"Is this cleaned up?" Cal asked as he came into the boys' bedroom, exaggerating his surprise. There were still toys on the floor and the boys were playing with some of them. "I send you up to tidy and you're playin'!"

Owen stood from his crouch. He waved a hand vaguely at the floor. "There is some and over there," he pointed to the toy bin against the wall.

"It's a great start," Cal took a seat on a miniature chair at the table against the other wall, by the wardrobe. "But you gotta clear all of this up before your new bed gets here. Othawise the men might stand on somethin' and break them."

"Dad," Lewis spoke up. "Can't we just push it over there?'"

"Nope," Cal shook his head. "You agreed. You'd put all the toys away today to make room. And then your new bed would be here." They had already taken the crib out that morning and put it downstairs in the garage, ready to go to... well Cal and Gillian were arguing over it so it hadn't been decided where the crib was going exactly. Gillian wanted to keep it; Cal didn't see why they would bother. And Lewis's single bed had been taken down to the spare room where it was now squished into non-existence space because, again, they were arguing over it. Gillian was being sentimental and Cal was trying to be practical. There was no room for memories but in their heads.

The boys started to slowly put the toys they weren't in the middle of playing with into the toy bin. Cal really wanted to get rid of some of the toys too. They were old by seven-year-old Lewis standards and he'd outgrown them. Unfortunately, and this went in Gillian's favour, two-year-old Owen hadn't outgrown them yet and they still had value. Especially the educational toys that taught colours and counting. They just had so much stuff in there. Two sets of dresser drawers, a table and chairs, a book shelf, the toy bin. It was worse when the crib and changing table were still in there too.

"Are you ready?" Gillian came in, a bucket of cleaning products in her hand. "That's not ready." She looked at Cal as she put the bucket down on the table and his response was an expression that said 'what are you lookin' at me for?' She bent down and picked up a plastic transformer by her feet.

"They're here!" Owen squealed, pointing to his feet before, falling back on the carpet as he lost his balance in his excitement. Lewis went to the window and pressed his nose against it. From that angle it was possible to see the street at the front of their house.

Cal laughed at Owen and Gillian giggled, and then bent to help him sit up. "They're not here yet silly," she told them.

"I can't see them," Lewis pouted from the window. Using to fingers to point to his eyes, then the street while shaking his head.

"That's cos you've not cleaned up yet," Cal told him, getting up from the hard micro chair with a sigh. The hard wooden seat was not comfortable against his backside anyway. "All right Owen." The boy sat up with his mother's help and gave Cal his attention. "You're on pickin' up the toys. All the toys. All the bits of Lego, and batman ova there, and Optimus Prime." He pointed. "And you put them all in the toy bin or on the shelf or in your wardrobe." Probably too many instructions for a two-year-old but eh... "And Lew," Cal called to him at the window. He turned to listen. "You're on vacuumin'." Which Cal was obviously going to have to supervise. He brushed the fingers of his right hand in quick circles in the palm of his left.

"Want to give me a job too?" Gillian shot at him as he went by. Cal gave her an unimpressed smirk as he headed out to the cupboard in the hallway to get the vacuum cleaner. He brought it back for Lewis who came over and plugged it into the wall. Cal dropped the height of the nozzle for him and directed him to start in the corner where his bed used to be and it was the dustiest. Then he had to work his way across, following the wall. Cal pulled the bookcase away from the wall and both dressers. Gillian and Owen picked up the toys, which meant Gillian picked up most of them and Owen ran around excited, throwing things exclaiming 'they're here! They're here!' when in fact, the truck had still not yet arrived.

Cal lifted Lewis to suck the cobwebs out of the corner of the roof and from the tops of the curtains. So then Owen wanted to be lifted too so Cal sat him on his shoulders while they wiped down the tops of the doors and window sills. Serious spring cleaning.

When the entire room had been dusted and cleaned, Cal and Gillian helped Lewis and Owen figure out where they wanted their new furniture to go. Which meant Gillian and Lewis decided while Cal and Owen made a mess on the window by spraying cleaner on and then streaking their fingers through it.

"Oi you two!" Gillian called. Owen startled next to Cal and they both turned.

"Busted," Cal whispered to his youngest son. Owen giggled.

