Lorelai walked into the house after work and was greeted by all four kids screaming for her. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the front door and took several deep breaths. It was hard to believe that a month earlier she was begging the twins to say mama and now she was wishing all of the kids would stop saying her name. Since Ben and Liam had started talking, Jess and Rory had reverted to calling their parents mama and dada, which was making Lorelai feel as if the soundtrack of her life had become a constant refrain of small children screeching, "Mama, mama, mama."

"I'll be right there," she called out to them, hoping they would quiet down while they waited for her. After quickly kicking off her shoes, she hurried toward the living room and intercepted Jess and Rory along the way. Picking them up, she asked, "Hey, guys, where are you running off to?"

"To see you, Mama," Jess replied, hugging her neck.

"Mama, guess what," demanded Rory.

"What?"

"Kinduh-garden's almost over."

"I know."

"Guess what else."

"No, Rory," howled Jess. "I wanna tell Mama."

"I'm already telling her."

Lorelai took another deep breath. "Can you tell me together?"

"I guess," Jess and Rory whined in unison.

"We get to graduate," started Rory.

"And we get to party," finished Jess.

"And there's a picnic."

"On M'orial Day."

"Wow!" exclaimed Lorelai as they entered the living room. "That's going to be a lot of fun. Have you told Daddy?"

From where he was sitting on the floor, Luke looked up at them and confirmed, "They told me. In excruciating detail."

Any further discussion of kindergarten graduation and Memorial Day picnics was effectively cut off by Ben and Liam when they resumed calling Lorelai's name. They had been standing on either side of Luke and holding his hands for balance while they bounced around him, but when they noticed Lorelai, they let go of his hands and began to toddle over to her, crying, "Mama! Mama! Mama!"

Lorelai sank to her knees and set Jess and Rory down. She held out her arms to catch the twins and, as they fell against her chest, she said, "Hi, babies." Gathering them close, she stood up and carried them deeper into the room. She sat down next to Luke and relaxed her hold on the twins.

Soon all four kids were crawling all over Luke and Lorelai. Rory climbed up Luke's back and fell over his shoulder. He was barely able to catch her before her head hit the floor. Flipping her over, he set her in his lap and asked, "Are you okay?"

Rory's voice was shaky as she answered, "Yes, Dada."

"You need to be more careful."

"Okay, I will," promised Rory. She immediately started climbing up Luke's chest and onto his shoulders.

Luke grunted when she dug her toes into his ribs. "That didn't last long."

"At least you got a short break," Lorelai pointed out.

Looking over at her, Luke saw Jess laying heavily against her back and the twins crawling across her lap. Ben and Liam were tumbling over each other and landing roughly on Lorelai's stomach. "Do you want me to take one of them?"

"Why bother? They'll just come back. You know, nobody warned me that being a parent involved so much time being used as a human jungle gym."

"Nobody told me either. How was the rest of your day?"

"You mean before I became a human jungle gym? It was quiet. Very peaceful. People spoke to me in a normal volume. I didn't have to listen to anyone scream my name eight million times. It was great. What about yours?"

"Pretty much the same. Until Taylor came in to complain about my sign again."

"He's not going to give up unless you change the sign."

"That's never going to happen."

"Then he's going to continue to annoy you until one of you drops dead."

"It's going to be him because I'm going to kill him! I almost threw a frying pan at his head today!"

"First, if you ever do that, please let me be there. Second, calm down. I can feel your blood pressure rising from here."

"I can't help it. He just makes me so angry! Between dealing with Taylor and being used as playground equipment, I don't even feel like cooking dinner."

Lorelai tilted her head to one side and smiled mischievously. "Does that mean we can order pizza?"

The excited squeals of the older kids startled the twins. Ben recovered quickly, but Liam burst into tears. Rory rushed over to him and kissed his head. "It's okay, Liam," she whispered softly, hugging him close. "We're sorry. We didn't mean to scare you."

