A/N: This is set in mid-August just before school starts. I'm so sorry for the setback on this story lately! I got stuck with so many assignments and I had my ACT testing last week. It's been a lot of blah. I'm hoping to get some time off here soon for Spring Break and I'll get some more updates in then :) Enjoy! xx Mariah

Ages:

Jim - 38
Melinda - 34
Katie - 8
Aaron - 3

"Mommy, can we go shopping every day?" Katie grabbed two bags from the trunk and her new back backpack, swinging the yellow backpack onto her shoulder. It was covered in sparkly silver stars, just like she'd wanted.

"I don't think your dad and I's bank account would survive, sweetheart." Melinda laughed, grabbing the other two bags and closing the trunk.

"You're probably right," Katie sighed, walking toward the porch. "Too bad. Shopping is fun."

"I usually am. I'm glad you had fun. I had a blast too," she said, smiling at her. Melinda walked up the steps, fishing her keys out of her pocket as she came up to the door. "Now Katie, I want you to bring those bags up to your room. We'll fix up your backpack and pick out your first-day outfit after I put the groceries away."

"Okay mom," Katie smiled as she opened the front door. She came in behind her, closing the door, pulling her shoes off, and running up the stairs.

Melinda shook her head and walked toward the kitchen, but her husband stopped in front of her.

"Hey, gorgeous..." He said, blocking her entry to the kitchen.

"Hello to you too!" she gasped, furring her brow a moment later. She tried to move past him again but he wouldn't let her past. Aaron only giggled, confusing her more. "Why are you blocking my way? What happened in here that you don't want me to see?"

"Nothing," he tried to buy himself some more time by backstepping and then kissing her, feeling her laugh against him.

"Nice try," she said and gave him the grocery bags. Melinda maneuvered around him and at the sight of their son on his hands and knees playing in a gooey white mess on the kitchen floor. "Jim! What happened?"

"So I had a frosting for that cake for after dinner on the counter and the phone rang. I'm writing down what Delia said about the store one minute and the next thing I know there's a crash in the kitchen, and Aaron is sitting in the frosting," he sighed.

"My poor baby," she said all while Aaron was giggling and they let him lick the frosting off his fingers.

"Everything is fine. He didn't hurt himself or anything, I checked already." He quickly explained. "I picked up the glass from the bowl, but hadn't had a chance to clean up the mess yet."

Melinda felt her heart sink into her stomach as she thought of the bowl falling on him, hitting his head. She walked over to him, kneeling right before where her baby boy sat on the floor. The bowl had been tipped upside down and the frosting had spilled over the floor. Aaron was smart enough to only eat from the inside of the bowl and not the outside, however, he had played with the spilled contents and rubbed it all over the floor and himself.

The little boy giggled, licking his fingers. "Want some mama?"

She laughed, holding his sticky hands as she shook her head. "I'm alright bud," she winked at him. "You are such a silly boy. Were you trying to help daddy with frosting the cake?" She looked up at Jim with a frustrated look. "How the heck did he get to the bowl, Jim?"

"It may have been on an uneven surface or I could've knocked it down." He explained, kneeling. "I could've moved it with how fast I ran to the phone."

"My sweet boy…are you okay?" She said, kissing her son's forehead. This was a more delicate question. She ran her fingers through Aaron's hair. His sticky, messy hair. "Can mama do anything for you?"

"I'm okay, mama," he brought his frosting covered hands up, waving them to her. "Is so good!"

"I bet," she knew how good Jim's cream cheese frosting was. "Guess what time is?" She tickled him a little, eliciting a goofy giggle from his frosting covered lips.

Aaron pondered as he giggled, she could tell, and A sudden burst of realization came through him as he gasped. "Bath time!"

"My handsome little genius," she cooed and then pressed her forehead against him. "Mama loves you... you know that?" She pressed a few dozen kisses all over his face, licking the frosting from her lips once she pulled back. "Jim, will you put away the groceries and clean that up while I go bathe him?"

"Yes," he said kissing her cheek and pinching their son's. "Hey, bud. Have a good bath time."

"Let's go give you a bath," she whispered, looking over at him.