"Okay, how does Mama do parking lots exactly?" Stef asked as she helped the kids out of the car. The kids found their way to the formation Lena liked. "Perfect! Let's try it." The kids obeyed. Stef found that it indeed worked, but it took forever to make it to the door as they all had to move as slow as the slowest walker. "Mariana, can you move any faster?"
"No, Mommy."
When they finally made it in the store Stef looked over their cart choices and selected a normal one. "I am going to put Jude up here in the front and Mariana in the back."
"Mama gets us the one with the car. It holds two kids." Brandon said holding up two fingers. "Then Jesus or Callie rides in the back."
"I don't ride in the back. I hold on to the side and walk just like you, B!" Callie said sticking her tongue out at her brother.
"Your tongue is for something else, Bug, I would hate to see it get cut off." Stef commented to the horrified Callie who promptly put her tongue back in her mouth. "As for the carts, we are just going to get one thing. I think all three of you can hold on to the side without trouble."
They started heading toward the toys. Stef pulled out her phone and took a picture to send to Lena of how well everything was going. She quickly got a text back. "See, you are a great mom, they are all doing super well! I would have switched Jesus for Mariana. She moves slower, but she isn't prone to wandering off. However, it looks like you have control over the situation. Tell them I love them!"
Stef did have this she thought. All the way over to the toys she felt like she was doing great. When the family arrived to the aisle where the small pools were located, Jesus and Callie let go of the basket.
"Okay, Babies, I was thinking about one of these ones that has sort of hard sides. They are a little deeper than the ones that have to be inflated. This one has colorful fish on the outside. What do you think?"
"Princesses!" Mariana fairly shouted pointing at a small inflatable pool with princess on it.
"Yes, but that is a little pool. We need a bigger one that everyone would like. I think the fish one would be the best." Stef picked up the box to read the dimensions. "Yes, it is eighteen inches deep, that's good…."
Brandon and Jesus, in the meantime, found an inflatable pool that had a slide. "This is the one, Mommy! So fun!" Jesus yelled hopping all around. "I want the slide!"
"No, I am pretty sure this fish one is the best deal. It won't get popped and it is bigger. It is also a little less expensive."
Mariana kept pointing at the princesses and the boys kept pointing at the one with a slide. Stef all the sudden realized that Callie was the only one without an opinion which was odd. She looked around the aisle for a moment. "Where is Callie?"
Brandon shrugged his shoulders. "She probably went to look at something else. Sometimes when Mama brings us to the toys to look, she lets us go one aisle over from where she is."
"Well, this mommy doesn't." Stef peeked around the corner to the next aisle and saw Callie looking at puzzles. "Please, come back over her, Bug. I don't want you out of my sight."
"But Mommy!" Callie said, but stopped when she received a glare. She walked back over to Stef and they went back to the pools.
"Let's put the fish pool into the cart and go home."
"No, princesses!" "Slide, Mommy!" The twins yelled at the same time with Brandon and Callie sort of standing between them.
"I want a bigger pool. These ones seem small…" Callie whined looking over the selection.
"They are small, but if we get the one I want it will be bigger than most of the ones here." Stef explained. Callie seemed to understand the logic although she looked at the picture wearily. "Yes, this is definitely it." Stef set the pool on its end to give Mariana the most space possible. "Let's go, Babies."
"We want to look at the other toys, Mommy. How about you just drive the cart down the aisles? We won't touch anything." Brandon promised.
"I guess that couldn't hurt. No one lets go of the cart." Stef slowed down the pace to allow the kids to see the toys they longed to see. "I think we own like half of these already." She commented under her breath. Between the grandparents' regular gifts they sent, birthdays, and Christmas Stef felt like their house was bursting with toys.
When they turned down the Barbie and doll aisle, Brandon pretended to shield his eyes from the pink glow. "I hate this aisle, Mommy." He complained. "Maybe I could go to the next one and wait?"