While Rory comforted Liam, Jess wrapped his arms round Luke's neck and begged, "Please, Daddy. Pretty, pretty please."

"Fine," groaned Luke. "As long as one is a veggie pizza."

Lorelai's nose wrinkled in disgust. "That's not pizza. That's a salad."

"You don't have to eat it, but I don't want to eat your poison pie."

"I'll order it, but my pizza is not the one that can be classified as poison."

"Maybe I'll change my mind and make us all a salad."

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at Luke and said, "Quick, Jess, go get the phone."

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When the doorbell rang, Jess and Rory dropped their toys and ran out of the living room. Rory yelled, "Pizza's here, Mama!"

"Wait for a grown up," Luke called, scrambling to his feet and hurrying after them.

While Luke paid the delivery man, Lorelai carried Ben and Liam into the kitchen and settled them in their highchairs. It wasn't long before Luke guided Jess and Rory into the kitchen. They were each carrying one of the three boxes of pizza and the kids were concentrating very hard on keeping their boxes level. Lorelai walked over to them and asked Jess and Rory, "Can I help you with those?"

Jess shook his head. "No, Mama. We can do it."

Lorelai stepped aside to give them space to move past her and watched as they carefully made their way over to the counter. She didn't move until they had safely crossed the kitchen without dropping any of the pizzas on the floor. When Luke had taken the pizza boxes back from the kids and set them on the counter, Lorelai quickly grabbed some plates, so that she could help Luke dish up everyone's dinner.

Once everyone was seated around the kitchen table, Lorelai tried to resurrect the conversation that Jess and Rory had initiated when she had first gotten home. "What exactly happens at a kindergarten graduation?"

"After lunch on the last day of school, there's a short ceremony in their classroom followed by a party."

"With cupcakes," interjected Jess.

"I put the letter from their teacher on the fridge. It has all the details."

Glancing over her shoulder, Lorelai saw that there was a piece of bright yellow paper stuck to the front of the fridge that hadn't been there that morning. "I'll read it after dinner."

"You gotta come, Mama," insisted Rory, her voice climbing an octave as her anxiety increased.

"Don't worry, Rory. Daddy and I will both be there."

Relieved, Rory sighed, "Good."

"Yes, it's very good," agreed Lorelai. "Now, who can tell me about this Memorial Day picnic?"

"There's actually a bunch of events that take place over the entire holiday weekend," Luke clarified. "The teacher put that information in the letter too."

"Are you going to go to any of the events with us willingly? Or will I have to drag you along kicking and screaming?"

The twins babbled as if they were answering their mother, but very few of their words recognizable. Luke waited for them to quiet down so he could respond. However, they didn't stop chattering and Luke had to raise his voice slightly in order to be heard over them. "Jess and Rory already roped me into going to the picnic on Monday."

"Great! What else are we going to do?"

"What do you mean what else? Isn't the picnic enough?"

"Not when there's a whole weekend of events. I think we should go to all of them. How fun would that be?"

"None at all."

Lorelai scowled at Luke. "Party pooper."

"You can call me whatever you want. I can only take so much of this town's crazy celebrations. Is there anything they won't celebrate?"

"They do love a party, so you might as well join the fun. I'm even letting you pick the events we go to."

A devious grin appeared on Jess' face. "I know what Dada wants to do."

"You do?" Lorelai gasped, turning toward Jess and leaning closer to him.

"Uh huh."

"Don't do it, Jess," Luke warned.

"Tell me! Tell me!" encouraged Lorelai. "What does Daddy want to do?"

"Play baseball."

Lorelai looked at Luke suspiciously and raised one eyebrow. "Play baseball, huh?"

Rolling his eyes, Luke explained, "He means softball. There's a softball game on Saturday morning."

"Ooooh! I finally get to see Butch Danes in action."

