Jennifer and Jonathan landed back in New York, and immediately headed to Caroline and Patrick's house.
They stopped along the way and picked up dinner at a salad place Jennifer liked.
"We have one more day before the kids come home, how do you want to spend it?"
"Well, I have to go to the office tomorrow and the next day, but outside of that, I want to spend it with you".
"Good answer, Mr. Hart".
They came in the house and found it like they had left it. He built them a fire in the fireplace and turned the heat on.
She changed into some sweats and a long-sleeved tee, and her house shoes.
Jonathan was so excited that there was a new Batman movie coming out, that he wanted to start watching the old ones.
Jennifer agreed, and they curled up under a blanket.
They watched 2 movies back to back, and Jennifer promised him they would watch the other ones the next day.
They went to bed together, and he made love to her again, before they fell asleep.
***Middle of the night***
Jonathan woke up with a severe feeling of nausea. The only thing that helped was if he paced, back and forth. Jennifer woke up and found him walking back and forth through the bedroom and bathroom.
"Honey, what are you doing?"
"Can't stop walking. If I do, I'm going to throw up".
"Darling…do you need an ambulance?"
"No I don't think so".
She got up and got him some anti-nausea meds and he agreed to take them.
"Come back to bed, baby".
"In a minute. I want some water".
She took his hand and they walked to the kitchen. She made them both a glass of water and he drank his right away.
"Do you want to sit up for awhile?"
"No, I don't think so".
"How about some sprite to settle your stomach?"
He nodded.
She got him a can of sprite and they went back to bed.
He got settled in bed again and after he fell asleep, she did too.
***A few hours later***
He woke up around 8. Jennifer was still sleeping next to him.
He rolled over and kissed her cheek a few times and then went and got in the shower.
She woke up and started the coffee while he was in the shower.
"Morning darling".
"Morning. How do you feel?"
"Better I guess. I can't figure out why I was nauseous".
She leaned against him and kissed his chest.
"Darling, why don't you let me make you a doctor's appointment today?"
"No, that's ok. I'll have my secretary do it. She knows the number and can usually get them to see me".
Jennifer nodded.
"Promise me you will come home if you don't feel well? Or you will call me if you need me?"
"I promise. I love you, I'll be home as soon as I can".
"I love you too."
She kissed him a few times and then he left.
She headed back to bed and made the room pitch black dark and fell back asleep.
She slept till about 1, and then got up and showered and got dressed.
She was on the couch when he got home.
"Hi darling".
"Hi handsome".
She knelt on the couch and kissed him.
"So, the final verdict is I have an inner ear infection. That's what is causing the dizziness, the nausea, and the headaches. Good news is it's treatable. Bad news is, I have to be on antibiotics for about 3 months".
"Well, at least you got some answers. Want me to make you some dinner?"
"We can make it together. How about spaghetti?"
"Sure".
She got up and started cooking the meat while he went and changed clothes. He came back and started on the sauce, and the noodles.
"What do you put in the sauce?"
"I use Prego sauce, and add meat and crushed garlic and fresh mushrooms to it, plus some of my secret ingredient".
Her secret ingredient was ricotta cheese.
After they had everything made, they took their plates to the coffee table and started the next Batman movie.
She did the dishes when they were both finished and then came back to join him.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Can I be your Robin?"
"Catwoman, darling. You are my Catwoman".
She chuckled.
He fell asleep just as the first movie ended, thanks to the medicine. She gently woke him up and led him to the bedroom and tucked him into bed. She came back out and turned off all the lights and locked the house.
She climbed back in bed with him and wrapped his arm around her before she fell asleep.
***New Year's Eve***
Jonathan slept like a baby all night.
When he woke up, he was more alert and refreshed.
Jennifer woke up with him, and was pleased to see he was feeling better.
She went and made him breakfast and coffee for the both of them.
Before he came out of the bathroom, he snuck something out of her jewelry box, and put it in his pocket.
"I'm only working till about 2 this afternoon. So, I'll be home a little early".
"Great. The kids will be here by 1".
