Aleisa was drying the dishes when she heard stomping of feet and little grumbles of displeasure behind her. She turned her head and frowned curiously at Adara who was grouchily making her way over towards the kitchen table. Adara huffed in displeasure before plopping herself down into a chair, crossing her arms over her chest. Aleisa quietly finished her work and walked over towards her daughter who was glaring at the table.
"What's wrong dearest?" she inquired, taking a seat next to the blonde girl.
"I'm tired of brothers." Adara moped, still glaring at the table. Aleisa's eyebrows rose in amusement.
"And why is that?" Adara looked up at her mother thoughtfully. She remained quiet, content to wait until her daughter was ready to talk. After a few moments of silence, Adara loosened her arms and relaxed back into the chair.
"John doesn't want to have a tea party with me, and Teddy doesn't play the right way. He's too rough and messes it all up." She lamented. Aleisa nodded and reached over to smooth her daughter's hair down comfortingly.
"I'm sorry sweetie. John is just at that age where he's busy being a tough guy and Teddy is 5, honey. He is in his own little world." She explained. Adara nodded, but it was obvious that the information wasn't making her feel better. Aleisa pursed her lips in thought.
"How about you and I have ourselves a girl's day out?" almost instantly Adara's eyes widened in delight.
"Really?"
"Sure, why not? It's still fairly early and your father is home all day." Aleisa grinned down at her. Adara grinned even wider and wrapped her arms around her mother. Aleisa laughed at her daughter's excitement, making sure to keep the two of them upright amidst Adara's enthusiasm.
"Go get dressed and I'll let the boys know we are leaving." Adara nodded in agreement and bolted out of the room. Aleisa sat and listened to the racket she made as she ran up the stairs to her room. Shaking her head she stood and made her way through the house towards Peter's office. She found him inside, bent over the table as he looked over some plans. She knocked on the open door, getting his attention. Peter turned and smiled at her in greeting.
"Am I interrupting anything?" she asked, glancing at the blueprints on his desk.
"Not at all, why?" he turned to face her fully as she walked in.
"Adara is getting a bit tired of having only boys to socialize with at home. So, I'm giving her a break and we're going to have a girl's day out." Peter nodded, pausing when he noticed the thoughtful grin on his wife's face.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked warily. Aleisa shrugged.
"I was just thinking that this would be a good time for you boys to spend some quality time together." She suggested. Peter frowned thoughtfully.
"Doing what?" he asked. His wife rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Anything that boys do. What about working on that table that's half done in the shed outside? John's been chomping at the bit to help you with some carpentry and Teddy will do anything you do." She suggested. Peter nodded, a grin slowly growing on his face.
"I think I can manage that." He agreed. The sound of someone coming down the stairs caught their attention.
"Mum I'm ready! Where are we going first?" Adara called excitedly. Aleisa chuckled and walked over to press kiss to Peter's cheek.
"Well that's my que, good luck with the boys here." She grinned. Peter laughed and followed her out of the room, into the living area where their daughter was waiting. John looked up from his book and frowned at them.
"Where are you and Dara going?" he asked in confusion. Aleisa wrapped her arm around Adara.
"We are having a girl's day in town. So I'm thinking the salon, some clothing shops…" John blanched at the idea, causing the girls to giggle at his reaction.
"Don't worry, you'll be here with me and Teddy doing man stuff." Peter supplied, putting emphasis on the 'man stuff'. John turned to look at him.
"Is it going to be fun?" Peter gasped in mock offense.
"My own son doubts me. Of course it's going to be fun." He insisted with a grin.
"Well you boys have fun doing….man stuff….we shall be back after a while." Aleisa snickered, leading the blonde out the door and waving to those left behind.
...
Once the door had shut John stood and looked to his father expectantly.
"So what's this 'man stuff' you had in mind?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Peter grinned.
"How about you and I finish that table that's been sitting in the shed for weeks?" he suggested. John smiled.
"Really? That would be great. Now you can finally show me how to make stuff like that." He beamed, already turning towards to leave the room. Peter watched his son proudly, glad he was eager to participate in his profession.
"Sure thing. Let me just grab your brother." Not long after John had set the supplies out, Peter made his way outside with a squealing Teddy draped over his shoulder.
"Daddy! Put me down!" the boy giggled hysterically, his squealing increasing as Peter bounced his son. Reaching the shed Peter dramatically swung the boy off his shoulders and plopped him on the grass just beside it. Teddy rolled on the ground laughing in delight. John smirked and let out a small laugh at his brother. Peter clapped his hands together.
"Alright, let's get started shall we? I have no clue when your mother plans to be home so might as well try and get this done earlier." John nodded, already reaching out to pick up some tools he would need. He blinked in thought, glancing at the sharp objects.
"Hey dad? What is Teddy going to do? No offense but I don't think it would be a good idea to let him help very much." John pointed out. Teddy heard his brother and gasped in outrage.
"I want to help!" he shouted, refusing to be left out. Peter held up a finger, already having a plan. He reached back and picked up a plank of wood. Taking a moment to hammer in some nails halfway he put the wood in front of Teddy. The little boy beamed in delight as his father handed him a very small hammer. Peter knelt down next to him and stared at the boy seriously.
"Now Teddy, this is a grownup tool so you need to be very careful when you hammer the nails. Can you do that for me?" Peter asked. Teddy nodded as seriously as a five-year-old possibly could. Holding the hammer with both hands he carefully began pounding away at the pieces of metal, determined to finish his task. Peter stood and winked at his older son before reaching over for some of his carving tools.
"Now watch carefully. I'm going to work on the first leg then I'll leave you to the rest…" Peter instructed as John eagerly came to stand next to his father.
...
Aleisa parked their car in the driveway just as the sun was starting to set. She looked over at her daughter and reached out to gently caress one of her new curls.
"I really like what they did with your hair. It makes you look so grown up." Adara beamed at the compliment, shyly reaching up to tug at it herself.
"Thanks, I really like it too." She grinned. As the two exited the vehicle they turned to pick up the bags of items they had bought on their day out.
"Mum, thank you for today. Do you think we can do it again soon?" Adara questioned, shutting the door. Aleisa grinned.
"I think that can be arranged. After all you're not the only one who can use a break from having boys around." She chuckled.
"What about Daddy? I'm sure he's much nicer than John and Teddy." Adara pointed out with a frown. Aleisa rose her brow.
"For the most part. Then there are the times when I wonder if he's sane or not. It's just a boy thing I've come to learn. They tend to all be the same." Aleisa and Adara giggled as they entered the house, only to pause as they stared at the sight that greeted them. Along the couch sat all three boys, arms crossed, heads tilted back and mouths slightly open as they slept soundly. Aleisa grinned in amusement at the sight.
"Wow…all boys really are the same." Adara muttered with a giggle. Aleisa looked down at her daughter and grinned.
"More than you know sweetie." She hummed.