Chapter Eight
One Year Later
Emily hurried around the house, setting up the rest of the decorations. She expected the guests to arrive within the hour, and do to a couple of fits from the children, hadn't gotten all the decorations set up.
"Em, how you doing?" Matt asked, as he watched his wife on a ladder hanging some streamers.
"I'm fine, can you hand me that other streamer though?" Emily asked, hated being on the ladder, as much as Matt hated seeing on it.
"Sure babe," Matt said, picking up the small piece of streamer, and handing it to Emily.
"Matt honey can you check on the triplets?" Emily asked, gesturing outside.
Right after the twins were born, Matt and Emily decided that it was best to have a privacy fence put up. That way the kids could go out and play as they wanted.
"Sure can," Matt said, as he quickly noticed that one of the triplets had left the sliding glass door open.
He then noticed, Rex running toward him. Rex haulted almost immediately after eyeing Emily on the ladder. Without a second thought Rex jumped on the ladder, which tilted as Emily began to fall from it.
Matt ran and caught her, just grateful she wasn't hurt. He put on a stern face, grabbed Rex by the collar, scolded the large dog, before pulling him harshly out the door. He then questioned the now four-year-old triplets, to find out who had left the door open.
"Matty how many times have me and mommy told you, not to leave the door open," Matt scolded the young boy.
"I'm sorry daddy," Matty said, before flashing his dimpliy grin.
"No, I'm sorry Matty but sorry will not get you out of this one," Matt said, deciding to put his foot down. He picked up his son, and brought him inside, and stood him in the corner.
"Matt that's not nessicary," Emily said.
"Em, we've told him time after time to stop leaving that door open. It's time he learnt we mean it," Matt said.
Emily hated to admit it but Matt actually had a point.
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Emily had invited various of different students from the triplets pre-school. Most of all the invitations got sent back, telling her how sorry they were that they couldn't make it. While that would bother most people, Emily was rather happy that most of them wouldn't show up. She'd much rather have it be just them and their friends. Emily sat the twins in they're chairs, before having Matt chase down the triplets and put them in they're chairs. Just as Emily was about to take a seat at the dining table, she heard a light knock on the door.
"Hey sorry we're late," Cheryl said, as Emily opened the door.
"Nonsense, just glad you guys could make it," Emily said, hugging each of her friends.
"Now whose birthday is it, cause you two have a farm of children and I get confused easily," Duff said upon entering, immediately recieving a hard smack from Lia, who had the juggle the two fairly large presents in her arms in order to reach his head.
Duff rubbed the newly sore spot on the back of his head before sitting down his presents and helping Lia with hers.
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Emily sat down two small sized cakes that were intended for the twins to devour. She watched as everyone collected they're camera's ready to snap pictures. She pushed the cakes closer to the twins, and they all proceded to sing the birthday song to the two young children. Right as the song ended, which was apparently the twins's waiting point, Daniel lunged forward, his face splattering cake everywhere.
Everyone busted out laughing, while snapping pictures of the young boy with cake plastered all over his face. They almost missed Gracie's lunge forward, splattering anything that wasn't already covered in cake. After the pictures were taken, and everyone got through laughing at the couple's two youngest children, Matt and Emily grabbed a wash cloth and wiped they're children's faces, and hands off as best as they could without giving the two children baths.
Just as Emily reentered the dining room, from the kitchen, they heard another small knock at the door. Matt rushed to the door, to see who it was.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry I'm late," Eryn spatted as she entered the house.
"It's not a problem, come on in. You just missed the cake mishap so to speak, but we did get plunty of pictures of the event," Emily said, hugging the woman who had fastly became her good friend, and confidant.
"I so have to see those later," Eryn said, as she joined the rest of the guests in the dining room.
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After Matt and Emily helped the two youngest children open they're presents, they all sat in the living room. They were all sprawled out in different places amongest the largest room in they're small house. Duff and Lia sat on the floor just in front of the couch, Lia sitting in between Duff's legs, her head laying on his chest. Cheryl and Frank shared the small love seat which didn't get the best view of the television, but was comfortable needless to say. On the couch sat Matt, Emily and Eryn, with children laying on and in between each person. Matt had Daniel on his lap, who had well since fallen asleep, while Emily held onto Gracie, who had fallen asleep not to long after her brother. Eryn held onto Kelly who continued to ask Eryn the weirdest questions, which the young woman always had some sort of an answer to. In between Emily and Eryn sat Zack who watched in awe as the cartoon character saved the day. The only child who wasn't sitting on the couch was little Matty, who was situatated on Lia's lap, and had fallen asleep long before Daniel or Gracie had.
Frank motioned to Cheryl who took her tired eyes off the television screen, and looked at the very content, and happy family, decided a picture needed to be taken. She grabbed her camera, and snapped what seemed to be half a dozen pictures of the same thing. Emily finally had enough, and suggested that Frank and Cheryl join them in the picture. Eryn had offered to step aside to take the picture, but Emily hushed her, as Cheryl sat up Emily's camera, on the small tripod that had been used at every birthday party that the couple had held for they're children.
Frank took a seat on the floor, right underneath were Matt was sitting, as Cheryl sat right underneath were Eryn was sitting. In all the exitement, Daniel woke up and leaped off the couch, and sat on Cheryl's lap. While Zack decided that Frank's lap looked more welcoming than the squishing feeling he felt on the couch.
"Auntie," Daniel said, pulling on Cheryl's jacket. Neither one of the twins had gotten Cheryl's name down yet. Although it didn't bother her, because the triplets had only gotten her name down a couple of months before they turned four.
"Yes Danny?" Cheryl asked.
"Can I sit on your lap?" Daniel asked.
"Of course," Cheryl said, letting the young boy's head lay against her body, as he slowly started to drift off to sleep again.
"Hey Uncle Frank," Zack said, a grin on his face, that could mistake him for his father at that age.
"Yeah Zack?" Frank asked.
"Can I have a hug?" Zack asked.
"Sure buddy," Frank said, hugging the small boy lightly.
"Okay, it's gonna take it any minute," Emily said.
After may failed pictures, Emily figured out how to resit the timer for the camera and allowed for what was sure to happen. The switching of seats, and the asking of questions.
They all peered into the small camera, and smiled happily, just as the small device snapped the picture.