"Nope. Today we are staying all together." Once again she counted heads when she realized Jesus was not objecting. "Has anyone seen Jesus?"
"He is still looking at the cars on the last row." Callie said casually as she looked at clothes that would fit her Jude.
"Well, I am going to go get him." Stef said once again going around a corner to find one of the kids. Jesus was a little harder to dislodge from the shelf he had climbed to get to the toy he wanted to see. Stef wrangled him down. "Remember, Mommy wants us all to stay together today. We are over here right now."
Stef carried Jesus to the edge of the pink aisle. "No! Only girl toys! I am a boy!"
"You are a boy, but don't let your mama hear that you are calling these things girl toys. She says that anyone can play with any toy." Stef rolled her eyes at this statement a little as neither one of her older sons would ever be caught playing with hardly anything on this aisle. "You sometimes like to play with your sisters' dolls, right?"
Jesus nodded a little. "Not so pink. Boys hate pink."
"Not always. Anyway, we are ready to go to the next aisle anyway. Come on Babies, hold on to the cart so we can go together."
Mariana inside the card started to cry a little. "Not done!"
"Sorry, Miss Thing, we really aren't staying longer today. You can come back another day and look again." Stef then realized Callie was missing again. "Did anyone see which direction Callie went?"
"That way!" Jesus yelled taking off in the direction he pointed.
"Those two get trapped in the cart. Mama doesn't like chasing them in the store." Brandon said with another shrug.
"I can see that. We are going to first go the direction of Jesus. I sort of know where he went so far. Then we will look for Callie." Stef drove the cart down the next aisle and found Jesus at the other end running again. She chased him down and stuffed him into the back of the cart with his twin. The fit was extremely tight with them and the pool.
"Now, I don't see Callie this way. Maybe we should try back the other way? Surely she didn't get too far." Stef drove up and down the toy aisles, but Callie was nowhere to be seen. "What else does Bug like to look at, B? If she left toys where would she go?" Stef asked feeling quite annoyed.
"I don't know. Bug always likes the toys just like me."
Stef saw a store associate and approached him with her brood. "I am looking for my five year old daughter. She wandered off while we are at the toys. She is about this tall with brown hair and brown eyes. She dislikes strangers. Have you seen her?"
"No, but I will radio security. They can find her on the cameras." The boy picked up this walkie-talkie. "I have a mother looking for a five year old girl. Last seen in toys."
"There is a little girl who seems to be alone in frozen foods. Send the mother that direction." Security answered.
"I am sure you heard that. Frozen foods is just over there."
"Thank you very much." Stef said as she took the rest of the kids toward frozen food. Callie was there and was looking kind of scared. For a brief moment, Callie's face showed she was relieved when she saw her mother coming. Then, it was replaced with guilt. Stef lifted Mariana out of the basket. "You can hold onto the side. Callie needs in here. Come on, Bug." Callie cautiously walked over there. Stef picked her up. "We are going to discuss this more at home, not here." Stef said in her ear as she placed her in the cart.
Jesus and Callie felt quite squished, but Callie had the sense to say nothing. "Mommy, I need out." Jesus said trying to stand up.
"No sir. We are checking out and then I will get you out. Do not stand up in the basket." Jesus recognized the tone in Stef's voice and sat.
The family checked out and Stef decided to take the basket to the van keeping Jesus and Callie trapped a little longer. Stef helped each kids into the car and put the pool in between the middle seats before taking the cart over a few parking spaces to the cart carousel. When she got back to the car, she shut the door and then climbed in. The van was strangely quiet.
"Is everyone okay back there?" Stef asked after a few minutes.
"Yes…" Brandon answered in a noncommittal tone.
"Callie? Are you okay Lady Bug?"
"No." Stef glanced back using her rearview mirror and saw Callie start to cry.
"What happened, Buggy? There is no need for you to cry."
