Hey loves! I'm so sorry! I'm so late! I realized that I haven't updated for a couple days. I just haven't had any time. So I owe you four one-shots. And I will get them to you.

Now go read. Also, in the chapter Creative Thinking, the idea for the trail of guitar picks came from YouAndIbyMulu4ever's story Next To You. And it's a really cute story, so you should really read it. :)

Story time!

"Come on baby girl, stop struggling." Stevie says, trying to get her 1 year old daughter Rebecca, or Becka, into her outfit. But no matter how hard she tries, Becka keeps squirming, determined to get out of her outfit. Stevie sighs and leans back, looking out the door, "Zander! A little help please!" she shouts from her place on the floor, her daughter lying in front of her.
"A little busy right now!" Zander shouts back as he runs by, a pair of toddler paints in his hands and his four year old son, Maxwell, or Max, running ahead of him, in nothing but his pull-ups. Stevie sits forward and sighs again.
"Your dad and brother are crazy boys. Good thing you, me, and your sisters have them outnumbered." Becka smiles at her and giggles. Stevie smiles back and turns her head to glance at Becka's twin sister Madison, or Madi who is sitting quietly in her crib, playing with some toys. Ever since she was born, she has been the calmer of the twins. While Becka is constantly driving her parents crazy. As of this moment, right now.
"Mommy? Can you help me with this?" Stevie hears a tiny voice say from behind her. She turns her head slightly to see her oldest daughter Dani, standing in the doorway, dressed in her best dress clothes.
Stevie sighs, "Not now sweetie. I'm trying to get your sister dressed."
"Okay. I'll just wait."
Stevie watches for a moment as Dani sits down in the rocking chair between the two cribs.
Stevie goes back to her daughter who is lying in front of her and continues to struggle. She honestly doesn't understand why Becka never wants to wear cute little dresses and stuff. Her sister loved it.
Finally, after what seems like hours, she manages to get Becka into her outfit. And she stays.
Stevie sighs and looks up at Dani, sitting patiently in the rocking chair, slowly rocking it back and forth. She motions to her with her hand, "Okay. Come here."
Dani hops down out of the chair and walks over to her mom, careful not to step on her baby sisters' fingers with her shoes. She turns around once she gets to Stevie and stands still. "My dress tie came underdone." She says.
Stevie smiles, "Undone sweetie. Your dress tie came undone. Not underdone." She grabs the two ends of the tie and begins to retie it for her daughter.
"Oh," Dani says, "undone. Not underdone."
"Exactly," Stevie smiles. "Okay. All finished." She drops her hands into her lap and takes a deep breath.
Dani turns around to face her mother and places a kiss on her cheek, "Thanks mommy!" She exclaims excitedly and skips out of the room back to her own bedroom.
"You almost ready babe?" Stevie hears Zander ask from the doorway.
"Give me a few more minutes." Stevie replies, pulling Becka up off the floor and into her arms. She holds her tightly and stands up from the floor. She walks to the empty crib in the room and puts Becka in it.
She turns around and walks out of the bedroom door, leaning up to place a kiss on Zander's cheek as she walks by him.
He smiles and follows her to their bedroom. Zander sits on the edge of their bed while Stevie stands at the dresser searching for the proper outfit to wear. Nothing too flashy, and nothing too simple. After all, they are taking their kids to go and see Santa at the mall.
She finally finds the perfect outfit and pulls it out, going into the bathroom to change.
"Was Becka struggling again?" Zander asks her from the bed.
"Do you really have to ask that?" she answers from within the bathroom, the door slightly open, Stevie not really seeing the need to close it since they are married and have children.
"I guess not," he sighs.
"But what I don't get," Stevie says to him, moving slightly so she is standing in the doorway of the bathroom, while she puts her shirt on, "is why she struggles so much when I try to put her in a dress or something. Madi doesn't struggle. Neither did Dani." She leans down and picks up her pajamas off the floor and throws them in the hamper and goes to stand in front of Zander, putting her hands on his shoulder. He wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her close, "Maybe she takes after you." He tells her.
"What do you mean?"
"Your mom told me once that when you were little, you never wanted or liked to wear dresses. She thinks it's because of your brothers."
"Oh. That makes some sense."
"It makes complete sense. Now we better get going unless you want Becka to tear herself out of her outfit."
Stevie's eyes widen, "You're right. Let's go." She pulls away from him and heads out of their bedroom to make sure her children are still at least halfway decent looking.