"I was thinking about picking up some sparklers or something for them to light tonight. You ok with that?"
"Savanna is extremely scared of fireworks. Luke loves them. So, if you get some, it might end up just the two of you outside doing them".
"Think we could get away with telling them that the new year starts at 10 and then you have to go to bed so Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Jonathan can have their own party?"
"um… no. I don't."
He started laughing.
"Worth a shot".
He kissed her a few times.
"I adore you, and I love you to the moon and back. See you this afternoon".
"I love you too, have a good day".
She did laundry all morning and went to the grocery store and stocked up on food for the week, and set up the dry erase board calendar that she used to keep their activities straight.
At 12:45, Abby and Mike and the kids pulled up to the house.
They came running inside.
"Hi! Did you guys have a good time?"
Luke nodded. He gave her a high five, and then a big hug.
Savanna came running and Jennifer picked her up and held her.
Abby carried McKenna in, and she smiled when she saw Jennifer.
"Hi lovebug, hi monkey".
She looked at Abby.
"I hope they were good for you guys".
"Yes, they were."
Jennifer looked at Savanna.
"I missed you, lovebug".
"I missed you, but I was a big girl and didn't cry".
"Good job".
"Where's Uncle Jonathan?"
"He had to go to work for a bit, but he'll be home soon".
She put Savanna down and took McKenna from Abby.
"What did you and Jonathan do while we had the kids?"
"He surprised me with a trip to Aruba. We just got home yesterday".
"Oh, I'm so jealous. I've always wanted to go there".
"It was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful".
Mike brought their bags in and the jumperoo and pack n' play.
"Did she sleep through the night for you guys?"
"Yes. She had no problems. It took Luke 4 or 5 visits to our house as a baby before he would sleep well for us. Same with Savanna. But not her. She's the most chill baby".
"I agree. She's only thrown a nuclear fit one time, thankfully. The day we got her vaccinations".
"Oh yes. My kids did the same. I always gave them some pain medicine at the doctor's office before we left to ward it off. It helps".
"I'll remember that".
Mike and Abby decided they had to get going, so the kids told them bye and thanked them for the trip.
"We will see you guys in a few weeks, ok?"
"Ok".
Luke ran upstairs to play his video games and Savanna was playing with her Barbie house in the den.
"McKenna should need a bottle in about a half hour, maybe. She ate about an hour before we left this morning".
"Perfect. Thank you so much".
"Sure. We'll be in touch".
After they left, Jennifer settled onto the couch with McKenna.
She was smiling and laughing and blowing kisses to Jennifer.
Jonathan got home around 4, and found Jennifer on the couch with Savanna on her lap and McKenna in the jumperoo.
"Hi".
"Hi, we are just hanging out watching a princess movie".
"I see".
He came and sat by them, and Savanna gave him a hug and then went back to Jennifer's lap.
"Are you feeling better?"
"About the same".
"That's good".
"I brought home an activity for tonight".
"You did?"
"Yeah. My secretary mentioned that she does it with her niece's, so I thought the kids might like it. Basically, we figure out what activities we want to do with them tonight, and then we put it in a balloon, and they pop the balloons each hour and do the activity".
"I like that".
She set Savanna on the couch and she and Jonathan went to the kitchen to start making the balloons.
She gave him a few kisses as soon as they got into the kitchen.
"I picked us up some champagne, and some sparkling grape juice for the kids, and some steaks to grill. And here are the balloons and a sharpie to write on them."
"Perfect".
She got everything set up while he changed into some jeans and a button down shirt.
"Just to make it interesting, why don't we pick each other's activities?"
"Ok, but nothing crazy or too adult in front of the kids".
"Got it".
Jennifer wrote out the activities for Savanna and Jonathan wrote them out for Luke. They blew up the balloons and wrote the time on them starting at 7 p.m., and taped them to the mantle.
Savanna had pink balloons, Luke had blue ones, Jennifer had green ones and Jonathan had red.
She got the steaks ready and set a timer for an hour, so they could marinate.
He went and got McKenna out of her Jumperoo and brought her to the couch.
He started singing the Batman theme song to her.
