"What's going through that beautiful brain of yours," Emily asked, opening her arms for JJ to snuggle into that night as the blonde got into bed.
"I can't believe we have a ten-year-old," JJ answered with a small sad sigh.
She too hated how quickly their babies grew. It felt like just yesterday they were walking into the children's wing of the hospital where an eight-year-old little boy peeked out from behind Sophia's legs to say hi to them, pointing towards JJ's belly and asked if there was a baby in there. He was the shyest, sweetest, purest little angel boy and while he still was most those things today, shy was no longer one of them. And because Oliver was now ten, that meant Oakley was seven, Brooks and Brynley were now two, and in about a month Clarke would be fourteen.
Time was flying and all Emily and JJ wanted to do was slow it down.
"We do, Jen. Our baby boy is ten," Emily said as tears welled in her eyes for the countless number of times today. "Are you ready?" she asked her wife.
"Yeah," JJ nodded against Emily's chest and the brunette raised her knees so the two had the perfect view of the photo album in the woman's lap. This was one of their favorite parts of their sweet babies' birthdays because the mothers were able to truly reminisce on the year while focusing mainly on that specific child.
The albums were put together by Penelope and thanks to the fairy godmother, she was able to put them together each year for each child. The mothers didn't care about having things in order anymore the way Emily did with Lily's first year of life video, they just wanted it documented. They wanted their children to one day be able to look back on each year of their childhood with their siblings and see the joy they had and talk about the memories with one another.
Emily opened the album and the first picture they saw made the mothers burst out laughing. Oliver was standing on a surfboard in Hawaii pretending to be Uncle Morgan flexing his big muscles but what made the picture that much better was the fact his sisters were surrounding him with huge smiles on their faces and Lily was in JJ's arms with her head tipped back because she was laughing so much.
The next picture was of Oliver surrounded by what seemed like almost all his toy airplanes, lying on his stomach with Allen sitting next to him on the carpet of his bedroom floor as they put together one of the huge model planes Oliver now had hanging from the ceiling in there. Allen had a hand on Oliver's back, a smile on his face and the photo was captured just when Oliver looked up at his grandfather with pure admiration.
Emily and JJ went through so many emotions looking at the album of pictures in front of them. The memories their sweet little boy had provided them with and made for himself, my gosh. Life wouldn't be the same without their Oliver Sky that's for sure.
The two mothers fell asleep cuddled in each other's arms dreaming about how their beautiful life had turned out, it was absolutely unreal and much better than their wildest dreams.
"Where's mommy?" the little girl asked with tears welling in her eyes the following morning.
JJ could tell Emerson was upset by the crack in her voice and looked up from playing with two of the littles to see what was wrong. "What's wrong Emerson?" JJ asked, opening her arms for the little one to walk into.
Today they were starting the day in a boring way to throw the kids off completely and then they were heading to one of their favorite places. After talking things over with River, who was also very happy, they planned a very exciting four days for the Prentiss family—they wanted the kids to think it was just another summer day though because there was nothing better than surprising them.
"I can't fimd my pwinciss shiw-t I wanna we-ah," Emerson cried, rubbing her eyes with her fists as she snuggled in JJ's arms.
River was currently getting Brynley dressed then passed her off to Emily to do her hair once she finished Oakley's although, not truly because everyone was doing baths and showers this morning before they left to get haircuts. None of the children questioned it though because it wasn't the first time they bathed before leaving the house.
When Clarke came running into the playroom JJ knew Oliver must be downstairs with Hudson because the mothers didn't particularly like the twins to be alone downstairs if River or one of the big kids weren't down there; they were only five and it made them worry. Clarke must have asked Oliver to stay down there then came up to figure out how to help her little sister.
"It's okay, baby. I'm sure we'll be able to find it for you," JJ assured, rubbing Emerson's back. "Which one is she looking for?" JJ whispered, looking up at Clarke.
"Umm, the pink one with Ariel and flounder on it," Clarke answered in a whisper.
"Looks like we do need mommy," JJ replied.
Emily handled the laundry while JJ was at work however, because she was home due to the Integrity case, Jen had been helping with the household chores. It was important to teach the children responsibility, but Emily had a hard time with it because she wanted her babies to enjoy their childhoods. She and JJ had decided to teach the kids a bit differently and make things fun for them.
Emily thought it was important the children learn to cook, especially because Jen couldn't until she met the brunette, but she didn't want to force them so if they wanted to help in the kitchen, she made it fun for them. She never made them, however, they all wanted to besides Brooks and Brynley who were too young and Lily who was still lost in her own play world; she did love to bake though just like Hudson and Emerson.