Lorelai's obvious enthusiasm brought shrieks of delight from Ben and Liam. When they'd stopped shrieking and resumed speaking their high-speed gibberish, Luke told Lorelai, "You won't get to see anything if you keep calling me that."

"Yeah, right," snorted Lorelai. She asked the kids, "Who's excited to see Daddy play baseball?"

"Me!" crowed Jess, raising his hand.

Not to be out done by her brother, Rory waived her hand wildly over her head. "Me too."

The twins didn't understand the question, but that didn't stop them from chanting, "Dada, Dada, Dada!"

Smiling at Luke, Lorelai said, "We can't wait to see you be all sporty and athletic."

"I guess I better win."

"Just do your best, Dada."

"Thanks, Rory. I will."

With a suggestive wink, Lorelai assured him, "Win or lose, I'll make sure your efforts are rewarded."

"Ah geez."

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Standing in the back of the kindergarten classroom with the other parents, Luke and Lorelai watched as the teacher called the students up one at a time to receive their diplomas. Lorelai cried when Jess and Rory accepted their diplomas. When the kids had returned to their seats, Lorelai rested her head on Luke's shoulder and sniffled, "I can't believe my babies have graduated."

"It's just kindergarten, Lorelai," muttered Luke.

"I know, but it's another step away from us."

"You're acting like they've just graduated high school and announced that they're moving across the country."

"Don't give them any ideas."

"They still sleep with a night light. They're not going anywhere."

"Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"Quiet!" hissed Mrs. Kim. She stood a few feet away from Luke and Lorelai and was glaring at them. Lorelai made a face at the other woman, but remained silent for the rest of the ceremony.

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The party that followed the graduation ceremony included a lot of sugary treats, so Luke and Lorelai took Jess and Rory to the park to work off some of their excess energy. Since Mia had agreed to keep the twins for the whole afternoon, Jess and Rory were able to have their parents' undivided attention as they raced from the swings to the slide to the monkey bars. While helping Rory cross the monkey bars, Lorelai asked, "Are you excited for summer vacation?"

"No," Rory said through clenched teeth as she flung herself from one bar to the next, nearly kicking Lorelai in the face in the process.

"Why not?"

Rory didn't answer until she'd reached the playground platform. She sat down on the edge of the platform and pouted, "I like school. I don't want it to be over."

Crouching down to look Rory in the eye, Lorelai gently stroked her hair. "It's not really over. You're just taking a break and, in a couple months, you'll go to first grade."

"I guess I can take a break," Rory mumbled, still sulking.

"Think of all the books you can read," implored Lorelai, desperate to cheer Rory up.

It took Rory less than a minute to contemplate Lorelai's suggestion. "We can go to the library all the time," she declared with a wide, hopeful smile,

"We can go once a week."

"How about every day?"

"Once a week," Lorelai repeated firmly.

Rory frowned. "How many books can I get?"

"As many as you can carry plus two."

"Wow! That's a lot."

Laughing at Rory's look of wide-eyed wonder, Lorelai added, "And it will be twice as many if you and Jess work together."

"That's a lot a lot."

"Yes, it is. Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, Mama. Can we swing again?"

"Sure, kid." Lorelai stood up and held out her hand to Rory. "Let's swing."

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The trip to the park succeeded in wearing Jess and Rory out. When they were no longer experiencing the effects of their sugar high, Luke and Lorelai decided it was time to pick up the twins from Mia. They had planned to just walk in, grab the twins, and walk out, but Mia convinced them to have dinner with her. She led them to the inn's dining room where the group of seven crowded around a table meant for six.

Mia had requested that Sookie prepare a celebratory meal for Jess and Rory, so Sookie served several of the kids' favorite foods, including her special homemade applesauce. The sight of the applesauce had Ben and Liam bouncing in their highchairs and eagerly grabbing for their bowls. Luke and Lorelai kept the bowls of applesauce just out of Ben and Liam's, preferring to feed the twins rather than let them make a mess trying to feed themselves.