"Da na na na na na na na na Batman, Batman".
Every time he said "Batman", she would smile and laugh. It was so adorable.
They did that for a long time, and then she got fussy, so Jennifer gave her a bottle.
She put her in her swing and stepped outside with him while he grilled the steaks.
Jonathan was rubbing her arm when Savanna came out.
"Aunt Jeffer, can you come sit with me?"
"Sure, lovebug".
She walked back inside and sat on the couch and Savanna snuggled with her.
"Lovebug, you know how tonight is a holiday?"
"Yes. It is Nude Year's Evening".
Jennifer started laughing.
"It's New Years Eve".
"That's what I said".
"Anyways, there might be some fireworks, so I don't want you to be scared".
"Are you doing some fireworks?"
"I'm not. Uncle Jonathan might do some, but you don't have to go outside if you don't want to. I think he got you some sparklers".
"No, I don't want to do that".
"Ok, you don't have to".
"Are we having a party?"
"No, it's just us".
"But we have balloons all over".
"Yeah, that's our fun thing. We are going to pop them later and see what the piece of paper inside tells us to do. Plus, we have a fun surprise for you and Luke".
"When do we get the surprise?"
"After we eat".
Jonathan brought the steaks in then, and Jennifer got up and got the fries and onion rings out of the oven.
"Darling, Savanna told me she wants no part of fireworks or sparklers tonight. And I told her we had a special surprise for them after we eat".
"Sounds good".
Jennifer made their plates and then cut up the steak for the kids, and sent Savanna to tell Luke to come down for dinner.
He came running when he realized that Jonathan was home.
It was sweet seeing him so excited to see Jonathan.
After a fun dinner, Jonathan did the dishes while Jennifer got everyone settled.
As soon as he was done, Jennifer went into their room and got their presents from Aruba.
"Uncle Jonathan and I went on a trip while you guys were at Aunt Abby and Uncle Mike's, and we brought you something". They handed the kids the packages, and let them open them.
Savanna loved her dress and wanted to put it on immediately. She kept hugging her doll.
Luke was excited about his shirt and the toy they got him. It was hard for him at first, but he figured out how to fling his wrist to catch the ball the in the cup.
Jennifer handed McKenna her stuffed dolphin from Aruba and she squeezed it and wouldn't let it go.
"Ok, who's ready for our first activity?"
"Me!"
"Me!"
"Weh! Blu Blah"
Jonathan picked up McKenna and held her.
"Ok, so it's 7 p.m. We all get to pop a balloon that says 7 on it. Savanna has the pink ones and Luke has the blue. I have red and Aunt Jennifer has green. You can sit on it, step on it, whatever. But you have to put the pieces in the garbage, ok?"
"Ok".
They all popped their balloons. McKenna was startled by the noise but didn't cry.
Luke's activity said "play a board game with your sister".
Savanna's said "Play a board game with your brother".
Jennifer's said "Go to the garage".
Jonathan's said "Give Jennifer a 5 minute back rub".
Jennifer helped the kids get their board game started and then she went and put McKenna in her Jumperoo again with her mesh teether.
She walked out to the garage and Jonathan followed.
"Ok, why am I here?"
"For this".
He took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately.
"You said no adult things in front of the kids".
"Good thinking".
He gave her a 5 minute back rub and then they walked back inside.
She knew what Savanna's next activity was, so she got the necessary items out for that and got it ready.
Jonathan did the same with Luke's.
At 8 p.m., they gathered the kids and popped the next balloons.
Savanna's said "Make dessert with Aunt Jennifer".
Luke's was to do fireworks with Uncle Jonathan outside.
Jonathan's was to have a dance party with the baby.
Jennifer's was to take a photo booth selfie with Jonathan and the kids.
They decided to do the kids ones first.
Savanna got her stool and followed Aunt Jennifer's instructions.
She dumped everything into the bowl and then got to push the button on the mixer.
"What is it?"
"Chocolate pudding!"
"It sure is".
Jennifer leaned over and kissed her forehead.
They poured it into bowls and put it in the fridge and set a timer.
