Ages:

Jim - 42
Matt - 42
Gina - 40
Melinda - 38
Katie - 13
Aaron - 9
Mackenzie - 4
Sadie - 4

When Jim, Matt, and Aaron entered the house, all they could hear were their girls laughing in the kitchen. Leaving Aaron in the living room in front of the television, the pair made their way into the kitchen and Jim smiled when he found Melinda sitting at one of the chairs with Mackenzie on her lap and Katie next to her, writing. The four-year-old little girl was looking up at her mother with big ocean eyes, her focus completely on Melinda. Mackenzie had always watched her mother like that since she was a newborn.

"Hi, honey," Melinda said once she spotted her husband. "How was the game? Did Aaron like it?"

Jim and Matt had taken Aaron to a baseball game earlier that day while Melinda and Gina had a girl's day in with Katie, Mackenzie, and Sadie. The girls must've settled in the kitchen with a glass of wine while they got dinner ready.

He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to his wife's lips and then he smoothed a hand over both his daughter's curly blonde hair. "The game was great and Aaron loved it. He had a blast. I think he's actually in the living room watching the game highlights." He explained, smiling at her. "He even caught a fly ball and hasn't let go of it yet."

Matt wrapped an arm around Gina and used his other hand to try and sneak some of the pasta the woman was cooking. Gina slapped his hand away and he chuckled, kissing her before deciding to pick up his daughter.

"What have you ladies been up to today?" Matt asked them.

"Mel and I did all the girls' nails and we watched a Disney movie. Katie has been at it writing for over an hour and the little ones have just been chilling on our laps ever since." Gina explained, stirring the simmering noodles. "Dinner should be done soon. We're making chicken alfredo."

"Well why don't you let Kenz and Sadie go play," Matt said, kissing his wife's neck. "They look like they are itching to run off."

The two girls ran off together after that, disappearing up the stairs quickly, giggling.

"Did you have fun?" Melinda whispered and then kissed Jim. She'd got him the tickets for his birthday and Matt had gotten one nearby in a radio contest.

"I did! Watching Aaron having the time of his life was amazing. Thanks for the tickets," he smiled, explaining some of the details from today. "We were lucky the guy who was near us swapped his ticket for Matt's since he was just a few rows closer to the court."

"Well happy belated birthday, my love." She captured his lips again. "And thank me later."

"Oh I will," he laughed and then rubbed his daughter's back. "How was your day, Katiebug?"

"Good," Katie answered. "Never knew that upkeep on keeping nails at the appropriate length and health took so much work."

"Oh my little busy bee," he whispered against her hair. "What are you writing?"

"My journal entry for today," Katie said scribbling something down and as he leaned down to read it, she promptly closed it. "Privacy dad. Maybe you can read something else another time, but not my journal." After tucking the third journal this month that she had filled to her chest, Katie scurried up the stairs and into her room, presumably.

"What'd I do?" He asked sitting down in the seat she had sat in.

"You need to give her space, Jim." She said, patting him on the back. "She's going to be fourteen next week. Ned left for the summer with his buddies and won't be back until the week before school starts up, so she's moping. There's another reason too, but you're not privy to that information."

"What information?" He said and then sighed, knowing what that usually meant. "Oh. Well, save me from the wrath of our hormonal daughter."

Gina trailed off from laughing with a furrowed brow, "Mel, have you heard the girls?"

Melinda thought for a moment and realizes that the two little girls had been very quiet since they ran off. That was very unusual since both Mackenzie and Sadie tend to be very loud. The four adults shared a look before they all stood up and headed towards Mackenzie's room.

The door was open, but neither of the girls was immediately visible. It was kind of unnerving, given both Sadie and Mackenzie were only four. Four-year-old girls were never this quiet. The two sets of parents step into the room. They found Mackenzie sitting in front of Sadie, and Matt and Gina's daughter had a pair of scissors buried in Mackenzie's hair.

"Oh. My. God," Gina said as she took in the scene before them all. "Sadie!"

Apparently, Mackenzie had already given Sadie a haircut. Brown hair littered the carpet underneath them, with Mackenzie's blonde hair mixing in. After Gina had spoken, the four adults fell silent. Sadie and Mackenzie didn't even notice that they were in the room. Sadie just continued cutting Mackenzie's curls away, but then Sadie looks over her shoulder just as she finished cutting another snippet.

Sadie froze with the scissors in one hand and a chunk of Mackenzie's hair in the other. "Uh oh, Kenzie…" Sadie whispered, poking her shoulder. "Look."

"What?" Mackenzie turns around and sees her parents, along with Sadie's. "Uh oh."

All was quiet until Matt and Jim suddenly burst into laughter at the same time. Mackenzie, not one to be left out, started squealing and clapping her hands as well thinking her hair must look good. Their wives turned towards them with dark, dangerous glares that made them stop their laughter immediately.

It was nearly impossible, given how funny the situation was, but neither Jim nor Matt wanted to be in trouble with their wives.

"Hi, mommy," Mackenzie said sheepishly, running toward Melinda. "Do you like it?"

Melinda pressed her hand to her forehead. "Her hair is uneven. Jim, her hair is completely uneven." She sighed and shook her head.

Matt tilted his head to the side as he studied his daughter's hair. "Babe, you shouldn't freak out too much. At least Kenz managed to cut Sadie's hair semi- evenly like a perfectionist just like her mother."

"Shut up, Matt. You're not helping," Gina muttered.

"Mackenzie's hair is completely uneven," she just kept closing her eyes, wishing it would reappear. "What if her curls never come back? I've seen that happen with people who cut their hair too soon."

It was true. Mackenzie's hair was jagged and cut shorter in some places than others. Jim set a hand on her shoulder around Melinda's shoulder and pulled her close, kissing her temple in an effort to calm her down.

"We'll take Mack to the hairdresser, Mel. They'll fix it and it'll look fine, okay?" He reassured her.

Melinda and Gina looked at each other and sighed. "I need another glass of wine," they both declared at the same time and turn to leave the room.

Matt went to begin to clean up the mess, but Jim lifted Mackenzie up so that she was at eye level. The four-year-old little girl blinked up at him with her big ocean eyes, and he gave her a serious look.

"We need a picture of this so I can make fun of you later," he said and set her down. "Come on, let's go cheer your sister up."

"Okay, daddy!" She kissed his cheek before they went to Katie's room and knocked.

This should put a spring in his eldest's step.