*30 minutes later*
"Moooooom!"
"Max! Stop bugging your sister. And hold your fathers hand. Now!" Stevie scolds, agitated as they walk through the mall.
Max pulls his chubby four year old hand away from Dani and tightens his grip on his fathers' hand. "Sorry mommy." He says.
"Are we almost there mom?" Dani asks as she walks beside her mom.
Stevie smiles and nods in front of her as the family stops walking for a moment, "Why don't you look for yourself."
Dani turns her head forward and sees what she has been dying to see. The North Pole in the middle of the mall. White fluff and sheets spread around to look like snow, red velvet ropes stretched out to keep the kids in line. A giant cardboard gingerbread house, all decorated with fake candy and frosting. There are a few people scattered about dressed up as elves, assisting in any way possible. And there, at the center of it all, is the person who all the Robbins kids have been waiting to see.
"SANTA!" Max yells and manages to break free from his fathers' grip and starts running towards Saint Nick.
"Zander!" Stevie says, her eyes going wide.
"I'm on it!" He says back and jogs forward to catch up with his son. He gets to him right before he reaches the front of the line and scoops him up into his arms holding him in a cradling position. "What do you think you're doing little man?"
Max looks up at his dad, smiles and points towards the center of the mall, "Santa Claus."
"Yes bud. That is Santa Claus. But you can't just run off like that. You could have gotten lost. You understand?"
Max nods his head and Zander smiles, setting the young child back on the ground and grabbing his hand. The two walk back to the rest of their family and Zander nods slightly at Stevie.
"Okay," Stevie says looking at all of her children, "You ready to go and see Santa?"
All four kids get excited and begin nodded their heads vigorously.
"Alright," Zander says, "Let's go."
The family turns and walks towards the end of the line, and they stand there and wait.

"Okay, our turn," Stevie says, going to the front of the stroller to grab Becka. Zander walks up to Santa with Max's hand in his, and Dani grabs Madi and holds her carefully in her arms. The two of them follow Zander and Max up to Santa.
"Okay Max, sit on Santa's knee," Zander says to his son. Max shakes his head no.
Stevie looks at him and gives him the look, "Max, knee. Now." He obeys and climbs onto Santa's knee, who wraps an arm around the young boy's stomach to help steady him. Dani stands on the opposite side of Santa, Madi in her arms. Stevie steps forward and carefully sets Becka down on Santa's other knee, all while trying to release the death she has on her hair.
Once she breaks free, Zander and Stevie step back to get a better look at their kids on Santa's lap.
Stevie sighs, "Max, stop messing with your shirt and look at the camera, Becka stop playing with Santa's beard, Madi, look at me baby girl, Dani, don't drop your sister," she says to all of her kids while giving them the look once more. All the kids see the look and obey their mom, not wanting to deal with her wrath if they don't.
"Okay," the photographer says, looking into the camera and holding up three fingers for the kids to see, "3," he puts down one finger, "2," then another, "1." then the last one and he clicks the shutter button on the camera, capturing the moment in front of him.
He takes a moment to examine the photo in front of him and then turns to Zander and Stevie smiling, "Picture is great. It'll be posted on my site later today available for download."
"Thanks man," Zander says, shaking the photographer's hand while Stevie goes to collect their kids.
She steps forward and waits as each of her kids tell Santa what they want for Christmas. Dani whispers what she wants in Santa's ear, so her parents can't hear. Max excitedly announces that he wants the latest toy or something crazy. Madi doesn't do anything, just stays pretty chill. Even when Santa asks her what she wants, she just looks at him. Becka looks around and sees Stevie, and reaches her arms out, "Mama! Mama!"
Stevie smiles and steps forward, removing her daughter from the man's knee. Zander walks up next to her and lifts Max down off of the other knee and Dani walks forward, Madi in her arms.

Santa reaches down into a brown woven basket next to his chair and pulls out four miniature candy canes. He then smiles and hands one candy cane to each child. Max practically rips the man's arm off grabbing the candy cane, while Dani grabs hers more respectively, and grabs Madi's candy cane as well. Stevie steps forward and grabs the candy cane for Becka.

"Thank you again," Steve says to Santa as she places Becka back into the stroller.

The man gives a hearty laugh, "Oh no. Thank you for having such wonderful children."

"You don't know the half of it," Stevie mumbles under her breath as she straps in Madi. She opens the small package containing the candy cane and hands it to Becka who immediately puts it in her mouth. She then does the same with Madi.

Stevie sighs and stands up straight, moving to behind the stroller. "Okay kids. Say goodbye to Santa."

"Bye Santa!" the kids all wave to him and then the whole family turns and walks back towards the entrance of the mall.

"Well," Zander whispers to Stevie as they are walking through the mall, "I think that Operation Photos with Santa was a great success."

"It was better than I thought it would be. Becka wasn't as fussy as I thought she would be, and Max didn't completely destroy his clothes."

"What about the other two?"

"I never really have to worry about them. They're usually pretty chill."

"That they are. No let's go home. I think that this was enough for today. And I'm pretty sure that Becka wants out of her outfit."

Stevie glances down at her daughter, and sure enough, she is pulling at her dress trying to get if off. "Then I guess we should hurry up and get home." Zander nods in agreement and they continue their way out of the mall and to their car to head home.

So? Did you like it? I didn't like how rushed the ending was, but I guess it was alright. Let me know what you thought in a review! Please and thank you! :)

Jellybean96 out!