Jonathan and Luke came inside from shooting off bottle rockets.
"It's too cold to do a lot of them".
He leaned down to Savannah.
"Sweetie pie, I need to get a picture of all of us holding sparklers. Can you hold one for me just for a picture?"
"Ok. But no swinging it around, mister".
Jennifer chuckled and fist bumped Savanna.
They all went outside to take the photo. Jennifer got McKenna all bundled up and held her for the picture, and they all held up a lit sparkler.
As soon as the photo was over, Savanna handed her sparkler to Jonathan and then went back inside.
He and Jennifer shared a few kisses with McKenna while they were outside alone and then they all three went inside.
Jonathan had his dance party with McKenna and she squealed the whole time.
The 9 p.m. balloons were a little more fun. Jennifer's said for her to go put on something green. Jonathan's said for him to fix Jennifer a snack. Savanna's said for her to color a picture. Luke's said for him to read a story to the baby.
Jennifer went to her closet and selected a green blouse. Changing her blouse meant changing her pants, so she put on some black wide legged pants with the green blouse. Jonathan made her a grilled cheese sandwich while she was doing that.
"Thank you".
"Anytime".
Savanna was fading fast, and Jennifer wondered if the kids were going to make it to midnight.
The 10 p.m. balloons were a little easier.
Savanna's said to make slime with Aunt Jennifer. Luke's said he had an hour to beat his highest score on a video game of his choice. Jonathan's said he had to have a dance party with Savanna. Jennifer's said she had to give Jonathan a 5-minute back scratch.
She was sitting on the couch, and he immediately sat in front of her and set the timer on his phone for a back scratch.
Savanna got behind her and gave Jennifer one too.
Luke ran off to play his video game. After the back scratch was over, Jonathan and Savanna had their dance party, and she insisted that he twirl her like a princess.
Jennifer had the best time watching them dance. Savanna was having fun too.
Savanna and Jennifer went to the kitchen and got out a mixing bowl. They mixed a bottle of glue, some shaving cream, food coloring, contact solution and baking soda together and it made slime. Jennifer let her play with it for about 20 minutes before they put it up.
Jennifer gave McKenna her last bottle and put her to bed in her crib.
She was on the couch at 10:40 when Savanna passed out.
Luke came down and declared that he had beaten his high score, so Jonathan went to go verify.
He was back downstairs by 11, and they popped their last balloons.
Savanna woke up when Luke popped his balloon.
"Do a special job for Jonathan".
Savanna popped hers too.
"Snuggle with Jennifer".
Jonathan's said he had to give Jennifer a foot rub.
Jennifer's said she had to go to the garage and wait for further instructions.
She walked out there and closed the door.
A few minutes later, the kids came and got her.
"Uncle Jonathan says eyes closed".
"Ok, can you hold my hand and help me get there?"
"Yes, actually".
Luke took one hand and Savanna took the other.
They led her to the den and got her into position.
"Ok, open your eyes".
She opened her eyes to find Jonathan holding two more balloons.
"Pick one, we will do that one, and then we will do the other".
She picked the one marked A, and popped it.
She unfolded the paper.
"Dance with Jonathan".
He turned on a music channel and they started to dance. Savanna started the timer.
"Spin her around like a princess".
He spun her.
"Do the lay down dance move".
"That comes at the end".
They kept dancing, and Savanna was so excited.
"This was supposed to be a little more romantic".
"Aww, it's perfect. She's so excited, darling. It's so cute to see her like this".
After their dance ended, Jennifer gave him a hug and then he held the other balloon so that she could pop it.
"Tell Luke to hit it, and then turn around".
She looked confused but Jonathan just nodded, so she told Luke to hit it, and then turned around.
The lights dimmed and some music started playing.
Luke ran into the bedroom and came back with a wrist corsage.
He put it on her and she leaned down and kissed his cheek.
Savanna stood in front of her.
"Now, you get to put on Chapstick".
She put some Chapstick on and then handed it back to Savanna.
"Ok, now you can turn back around".
She turned back around and Jonathan was on bended knee with a diamond ring in a box.