With Luke and Lorelai's attention focused on the twins, Jess and Rory told Mia all about their afternoon. They went into great detail about their diplomas, cupcakes, and adventures at the park. Mia listened intently and, when they finally paused to take a breath, she said, "It sounds like you had a busy day. It's a good thing it's the weekend and you can get some rest."

"No," protested Jess. "It's M'orial Day. We have plans."

"You do?"

"Uh huh," Rory said, nodding. "Tomorrow we're gonna see Daddy play softball. And on M'orial Day we're going to the picnic."

"So, Butch Danes is back in action?" Mia teased Luke.

Luke used the edge of spoon to catch some applesauce that was running down Liam's chin and slid it back into the infant's mouth. When he was certain that Liam wasn't going to spit it out again, Luke faced Mia and snarled, "Don't call me that."

Chuckling, Mia turned to Lorelai and said, "I don't usually go to the games, but I think I'll have to go to this one."

"You can sit with us," offered Lorelai.

"I'd love to. We should invite Sookie too."

"Yes! This is going to be so much fun!"

Luke rolled his eyes. "You're acting like this is a Metallica concert or something. It's only a town softball game."

"A town softball game featuring the return of the great Butch Danes. It's so much better than a Metallica concert. I can't wait to see my man being all manly."

"You're nuts," accused Luke, pointing at Lorelai. Pointing at Mia, he grumbled, "And you're an enabler."

"No more so than you, Lucas."

"I know," Luke sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Don't worry, Daddy. I love you. Even if are a 'nabler."

"Thanks, Rory. I love you too."

"I know, Daddy." She smiled sweetly at him and batted her eyelashes before asking, "Can I have your mac and cheese?"

All of the adults burst into laughter. As he handed Rory his plate, Luke joked, "She loves me, but not as much as she loves mac and cheese."

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On Saturday morning, it seemed like the whole town showed up at the baseball field to watch the Stars Hollow softball team defeat the team from Woodbury. In the final inning, Woodbury's third out was the result of an impressive catch made by Luke that had the Stars Hollow spectators jumping to their feet.

While the crowd clapped and shouted Luke's name, Jess and Rory were dancing wildly on the ground in front of the bleachers, cheering, "Dada! Dada! Dada!" Ben and Liam didn't really know what was happening, but did their best to join in the cheer and keep time with the rhythm set by their older siblings.

When Luke walked off the baseball field, he headed directly for the kids. He dropped to his knees in front of them and pulled all four kids into a hug. "What did you think of the game?"

"I liked it," proclaimed Jess.

Rory pressed her hands to Luke's cheeks and pulled his face to hers until their foreheads touched. "Did you do your best?"

"Yes, Rory, I did my best."

"Good boy. I'm proud of you," she said, using the words she often heard from her parents.

Leaning over Rory, Lorelai pressed a kiss to an area of Luke's cheek not covered by Rory's hand. "I'm pretty proud of you too."

"Thanks. Since I was a good boy, do I get to pick how we celebrate?"

"You're going to make us eat salad, aren't you?"

"I'll settle for fruit."

Lorelai ruffled Jess and Rory's hair. "What do you guys think?"

Rory nodded, but specified, "Only if it's apples."

"And grapes," asserted Jess.

"Deal." Luke stood up, lifting the twins into his arms. "Let's have our snack at the park."

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At the park, Luke and Lorelai pushed Ben and Liam in the baby swings and watched Jess and Rory run around the playground. After a while, Luke commented, "Rory called me a good boy."

"She was right. You didn't complain at all about participating in a town event."

"Does that mean I don't have to go to the picnic?"

"You better not even think about skipping the picnic, mister, but I might be persuaded to let you get away with just joining us for lunch."

"I wouldn't have to participate in the three-legged race, the egg toss, or any of the other ridiculous events."

"No."

"I'll take it."

"Good boy."