Hi guys! I normally don't do this, but I've been nominated as 'best overall author' for the Pitch Perfect awards and Three Times the Giggles has been nominated as 'funniest story'! It would mean so much to me if you voted- through review or PM. The winners are announced on June 10th.
Have a great day/night wherever you are!
Aussiebabe290 (Rhyleigh) x
PS: This happened to us once.
Sometimes, life dealt them things that didn't seem fair. Like Bec having to go away for a three day work conference. Over the weekend. Leaving Jesse with three five and a half year olds to entertain and keep alive.
So, he did what any other parent in that situation would do.
He added a fourth child and drove to the beach.
(Beca had commented that she didn't think that was the brightest idea. she knew that everyone loved the beach, but Jesse and four kids on his own at the beach for the weekend? She didn't think that was a good thing.)
(Jesse agreed. So he invited Benji along too.)
"Let's go!" he said cheerily, starting up the car.
"This is probably your worst idea ever", Benji said cheerily, turning around in his seat to look at the kids. All four of them looked a bit suspicious, sitting with their arms folded in their car seats.
"Daddy, is this a good idea?" Jack questioned.
"Why isn't Mummy and Daddy coming too Uncle Jesse?" Harry questioned.
"Because it's a weekend away with the cousins!" Jesse enthused. "And Uncle Jesse and Uncle Benji, because Aunt Beca's gone away. And while she's away, we're going away!"
"Did you pack everything, Daddy?"
"I packed everything, Molly. No need to panic! Daddy is an expert packer, and Daddy is fun. That's why we're going to have fun at the beach!"
"Beach!" Toby hollered excitedly, throwing himself forward in the restraints of his seat.
"Beach!" Jesse agreed, pumping his fist into the air.
They enthusiastically sang along to the radio for the entire first hour of the trip, even Harry looking more enthusiastic about spending the weekend with his cousins (Aubrey and Michael often referred to the four of them as the quads, as little Harry was just shy of a year younger than the triplets and the four of them were inseparable. But for some unknown reason, the younger boy was looking slightly sceptical).
But then it started to rain.
"Hey Uncle Benji", Harry called. "Is it gonna rain all weekend?"
"Of course not, bud", Benji shook his head.
But then the rain started to get heavier, and Jack frowned.
"Daddy, are you sure?"
"It's not going to rain all weekend", Jesse objected.
It was torrential by the time they pulled up to the beach cabin they'd hired for the weekend. But that was okay. They threw the kids onto the porch, pulled the bags out of the car and hightailed into the house.
"Let's just watch a movie while we wait for the rain to settle", Jesse said brightly.
"Good job", Benji chuckled.
"Daddy, is it gonna rain all night?" Molly questioned, folding her arms across her chest.
"Of course not", he shook his head. "Its gonna clear up and we're gonna have a great time playing in the sand tomorrow".
It rained for the rest of the day.
But it didn't really matter, Jesse decided, because they had popcorn and movies to watch and they were going to have a great time at the beach.
And that night, they did. They spent the night tucked under a pile of blankets on the couch, none of them making it to their designated beds.
It was the next morning that the faced a problem.
"Hey Daddy, where are my pants?" Molly questioned, poking through the bag containing all their clothes. "There are lots and lots of dresses but all the pants that are in here are the boys'".
"What? There's pants in there, Molly", he almost chuckled.
(What kind of father didn't pack pants for their daughter?)
But upon taking a better look, he found shorts belonging only to Jack and Toby.
"Huh", he frowned slightly.
"Daddy!" she protested.
"Can't you wear a dress?" he said lamely.
While the boys got changed into shorts and shirts to face the day, Molly changed her pyjamas top for a plain shirt, keeping her purple Tinkerbell pyjamas pants on.
"You're going for Tink today, huh Molls?" Benji chuckled, as he plopped a waffle on her plate.
"Daddy didn't pack any pants. Why, Daddy?"
(If Molly could hold a grudge anything like her mother, he'd be hearing about that for the next forty years.)
The weather that day wasn't particularly sunny. Or even remotely warm.
It kept a constant drizzle from the time they woke up in the morning, to the time they went to bed that night. So Jesse and Benji took them for a walk into the town, making sure they were wearing their coats.
"Where are we goin', Dad?" Toby wanted to know, practically skipping beside his father.