The laundry was done by Emily. Brooks and Brynley did love to help her toss the clothes into the washer even though it took much longer to do, but it's something she did with Lily and Oakley as well—Amelia and Oliver also liked to help because they thought it was fun to act like a grown-up sometimes but only to push the buttons and move the wet clothes into the dryer. Emily also taught Clarke what to do when she asked her mom 'just out of curiosity' one day.
Emily would fold the kid's clothes and put them in piles on each of their beds and the big kids were responsible for putting them away, Emily put the babies away, and the mothers helped the littles in a fun game. That was their way of teaching responsibility—the kids almost always cleaned up their toys without prompting unless they were mid-game, building/working on a project, or it was something they couldn't necessarily rebuild again, and if that was the case the mothers let them keep it out overnight.
Emily had been the one who helped Hudson and Emerson put away their clothes most recently though while JJ helped Lily and Oakley so the blonde had absolutely no idea where the mermaid shirt may be. Who knew a shirt Emerson would only wear for a few hours, because everyone would be changing shortly even though they had absolutely no idea, would cause such a meltdown.
"We'll find it, Emerson. Don't worry baby girl," JJ soothed.
"How about we go upstairs and ask mom?" Clarke suggested knowing it would be better if she went with Emerson because that way, she could get her hair done in the process too.
"Yeah, otay," she nodded. JJ gave her a kiss then stood her up, patting her bottom lightly sending the girls on their way as Brooks ran into his mother's arms with a dinosaur and racecar in his hands.
"Oomph," JJ grunted, then repositioned Brooks so the dinosaur leg was no longer digging into her stomach. "Geez bubs, you know how to make an entrance don't you, huh?"
"It be'pause he a chumpy mompee momma," Lily said with a giggle as she continued to play with her dolls.
"Yes he is, Lily bug," JJ agreed. She knew there was no reason to disagree with Lily as the little peanut would faux argue with her until she was blue in the face.
Downstairs Oliver and Hudson finished picking out the perfect outfits that would somewhat match one another, something the mother's thought was super cute as Oliver never got to match the way his sisters constantly did. If Brooks started the day matching Oliver, it didn't last long because he was the messiest eater in the family no matter which bib they used, and Emily bought them all. She thought maybe the typical cloth bibs weren't enough for him, so she tried a few others, some with a lip to catch the food but somehow Brooks found a way around those as well. Needless to say, Oliver loved the fact he was able to match Hudson the way his sisters matched with one another too.
Upstairs Emily was explaining to Clarke where the ariel shirt may be, either hanging up in the left short sleeve pink section of the color-coded closet or in the right side of the dresser in the third drawer down. Sometimes Clarke wondered if there was a different reason her mom retired from the FBI because she was so good at, like everything, according to her. Clarke didn't know how she remembered where everything was for all her siblings and herself in specific detail, kept them on track, organized, paid attention to everyone, gave them so much, and more. Her other mom did too but she still worked for the FBI.
It wasn't long before everyone was ready for the day, the meltdowns over a lost ariel shirt, a snatched dinosaur, a misplaced doe-doe, and an uncooperative pillow were long forgotten. Just another typical start to a Prentiss day, it was always something. Thankfully though, when you're between the ages of two and five your meltdowns don't last long and are quickly replaced with a positive emotion due to having so many siblings there to make things better for you.
When Emily parked, she turned around in her seat and made eye contact with the kids in her car to quickly talk to them. "Okay my babies, what are the rules in a busy parking lot like this?"
"Howd hands," Hudson answered with a smile.
"That's right, buddy. What else?"
"Don't get out awone," Emerson added.
"Yes, sweet girl. Wait for me to get you," Emily nodded.
The cars were split in a very specific way however, River would typically go in the car carrying the most littles—today, she was in the car with the big kids and Lily because they were making a stop before heading to the salon for the kid's haircuts. Emily wasn't worried though because Hudson and Emerson had been out in the world without River many times now and did very well.
Today it was Clarke and the twins, literally. She and her mom were with both sets of twins leaving the duos together in the other car. It was true, in a way. The family had multiple combinations which made them so unique.
Clarke was their wildcard in the sense that she was not only the eldest, most responsible, and easy-going, she also always told her mom's what was going on. If they broke into groups of any kind, Clarke always made sure to tell her mom before wandering off to the other group and sent a text just to make sure they were perfectly clear on her whereabouts. She could also easily be seen as a duo with Amelia though because their sister bond was so incredibly strong.
