said as she came up behind Gabriel and lifted him from his highchair. In his tiny fists were strands of Rose's hair.

"Mommy! Look at what he did!"

"Rose he's just a baby. He doesn't…" Gabriel then reached up to Maria and latched onto her hair. As Maria attempted to untangled his fingers, the phone began to ring.

"Maribel, can you get that?" Maribel hopped up from her chair, proud that she no longer needed a chair to reach the phone (although she did have to stand on her tip toes).

"Hello?"

"Maribel? My, you sound so grown up on the phone!"

"Hi Grandma! Do you wanna talk to Mommy?" Maria looked up from the table in alarm; she scrambled to find something to be "working" on so she didn't have to talk.

"Here she is!" Maribel exclaimed as she stretched the phone cord to her mother. Maria let out a long sigh before speaking.

"Hello, ho…"

"Maria, you know you really shouldn't let those girls answer the phone! A stranger could call and the girls could give out personal information."

"Well, I'm right here so I don't think that will be a problem. You know Tony isn't home right now; do you want us to call you later?"

"No! I want to talk to you."

"Great," Maria gazed out the window, knowing this conversation was going to last a while. Maria had only met Tony's mother a few times; and Tony wanted to keep it that way. Not because of Maria being different from him, but because of her…over-protective instincts.

"Oh, okay. What do you want to talk about?"

"Does Tony ever say why all of you don't come and see me more often? That baby isn't going to be a baby anymore by the time I see him!"

"You just saw him a few weeks ago; and in a few more weeks you'll see him again."

"But that's just it! I only ever see you on holidays! Does Tony want to make his mother crazy?"

"I'm sure he doesn't; I can talk to him tonight about this if you want me to." Gabriel looked up at Maria; it was then she swore never to be like Tony's mother.

"I used to be the one who Tony talked to; now he only talks you. I mean no offense Maria. You're a…Very lovely girl, Maria thought to herself. And then came the rest."…but a wife can never replace a mother's love. Do you think Tony knows that?"

"I'm sure he does. And I promise you, I will talk to him tonight."There was a laugh at the other end of the phone. Maria looked at Rose and Maribel as they squirted red and green frosting at each other.

"You'll talk with Tony tonight?"

"Yes, we will talk tonight."

"See? All this talking the two of you do is the reason I only have three grandchildren! In my day, a married couple…"

"Uh, look I have to go. I guess we'll see you in a few weeks. Good bye."

"Bye Maria. Oh, I sent a package in the mail. I hope you all enjoy it." The other end went silent and Maria hung the phone back up. She walked towards the table and smiled at the girls.

"Mommy what did Grandma want?" Rose asked as she licked green frosting from her fingers; she wiped the remaining frosting on her sister's arm.

"Girls, someday you will be married; then you'll understand what Grandma wanted." The girls nodded at Maria and continued with their cookie decorating. Gabriel began to fuss, prompting Maria to look down.

"Girls, I'm going to put your brother down for a nap; don't get anymore frosting or sugar on the table." Once Maria had gone upstairs, Maribel swiped the tube of frosting from Rose's hand.

"Hey! That's mine!""I'm older!"

"In case you don't know, I'm five now! That's a whole hand!"

"Yeah, well I'm seven; that's a whole hand and two fingers! Ha!" Rose looked around the table and picked up another tube of frosting and squirted it at Maribel.

"Ha!"

"Rose! What's wrong with you?"

"Hmm, I don't know Maribel! You're the oldest! Look, I'm Maribel! I think I'm so cool cause I'm in second grade and I'm a whole hand plus two fingers! Oh, and I still suck my thumb!" Rose began to parade around the kitchen, imitating her sister. Maribel was absolutely red with anger. She then stood on top of her chair and began to imitate Rose.

"I'm Rose! And I still need to go sleep with Mommy and Daddy when it storms! AND I STILL WET THE BED!"

"Take that back!"

"Make me!"

Maribel made a face at Rose before she picked up a bowl of sugar and hurled it towards Rose. A cloud of green dust landed on Rose, making her hair tinted with the sticky substance

"You!"

"What are you going to do Rose? You're too short to reach me up here!"

"Oh yeah!" Rose crawled onto another chair and pointed the tube of frosting at Maribel; Maribel did the same and aimed at Rose's face. Just as Rose was about to retaliate, Tony came in through the back door.

"Hey girls! I got something for…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"She did it!" Maribel and Rose pointed at each other as Tony looked at the frosting covered, sugar coated kitchen. Tony slumped into a chair, only to discover then that it was covered in frosting.

"Girls, what happened to being good around Christmas?"Maribel got down from her chair and placed a hand on Tony's arm.

"Daddy we are being good; Rose and I made the kitchen pretty." The girls walked out of the kitchen and left Tony alone at the table. When he heard footsteps, he knew what was coming.

"Hi, you're home early; I…what happened in here?" Maria looked at the table that was drenched in frosting. Tony got up from the table and smiled at Maria.

"Maribel and Rose happened." When he turned around, Maria couldn't help but giggle at the frosting smeared across his backside.