"You're meant to be cleaning the windows."

"We are," Cal countered.

Gillian suppressed a sigh. She had this certain look on her face of annoyed patience when she was doing it and Cal fought back the need to smile. Owen climbed down from his perch on a chair so he could reach. "They here yet Mum?"

"Not yet baby. But soon, ok?"

Cal used the clean side of a cloth to wipe away the patterns vigorously. "That better not streak," Gillian noted, coming up behind him.

Cal put the bottle of spray on the windowsill and turned. "Why are you so grumpy?"

"I'm not."

"You are," he murmured, advancing on her, tossing his cloth over his shoulder to get rid of it quickly.

"Don't," Gillian warned taking a step backwards. Cal grabbed her and she shrieked, trying to fight him off. He leaned in to press kisses anywhere he could, both arms wrapped around her back tightly.

"Get Mum!" Lewis announced.

"Ahhhh!" Owen cried bounding towards them like a monster.

"No," Gillian protested weakly. Owen got behind her, screaming, and she started to trip. Her eyes widened in panic but Cal had her and pulled her towards him and then down to the ground. They all descended on her, the boys trying in vain to tickle, Cal holding her arms down and directing them were to go, Gillian's legs coming up to kick Lewis gently away. Owen started to climb onto her torso but Cal held him off from doing that, so he wouldn't hurt her, under the guise of another tickle attack on Gillian.

"Get her till she laughs!" Cal called out.

"Mum laughs," Owen echoed.

"No," Gillian protested again, squirming. Owen squealed and Lewis made monster attacking noises.

Cal leaned in close against Gillian's ear. "Cave," he whispered.

"I cave!" Gillian called out and suddenly quit fighting. "You win. Stop!"

Lewis sat back on his feet straight away, grinning still, pleased. Cal let Gillian go and gave her a kiss. "Aw feelin' betta now?"

"I'm just tired."

"I know," Cal told her softly. "It's ok."

"Ow Owen," Gillian whined as he slammed his hands against her chest again.

"No Owen," Lewis grabbed his arm and yanked it back to stop him from slapping at his mother. "Stop means stop." He brought the edge of his right hand down sharply against his left open hand. "Mum said stop so we stop. Those are the rules."

Gillian glanced at Cal, that quick look that said 'our boys!'

"Very good Lewis," Cal encouraged with a 'thumbs up', and the boy looked pleased. Cal sat up, taking Gillian's hand to help her to sit too. "All right you boys. Where shall we put the book case?"

PJ

The bunk beds arrived shortly after the boys knocked the grumpiness out of Gillian. They came in pieces, the large bases of the beds and the stands for them to be attached to. The ones for the top bunk bed were obviously longer and Owen marvelled at how tall they were when they were propped against the wall for construction. There was a ladder for Lewis, who was going to sleep up top, that he also put against the wall and climbed to the top of, before jumping down again. Owen wanted to as well but he seemed only content with half way before climbing down again carefully.

"Make them Daddy!" Owen called out.

Cal was sat at the table, which had not moved from its position beside the wardrobe. "I'm readin' the instruction's batman."

Gillian was in the other chair, her legs stretched out in front of her, waiting. She made the miniature seats look far more comfortable; Cal had his knees up by his shoudlers. Owen headed over to her and climbed up the slide her body made. "Mum," Owen sighed, laying his head against her chest.

"Are you excited about your new bed?" Gillian asked him, curling her hand around the back of his head.

Owen turned his head up to look at her. "Oh yes!"

"Will you help Daddy build them?"

"Yes!"
"You're a helpful wee man," she told him. Owen wiggled up further to give her a kiss, then curled up against her chest again, knees tucked high.

Lewis returned from the bathroom and Cal got his attention. He tasked him with finding certain smaller parts of the beds and laying them out on the carpet. "Oh me too," Owen rolled off his mother and thudded to the ground. He approached where his brother was opening the package of screws and bolts. "I help."

"You put these ones there," Lewis told him, picking out the ones their father had told him to find. He handed them to Owen one by one and he lay them out on the carpet next to where he was kneeling. When that was done Cal told Lewis to separate the next set, for the top bunk and Lewis found them all and gave them to Owen one by one, who lay them out on the carpet in a neat row beneath the first.