Amelia and Oliver were a duo because before Clarke came into the picture, they were the two oldest and their bond was unlike any other. Amelia loved her little sisters immediately, however, there was something about gaining Oliver as a brother that was so special to her. Not just because he was her first brother but because of the age. They could have conversations she couldn't have with Oakley and Lily, they stayed up later, enjoyed things the littles couldn't, cooked together with Emily, enjoyed listening to JJ reading the same book to them, and more.
Oliver experienced a similar feeling although his was a bit different. He had never felt so much love from another kid before and was so happy Amelia was that person for him. He'd never single out a favorite sibling but if he had to...He really did love them all so much though, they made everything so much better. Oliver's dreams had come true once his moms rescued him.
Oakley and Lily have always been a duo, they were from the start. They were the original duo. It doesn't matter how many siblings were added, their bond was unbreakable. Those two girls had the most fun playing together, even as Oakley progressed in school rapidly and Lily did slowly but surely like doe-doe, they stayed connected at the hip. A true pair in every sense.
"Ready for this?" Emily asked Clarke. The mother was now holding Brooks and Brynley in her arms and Clarke had Hudson and Emerson's hands in her own with a brave smile on her face.
"Yeah, let's do this," Clarke answered.
"Hi how can I help y—oh my gosh, it's the Prentiss family," Laura, the secretary at Elavina Salon, said when she saw them gathered by her desk.
"Hi Laura, how are you?" Emily asked.
"Great now, how are all of you?"
"We're doing rea—"
"Es'cuse me, mommy," Hudson whispered, hugging Emily's leg as he batted his eyelashes at her.
Emily repositioned Brynley then looked down at Hudson and smiled. "Those were very good manners, baby. Thank you for using them. What is it?" Emily said, loving the smile she got when praising the little boy.
Hudson pointed to the jar of lollipops, and he snuggled peanut butter close to his face when asking, "Can me and Emmy and Clawke pick suckahs so we can be weally weady pwease?"
The kids knew the rule, they could have three suckers each while at the salon. This worked in the mother's favor because they were dum-dums, the smallest lollipops and didn't send the kids bouncing off the wall in a sugar high. Also, it kept them entertained, which was even better. Suckers were for during your haircut as headphones couldn't be put on like they could in the waiting area with an iPad. This was one place the mothers felt it was appropriate to use electronics as there were other patrons and a lot of people came here to relax.
Luckily the mothers knew how many suckers each child needed per haircut meaning they knew how many could be enjoyed while enjoying a movie, tv show, or quietly playing while waiting for their siblings to be done. Normally they did haircuts in a few trips, or they came together and did the littles first then JJ took them home while Emily stayed with the big kids to get theirs done. Today though, they were all heading to the same place afterwards.
"You can buddy, I'm sure Clarke will help you," Emily answered.
Clarke carefully took the jar of lollipops off the desk then led her brother and sister over to the chairs while Emily spoke with Laura with the twins in her arms because they were runners. Emily was an avid planner, so much so she had everything packed for what they were doing after haircuts meaning the stroller was currently buried. It was okay though because JJ was coming, and she was going to pretend it was in her car by accident.
"Are you sure these are the three you want little dude?" Clarke asked.
"Mmm," Hudson contemplated, looking between the three in his hand and the jar in his sister's lap. "I fink maybe I want gwape in'steda ohwimge."
"I think that's a good idea," Clarke agreed. "What about you little mermaid?"
Emerson giggled each time Clarke called her that, it made her so happy, and she snuggled bubbles closer before answering. "I fink I wike mine. What bout' you?"
"I have mine right here, see?" she answered, grabbing her three from the seat next to her. The twins were standing in front of her excitedly picking their choices while Clarke sat on the chair and the few patrons in the salon watched the scene unfold.
"We haf the same!" Hudson said with a gasp.
"Bubble gum and cotton candy are the best flavors," Clarke announced, and the twins nodded in response. "And you two crazy monkeys both have grape too," she said, tickling them now that she had placed the bowl on the seat next to her as well.
"Yeah!" they responded. The twins didn't realize how similar they were, however, everyone else did and thought it was so damn adorable. "And to think you almost went with orange," Clarke commented.
"Oh my gosh, Brooks no!" Emily called out nearly the minute she put him down.
