A/N: Monday is MLK Day. So, this is just a little glimpse into how Jane and Maura and their children spent MLK Day. There are activities happening around Boston all weekend to honor Martin Luther King Jr.
MLK Day
Four-year old MJ knocked lightly on his mother's bedroom door at 7 AM and then entered. He walked over to Jane's side of the bed and said, "Mama, mama time to get up. It's MLK Day. We have a documentary to watch." MJ told his mama as he tried to wake her up. "Twins are asleep still. Please wake up." He continued as he rubbed her arm and then shook it gently.
Jane opened one eye and glanced at her son. "Oh, what time is it?"
"It is 7 AM mama, time to get up." MJ said as he shook his mama's arm. Jane rolled over and kissed her wife and said, "Maur, I gave birth to a mini-you I swear." She then turned back to MJ and said, "MJ wake mommy up and then we can watch the documentary together."
"Okay," MJ said and then walked around to Maura's side of the bed and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek and said, "Good morning mommy." Jane raised her head and just glared at him.
"Hey, I didn't get a kiss good morning. What's up with that young man?" Jane questioned MJ. She had snuggled up to and started kissing Maura on the neck in an attempt to help MJ wake her up. She knew Maura couldn't resist her when she was kissing her on the neck.
"Sorry mama." MJ said as he climbed up in the bed and carefully climbed over Maura to give Jane a kiss. He was half on Maura still when Maura opened one of her eyes.
"Is everything okay sweetie?" Maura asked MJ as she turned to face Jane.
"Yes mommy. It's MLK Day and you promised we could watch the documentary. The twins are sleeping so we can watch it without them. They might cry and make it hard to hear." MJ informed his mothers.
"How about we have breakfast first young man." Jane suggested. MJ nodded and hugged his mommy who was still trying to wake up. She hugged him back and they just laid there and snuggled. Jane moved so she could hug both of them.
"Mama, you're squeezing me and making me squish mommy and the baby." MJ said as Jane burst out in laughter. She loved these moments with her family. Maura was seven months pregnant with their fourth child and MJ was so careful around his mommy. He was very protective of her just like Jane.
"Maybe I wanted to squish my family and make a MJ sandwich." Jane said as she began to tickle MJ. MJ was laughing so hard and after a minute his stomach was starting to hurt from the joy of his laughter.
"Mama stop, … stop my stomach … mama … stop." MJ squealed as Jane continued to tickle him. Maura started tickling Jane in response to her not stopping.
"Oh, is that how this is going to be!" Jane exclaimed.
"Jane, you are squishing us." Maura said in between her laughs.
"I know, I know." Jane said as she pulled MJ out of the sandwich and held him up as she rolled off of Maura so that she was now lying on her back. MJ was staring down at his mothers. "You, young man, should have slept in this morning." MJ's legs were dangling down. Jane had her arms fully extended to hold MJ as high as possible.
"But it's MLK Day and we have things to do, this isn't a day off, you said it is a day on." MJ told Jane.
"Yes, it is and we need to take the books we bought for the Prison Book Program to them before lunch. Should we wake the twins?" Jane asked.
"No mama, we need to watch the documentary before they wake up. They are noisy and they make it hard for me to hear what is being said." MJ told his mother.
"Oh, you think they are noisy. Do you know that you use to talk while your mother and I were trying to watch TV before the twins were born?" Jane asked as MJ made a questioning face at her.
"But I was curious and wanted you to answer my questions. You could pause the recording to answer my question." MJ stated as Maura was silently laughing at their conversation. MJ had this all figured out, she was wondering how Jane was going to get out of this one.
"True, but when our show is on, we should wait until there is a commercial." Jane said as she looked so seriously at MJ.
"There were no commercials mama, and you know that. You just didn't want me to talk while your show was on, but you talk during my shows all the time." MJ responded. Maura had to put her hand over her mouth to stop from being heard laughing so hard at MJ's response. She got up and went into the bathroom but left the door open so she could hear two of her favorite people continue their discussion. She had to use the bathroom already as the extra weight on top of her from Jane and MJ had shifted her bladder and then the baby shifted and pushed even more against her bladder.
Jane tossed MJ down on the bed and said, "Listen here young man, I think we better go make some breakfast and start the documentary. Your brother and sister will wake up soon and then we'll have to stop the documentary and tend to them, so how about we go downstairs while mommy is in the bathroom and get our day started."
"That is what I have been trying to get you to do mama. Let's go, you are wasting valuable time." MJ grabbed his mother's hand and pulled her out of bed. Jane pulled back a little and picked him up and tossed him into the air and caught him and jumped on the bed with him right as Maura walked out of the bathroom.
"You two know that you are not supposed to jump on the bed, what am I going to do with you?" Maura said as she mocked anger. She was standing there in her bathrobe with her hands on her hips. Her hair was tied back into a sloppy bun and she didn't have any makeup on.
MJ had heard this conversation before and he knew just what to say, "You are going to love us with all of your heart forever and ever." MJ replied with a large smile on his face just like his mama with his dimples showing.
Maura smiled and walked over and kissed them and then shooed them off the bed. "Go downstairs and make my breakfast please."
"So bossy this morning!" Jane exclaimed as she gave Maura a kiss on the cheek.
"You know it, now please go and make breakfast, were hungry." Maura said as she swatted her on the butt on her way out of the room. Jane was carrying MJ so she couldn't swat her back.
"I'll get you later for that little swat on my butt." Jane said as she winked at Maura on her way out of the bedroom.
"Promises, promises." Maura said as she walked to the closet to select her clothes for the day.
Maura had chose a one-hour PBS documentary to watch with MJ entitled 'The March.' 'The March' is a documentary on Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This was where he had given his 'I Have A Dream' speech at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. She printed out the three-page glossary of terms and worksheets for the documentary and was prepared to have a lengthy discussion with MJ and Jane on the documentary.