"We're going to find the post office, and then we're going to go and eat lunch out. Because it's a holiday and a holiday treat". He glanced at his kids. "And we can get ice cream too, because a no-pants packing Daddy deserves to be punished".
"Daddy doesn't get ice cream", Benji informed Molly, swinging her hand cheerfully.
Molly nodded looking down at her Tinkerbell pants (which were slightly damp from splashing in the tide).
(So Harry had a reason to be sceptical for coming on their family vacation. Whatever.)
It wasn't the best day they'd ever had, but it certainly wasn't the worst, Jesse reasoned, as he handed Molly the pair of shorts she'd wore in the car on the way to the beach to put on for bed. They were all full of ice cream and happy and they were at the beach, which was ten times better than sitting at home bored (although according to Aubrey, the weather they had at home was beautiful and everyone was using and abusing the pool).
"I wish Mummy was here too", Jack said sleepily, as Jesse pulled the blankets over his shoulder. "Mummy would have fun at the beach".
"We'll come back with Mummy", Jesse promised him. "When Mummy's back from Florida, we'll go the beach with her".
"Am I comin' too?" Harry questioned (because as much as he loved his cousins, he still didn't know how he got to come on that vacation. And as much as Jesse tried to assure him that it was going to be fun, and he was going to enjoy hanging out with his cousins all weekend, he just didn't buy it).
"We'll see, buddy". Jesse laughed, closing the door halfway. "Sleep tight! We've got another day of beach fun ahead of us!"
He and Benji lounged around watching the television for a while, discussing the similarities between that vacation and the camping trip the Bellas and the Trebles took in their sophomore year of college. And much to Jesse's disgust, they found a disturbing amount.
"So it's not our best vacation ever", Jesse reasoned, poking his head in to check on the kids. "But there's a hell of a lot of memories!"
It was then that his phone began to vibrate in his pocket, and he smiled when he saw Beca's name.
"Hey Becs", Jesse said cheerily, holding the phone to his ear as he pulled the blankets back over their sleeping daughter. "How's Florida?"
"Hot. It's hot. And I miss you and the kids. How are you guys?"
"We're going good, good… but somehow the beach missed the memo that it's meant to be sunny. That's alright. We spent today looking for the post office, eating ice cream-"
"Because that's what all good vacations should involve", she almost chuckled.
"And Molly wore her Tinkerbell pyjamas shorts all of today".
She paused. "There's a part of me that wants to ask why and then there's the part of me that has known you since college and is saying 'stop, don't even go there Mitchell'".
"Swanson", Jesse corrected. "And she spent all of breakfast glaring at me".
"What did you do to my baby?"
"You know how we think they should be independent and pack their own bags and such? And then they pack their favourite book and a toy? Well I shoved a bunch of clothes in a bag and maybe possibly slightly forgot to pack her pants. Whatever, she's got plenty of dresses!"
"You forgot to pack pants for your kid? Are you telling me she's spending the weekend splashing in the tide with Tink?"
That was exactly what he was saying. But he wasn't going to tell her that.
"I feel like this is the camping trip all over again".
"You're the one who always tells me not to bring that up, and I can't help but notice Beca Swanson that it's always you bringing that event up", Jesse argued.
She laughed. "Don't have too much fun. I miss you guys".
"they miss you too".
"Probably because I'm a responsible parent and pack my kid pants".
"When has she ever favoured shorts over dresses?"
"Probably because she's always had the option!" and Beca started to giggle again, just like she had when she'd received Benji's message that morning (because her husband wasn't the kind of guy to admit to not packing their daughter pants).
"You're a mean one, Beca Swanson". He frowned slightly, trying to fight the huge smile growing. "We miss you. And not just because you pack properly".
"I miss you too. Kiss my kids for me".
"Also, Harry's completely unsure how he got involved in this trip".
She laughed even harder. "Have fun explaining this to Aubrey!"
(He had to do that. that put a dampen on things. More so than the rain already had.)
Jesse Swanson took a photo with Instagram: What do you do when Mummy's away for the weekend? Grab a cousin and an uncle and head to the beach! (Ignore the look on the short one's face. He's not sure how he got stuck with us) #beach #tripletsplusone #whatsanextrakidwhenyouvegottriplets?