The three Prentiss children turned to see their little brother who was now contemplating picking up the hair on the floor or listening to his mother. He had his stuffed cow in one hand and a determined look on his face as if to say, challenge accepted, to which, Emily just shook her head. Brynley was waving her stuffed duck around cheering on her brother as she squealed, and Emily ignored the fact her eardrums were being blown while gently staring Brooks down.
"Brooks Morgan, don't you do it buddy. Listen to mommy," Emily prompted.
Brooks smiled as he started to lower his body to the floor preparing himself to grab some of the hair that had fallen from the woman's hair after being cut. Everyone in the salon seemed to pause what they were doing to watch the faceoff between mother and son until Clarke stood up with an easy solution.
"Brooks, look what I have!" Clarke tempted, showing him the lollipop.
"Lalalala!" he squealed, running over to his sister with his arms up in the air like the chunker he was.
Emily apologized to everyone trying to relax then got the kids settled making sure Brooks was secure in her arms with a sucker. "Thank you, sweet girl," Emily said to Clarke.
"Not a big deal, mom. He is a chunk after all, just needed to tempt him with something better than hair," Clarke retorted, poking Brooks belly causing him to giggle.
Emily smiled at her little smart-alecky girl then ran her fingers through Clarke's hair. "What do you want to do with this?"
"Umm, just a trim I think. I don't really want a change," she answered.
"Sounds good. This length is perfect with your gorgeous curls," Emily responded. "I think I might have Abbie take a bit more off the triplets today," she continued. The mothers often found themselves referring to Oakley, Lily and Emerson as the triplets because when they quickly ran past you or had their back towards you, they more or less looked like a set of triplets.
"I'm not sure the sass queen is going to like that," Clarke said with a scoff.
"She's not the boss, babe. I am," Emily said with a wink. "Hudson, come here please baby," Emily continued, and the little boy ran over from the other side of the waiting area where he was playing with peanut butter and leaned against his moms' legs. "What should we do with your hair, buddy?"
"Umm, I fink, umm I want an Ollie haiw'cut pwease mommy!" Hudson exclaimed.
"An Ollie cut," Emily said, running her fingers through his hair. "I think Abbie can make that happen today."
"Me and Lily want the same one too, mommy! Pwease!" Emerson exclaimed, just as excited.
"Oh yeah? I think we can do that too, baby."
"Hey Emily, who's going first today?" Laura asked, now standing next to the family.
She accepted the jar of lollipops from Clarke and then waited for the answer. Emily was really hoping JJ was here before they got started only because she was so particular about the kid's haircuts and most of the time needed to stand over there with them to keep whoever was in the chair still. And seeing as JJ had most of the big kids, Emily was in a bit of a pickle especially because Clarke's curly hair was something she was the most particular about.
"When's Abbies next appointment after ours?" Emily asked just above a whisper.
"She doesn't have any, you're her only clients today. Always are when you bring the entire family on the same day. That's just the way she likes it," Laura said with a smile. Truth be told, Emily tipped so well seeing as Abbie was so patient with her and the children, she didn't need any other clients that day.
"Oh good, does she mind if we wait until Jen gets here?"
"Not at all, I'll let her know."
"Thank you so much!"
While Emily was speaking with Laura, Clarke was having her own conversation with one of the women in the salon when Brynley ran off chasing her brother. "You sure have a big family, don't you?"
"You have no idea," Clarke answered with a laugh, picking up her little sister.
"No, no ap! Me balalala!" Brynley babbled, kicking her feet around once she was captured.
"Oh you're a cute little one aren't you? What's your name?" the woman asked knowing she wouldn't receive an answer from the baby.
"This is Brynley," Clarke responded.
"Brynley, that's a very pretty name. And it seems like you're a twin, is that right sweetie, are you a twin?"
"Say yes," Clarke prompted. "Bryn-Bryn, say yes."
"Es!" she copied, and Clarke laughed. "A naughty twin, huh Bryn. Brooks gets into lots of trouble, doesn't he?" Clarke teased.
"Es!" Brynley repeated again with a squeal, tossing her duck in the process. The duck went straight up into the air and plopped into the woman's lap and Clarke apologized but she waved it off.
"Oh don't worry honey, I have four children of my own and six grandchildren. My name is Sheila, it's nice to meet you…"
"Clarke," she answered.
"You all have very pretty names," Sheila said with a smile.