"He so takes after you," Gillian noted, as they sat and watched the boys work.

"I am not that anal," Cal noted looking over at her.

"Not Owen. Who knows where he gets that from?"

Cal gave her a sharp expression.

"Shut up!" Gillian laughed, reaching out to give his shoulder a tap. "I meant Lewis. How he gives Owen one task at a time, something small that he can handle. That's you. He get's that from you."

Cal watched them amused. He did do that. How funny that his seven year old was emulating the same logic. Did he think it through? That Owen was only two, and would only be able to handle a simple task. Or was he merely mimicking his father?

"Now you can take all the packagin' off the bottom bed first," Cal told Lewis.

The boy rushed to where Owen's bed was resting against the wall. "This one," he directed Owen who had followed behind as quickly as he could.

"I love watching them together," Gillian noted softly.

"Yeah," Cal smiled as they boys ripped and pulled and tore away the cardboard and bubble wrap. Lewis showed Owen how if he pressed the plastic bubbles they would make a popping sound. Cal wondered if Lewis could hear it or whether it just felt good exploding under his fingers.

"On the ground," Lewis decided and started laying out a big piece. He walked over it and Owen laughed. "You roll on it, Wen," Lewis directed, pushing the younger boy down by his shoulders. Owen kneeled on the bubble wrap and then dropped to his hip and shoulder and finally lay on his back, waving his arms and legs up and down like he had been taught to make snow angels. Owen laughed and switched to rolling from shoulder to shoulder. Lewis lay down at one end and rolled completely over from back to front until he bumped into Owen who gave a squeal. He climbed onto his brother's back who knocked him off by turning over again. When Owen was loose, Lewis turned back, leaning on his elbows and said something softly, signing 'fun'. Owen nodded and reached up his arms to put around Lewis's neck in a hug. Lewis let himself get sucked in and put an arm around his younger brother too.

Gillian turned to Cal and he gave her a slight knowing smile. Yeah he got it. They were cute. Mega cute. "I'm going to get my camera," Gillian told him.

"Betta run," Cal suggested.

"I might not catch that one, but I'll get the next," she responded, getting up.

PJ

They had taken the boys to furniture stores to pick out their new beds. They had great fun lying down on all the mattresses and testing them out. Some of the units had slides and toys attached; one had a crane. Cal was pretty impressed. The bed he'd had as a kid was hard board that sagged and made him feel like he was encompassed in a cocoon. Gillian instantly vetoed any beds that included specifications for fun, because she didn't think the boys would go to sleep if there were fun things to play with as part of their beds. Cal could concede that was a fair point but the boys weren't happy about it. Besides, united parent front...

So the new beds were wooden framed. The lower bed was perpendicular to the top bed, which created a little cubby of space beside where Owen would sleep. Gillian had measured it in the shop, and she was pretty confident Owen's drawers would fit. Or the little table they had been sitting on an hour ago. This was Owen's first big bed; it had taken them too long to move him from the crib. Sometimes he would start out in Lewis's bed, or their bed, so they knew he was ok with sleeping without the bars of the crib to keep him confined, and it was just as well because the bottom bunk did not have the same safety rail as the top.

Cal really didn't have to construct much in the way of assembling the beds. He merely had to screw the ends of the lower bed to the longer base, then the taller bed ends that the top bunk would rest on. Gillian helped him lift one end, with Lewis and Owen of course, and when the furniture was steady he screwed in the ends so it would hold. Then they lifted the other end and he did the same and that was it. He went over each screw to make sure they were all done up tightly, then added the safety bolts for extra strength and they put the mattresses on and that was that.

There was a break for dinner and then Gillian and the boys put new sheets on; batman for Owen, robots for Lewis. Cal pushed the furniture into new places. Lewis's dresser next to the end of his bed, the book case to the left of the door and Owen's drawers where the little table and chairs used to be, now that they fit beside his bed, in the little cubby created by Lewis's bed above. And then it was pretty much bed time. Gillian and Cal tucked them in, gave them kisses and cuddles and Gillian took a picture of them snuggled up under their new sheets in their new beds.

Cal hustled Gillian out of the room, put out the light, and closed the door.