She, like MJ, was hoping they could finish watching the documentary before the twins woke up. They were 45 minutes into the documentary when one of the twins started making noise. Jane knew once one started the other was soon to follow.
The twins were one and half years old and almost ready to move into toddler beds but Jane and Maura had decided to leave them in their cribs until they were two years old. They didn't want them crawling out of bed and venturing around the house unsupervised, it was bad enough that MJ could do that. MJ was careful and never went down the stairs without one of his mothers.
Jane paused the documentary and said, "I'll get the twins, you two continue the documentary." She got up and went upstairs to deal with the twins. They were both awake now and standing up in their cribs just chatting away with each other. They smiled when Jane walked in. AJ said, "Mama." Jane smiled. She loved her children so much.
Once Jane left the room, Maura hit play and continued to watch the documentary with MJ. He was fascinated with learning and Maura tried to encourage that. Last year for MLK Day she had played portions of his "I Have a Dream" speech and they discussed it and then listened to more and continued doing that until they finished the speech. Maura had downloaded a work packet to talk to your children about Civil Rights and worked through the packet with MJ. Even though MJ was younger than the age for the packet she discussed it with him because he was intelligent and he understood what she was telling him.
They finished the documentary and began working on the worksheets when Jane came back downstairs with Lily and AJ. Maura put the worksheets aside and started telling Jane about MLK, "Did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr. thought of Boston as his second home?"
"Wait, what? I didn't know that. Why would he consider Boston his second home?" Jane asked as she sat the twins in their high chairs so she could feed them their breakfast. MJ had gone to the pantry and pulled out the Cheerios to help Jane.
"He met his wife, Coretta Scott King, while attending Boston University where he earned his PhD in Theology. He was an associate minister at the Twelfth Baptist Church." Maura said answering Jane's questions.
"I knew they had murals of them in Roxbury I guess I never knew the background of why the murals were there. I just assumed that they were honoring him. Lots of cities have streets and buildings named after people to honor them." Jane said. "He has had such a great impact in regards to Civil Rights. That is why I want to make sure we do things to help on this day, keeping with the 'a day on not a day off' campaign."
"Yes, when the children are older, we can have them volunteer as well. This year I am just not able to do too much. Maybe we can find something we can do as a family for next year. I think the 50 books we are donating to the 'Prison Book Program' will benefit some prisoners. I think it is great that a program like this exists. It supports the prisoners educational, vocational and personal development in an effort to help them avoid returning to prison after their release." Maura stated.
"MJ did you enjoy the documentary on Martin Luther King Jr.?" Jane asked her oldest son.
"Yes mama, I did, mommy downloaded the lesson plan and we watched the documentary and then discussed the questions from the lesson plan. She said I did a great job of comprehending how Dr. King influenced people in the Civil Rights movement. It is sad that someone killed him though." MJ told his mother.
"Yes, he did a great job. He understood the lesson and we agreed we are going to watch the other documentaries about Dr. King. He wants to learn more about the Civil Rights movement, so we are going to continue to watch and learn. I told him about our trip to Atlanta and how we went to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. He asked if we can take him there after he finishes all the documentaries and worksheets associated with the documentaries." Maura said.
"See I told you I gave birth to a mini-you." Jane laughed as she walked over and hugged Maura. "MJ is that true, you want to go to Atlanta and see the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights?" Jane asked MJ.
"Yes mama. I want to learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. I want to learn and know as much as mommy about the struggles that he fought to change." MJ answered.
"You are quite the smart young man." Jane told MJ.
"I want to be smarter. Martin Luther King Jr. was a very important man and I want to learn more about him and what he fought to change. Mommy still knows more than me so I need to catch up." MJ stated and Jane smiled at how determined their son was to learn and be like his mommy.
"Okay, how about next year for MLK Day we go to Atlanta and visit his birthplace and his first church and see his memorial as well as visit the National Center for Civil and Human Rights." Jane suggested.
MJ smiled and answered, "Really, that would be great mama." AJ had finished his cereal and threw his bowl on the floor by MJ. "AJ, you shouldn't throw your bowl to me. I would have come over and gotten it from you."
AJ just smiled and said, "Done MJ, done." MJ picked up the bowl and took it over to the sink. Jane unfastened the twins' highchairs.
Maura told Jane, "Looks like I gave birth to a mini-you."
Jane just smirked at Maura and took the twins upstairs to get them changed. Lily was wrapped around her and hanging onto her neck while AJ was acting like he was flying. He was attached to Jane's hip as she walked upstairs.
It was time to take the books that they were donating to the 'Prison Book Program' volunteer office. With Maura's pregnancy they were not volunteering this year. They would volunteer for double the hours next year once they had secured a sitter for the children. MJ was correct when he said it is a 'Day On, not a Day Off.' Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been designated as a National Day of Service. Jane and Maura had been volunteering for a minimum of six hours each year on MLK Day at the Prisoner Book Program office.
After MJ was born, they took him until the twins were born. Then Angela watched all three children. With Maura being pregnant this year they told the volunteer coordinator that they would volunteer more hours next year. For this year their donated books would just have to be enough of a service.
They knew the prisoners would appreciate them. Maura had taken the time to search the wish list for books that would help the prisoners rehabilitate themselves. She selected books like, 'Beyond Bars: Rejoining Society After Prison,' and 'The Ex-Offender's Quick Job-Hunting Guide: The 10 Sequential Steps to Re-Entry Success.' She also selected a few fun books that some of the prisoners had requested, like word search and crossword puzzle books. She enjoyed reading and that is why she asked Jane if they could volunteer with this program. They both loved giving back to their community and wanted to teach the children to do the same.