"I told Mama that today was going to be a better day. Then I ran off in the store and now you are going to spank me and I won't get to go swimming." Callie said between sobs. "If I don't get to go no one will."
"Today has been a better day so far. I don't think I said anything about not swimming, where did you get that idea?"
"Brandon said so. He said Jesus and me make him and Mariana miss out on everything. I am trying to be good, Mommy. I promise. I don't want to make everyone sad."
Stef glanced into the rearview mirror again to see Brandon trying to duck down in his seat a little. "Is that true, Brandon? Is that what you said while I was gone?"
He sighed. "Not really exactly like that…. I just said that if they had been better yesterday we would have watched a movie and they might ruin swimming for us, too. I didn't mean to make Callie cry, she is still my best friend and sister."
"That she is B." Stef thought for a moment about the situation before she did anything else. "Callie running off in the store is not going to change swimming for anyone. I will deal with that situation when we get home. We will have lunch, naps, and then swimming. Now, I do have a problem with what you are saying. You need to apologize to your brother and sister. When we get home you will need to spend some time thinking about your words. If you cannot be nicer, it will be you out of swimming and no one else. Do you understand, Brandon?"
"Yes, ma'am. I am sorry." He said to no one in particular in a non-sincere voice. He really wasn't sorry for what he said. He was annoyed by both Jesus and Callie right now. Brandon should have realized Callie would tell.
"We will try that apology again after your time out." Stef said pulling up at their house. She got Jude out and helped the others as she grabbed the pool. As she unlocked the door and let the kids in, she spoke to them again. "Jesus and Mariana, I am going to turn on an episode of Sesame Street for you and Jude. Brandon, go sit on your bed. Callie, up to my room."
Stef was thankful for the time to get the three youngest settled before dealing with the other two. All the way up the stairs Stef debated which child she should talk to first. Finally she decided Callie since her offense was first. She walked into her room to find Callie sitting at the foot of the large bed rather than snuggled on the pillow the way the little girl liked.
"Hi, Mommy." Callie said still looking at the floor.
"Hi. Do you know why you are in trouble with me?"
"Yes, I ran off in the store. You told me not to and I did it anyway." Callie answered clearly, but still looking down.
"Look at me, Baby." Stef sat down on the bed next to Callie and gently touched the girl's face. "Did you know that I love you very much?"
"Yes, Mommy." Callie was still crying a little. Stef asked her that before both previous spankings and it was not reassuring.
Stef pulled the little girl on her lap and held her tight. "Today was a little bit my fault, too." Callie looked back at her mom with a slightly brightened expression as these words did not sound like she was in so much trouble after all. "It's true. The first time you ran off I should have put you in the cart. It is difficult to be a mommy to five and sometimes I think Mama does a better job." Stef confessed as she held Callie.
Callie didn't completely understand Stef, but thought this might be another one of their secrets. "I can be a better helper. I like having days with you, Mommy."
Stef kissed her on the head. "I like the time with you, too. You are growing so fast. Before I know it, all my babies will be grown up and I won't be able to hold any of you on my lap like this." Stef realized she needed to shift the conversation back. "Now, running off from me or from your mama is not okay. Do you know that?"
"Yes, Mommy. I know. I stay with an adult because I am little. Someone could snatch me or I could get hurt. Mommies worry when their babies are missing." Callie quoted off.
"All of those things, yes. Next time you are in a store with Mama or me you are going into the back of the cart for the entire trip. No arguments." Stef said picked Callie up off her lap and standing her up in front of her.
"No spanking?" Callie asked with a small grin.
Stef playfully swatted Callie's bottom and got a little giggle from the girl. "Nope. Go join your little brothers and sisters. Learn something."
Callie went towards the door, but paused and turned a little. "I love you, Mommy,"
"Love you, too, Bug." Stef said standing up to gear herself to talk to Brandon. Stef watched Callie run down the stairs before knocking on Brandon's door. "Hey, B."
"Hi, Mommy."
"So, you are really fond of telling me what Mama would do. What would Mama do if she heard what you said about your brother and sister?"
"She would put her head in her hands and call you. That's what Mama does when she doesn't know what do to with Callie."
"Really?" Stef asked with a little surprise. Lena had told her last night that they were in this together, but until it came out of Brandon's mouth she still thought Lena always had everything together. "In that case, we are going to call Mama."
XXXXX
Stef got everyone down for a nap and set the pool up. She knew she still had a little time and was feeling hot and sweaty. This looked like a good time for a shower since she was basically alone. On her way, she peeked into each room to see everyone sleeping, even Brandon. Calling Lena had been a good idea. After talking to her, he had apologized properly to both Jesus and Callie. All was forgiven. They had played hard the rest of the morning and gotten themselves are all worn out.
The shower felt great. Stef realized that with taking care of the kids, she had not taken time for a shower since Lena left. This was definitely something she needed. Stepping out, she saw she once again had a visitor. "Hello, Bug." Stef said grabbing once again for her towel. "I really need to get a lock for this door." She said under her breath.
"Hello, Mommy. I thought it was swimming time so I came in here to wait for you. Is it?"
"Not quite yet. We are going to wait until everyone is up." Callie quickly jumped up from her spot. "Wait! We are going to wait until everyone is done with their naps naturally without waking them."
Callie sat back down. "Oh. How come Brandon got to talk to Mama and I didn't?"
"Sometimes, when Mama is here and both of you get in trouble, you get to talk to me and B doesn't, right?"
Callie thought. "Yes. Because Mama says she doesn't even know what to do with me. We call you and you talk to Mama and then me."
"Well, that's like what happened with Brandon. I know that you have heard that we are a lot alike. B is a little more like Mama. Sometimes I need a little help because I don't know what to do with him, just like Mama doesn't know what do to with you. That's why you have two parents." Stef explained understanding more herself also.
"Oh. Mommy?"
"Yes, Baby."
"Mike is a boy like Brandon, right?"
"Yes, like Brandon, Jesus, and Jude. They are all boys just like Mari, Mama, you and I are all girls."
Callie nodded and thought for a few moments. "It takes a boy and a girl to make a baby and that's how you made Brandon? Did you have private times with him like you do with Mama where you love each other?"
Stef blushed, but remembered Lena saying to always answer honestly. "Yes. Before I was married to Mama, I was married to Mike. We did have times like that, yes. That's how we got B."
"Hmm. Can we call Mike and invite him over?"
"Not today, Bug, he is working nights and trying to sleep today. Why do you ask?"
"I thought you could love each other and we could have another baby."
Stef looked at Callie horrified. "No, we only have those types of private moments with people we love and are committed to. I don't love Mike like that anymore."
"Maybe Mama could find someone like that so that we could have a baby in her tummy?" Callie asked sort of seeing that Mike was off limits.
"Mama and I are married. Just like she said that we only kiss each other that way, we also only love each other that way."
"Oh. A teacher at school said Mama didn't like boys. I told them she did. She loves my brothers, right?"
"Right. The teacher was probably more referring to the way Mama and I love each other. The adult sort of love rather than how we love all of you. It is different."
Callie nodded again. "Yes. You don't ever grab my bottom when you kiss me…"
"No, I don't. I do sometimes swat your bottom, though." Stef said taking a little swipe at her daughter and changing the subject.
"You are silly, Mommy!" Callie said leaving the room. "I think I hear Jesus. I will tell him we aren't getting a baby. He was wondering before…"
"Tell him if he has questions he can ask Mama when she comes home tomorrow." Stef said as Callie left the room without shutting the door.
XXXX
The pool was a big hit. Stef had slathered all the kids in sunscreen and they played outside for most of the afternoon. Stef heated up one of the dinners Lena left and they all watched a movie before going to bed. This time everyone settled in their own beds happily.