"Hi, I Hudson," the little boy exclaimed as he appeared in front of the woman just as Clarke let Brynley down to run back towards their mom. Hudson was still a bit thrown off when it came to the whole stranger danger thing because he was so personable, not to say he didn't get intimidated sometimes but when he saw his moms or siblings talking with someone, he too thought it was okay. Emerson was still a bit weary, but she was getting a bit better in certain situations.
"Well hello Hudson," Shelia said with a little laugh. He was so proud to announce who he was, and she couldn't help but laugh a bit at how adorable he was. "How old are you, sweetie?"
"I this many, see?" he said, holding up five fingers. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5. That's five. How old are you?"
"Hudson!" Clarke exclaimed, covering her face with her hands. "Dude, you only ask other kids how old they are not grownups," she explained.
"But how come?" he asked.
"Because it's, umm." Clarke didn't really know how to explain it in a way that would make sense to him. "Well…"
"Mommy telled me she umm," he paused to try and use his fingers again then realized that he didn't have enough. "She 34 and momma 30," he giggled thinking that was super-duper old.
"Yeah but that's family. You don't ask a grownup you just met their age because it is not good manners."
"Wike pwease and fank you?"
"Yeah, just like that."
"I sowy," Hudson said to the woman.
"You don't need to apologize to me, honey. You didn't know, right?" she asked, and Hudson shook his head no. "I'm much older than your mommies. I'm going to be 72 in about a month."
"Woah," Hudson whispered with his eyes wide.
"Who's this little one next to you?" Sheila asked.
Hudson looked to his left and then smiled at the woman. "This Emerson, she my twin."
"Two sets of twins in the same family?" Shelia said, more so to Clarke because she was the oldest.
"Yeah, it gets really crazy."
"I'm sure it does," Shelia said. The woman was about to continue when the door opened, and another four children came bounding in and ran up to the twins talking to Sheila. Hudson and Emerson said a quick bye to Sheila then the woman looked up to see Clarke and a new face. "Oh my, don't tell me there's a third set."
"No," Clarke laughed. "This is my sister Amelia, she's two years younger than me. But there are four more of us that just came in. Obviously Amelia, Oliver is talking to Hudson, and then Oakley and Lily are talking with Emerson," she pointed out.
Sheila did some quick math in her head then her eyes went wide, and Amelia chimed in before the woman could speak because she knew that look. "There's nine of us."
"There sure is, honey."
"Okay, let's get this going," Emily said after kissing JJ a quick hello along with her babies. Force of habit, she was barely away from them but anytime she was, Emily always gave them all a kiss hello. JJ was going to help the four remaining kids pick out their three lollipops while Emily got the haircuts going.
"Alright, what are we doing with this little munchkin?" Abbie asked as they walked over to her seat. She had already prepared it for the littlest babies so they were ready to go.
"I'd like to start with a trim and see how that looks. I don't think we can really do much of anything in way of styling his hair yet," Emily responded.
"Em," Jen called out, overhearing what her wife was saying.
"What is it, babe?"
"That's Brynley," she said, pointing at Brooks who was happily playing with his cow and some of the toys that were in JJ's car thanks to the way things were packed up.
"I thought he felt much lighter, now I know why," Emily said, turning Brynley around in her arms and peppering kisses to her face. "I'm sorry baby girl. Mommy got you mixed up with your brother, didn't I? Yes I did!"
Brynley squealed and giggled when she smooshed her duck into Emily's face. "I deserve that for thinking you were Brooks. Anyways, let's just start with a trim, Abbie."
"You've got it!"
The haircuts were going almost seamlessly now that JJ and River were there, and Emily had more hands to help her. The twins were easy, so were the triplets in the sense that they all had the same pin straight thick hair and Emily wanted four inches taken off. She stayed over there to keep the girls from wiggling, especially her sass queen who had the biggest personality and used her Italian genes to the fullest when telling a story in the sense that they were always moving.
The boys were next as Hudson had waited so patiently and was itching to get his turn in the big boy seat. Also, it just made sense because Abbie wouldn't take the booster out of her chair until it was Oliver's turn and then she'd swap it out for the cushion to prop the big kids up high enough for her to cut their hair.
"Ready my big boy?"
"Yeah, wets do it!" he cheered, jumping into his mothers' arms knowing she'd catch him the way she always did.
Oliver also came over because he was the model, at least that was the reason Emily played along with knowing it would make him feel good. The mother knew he just wanted to hangout with his little brother because they were matching today and were about to have matching haircuts as well, it was too damn cute.
While the boys were happily distracted, JJ and River were keeping the kids occupied with their lollipops, movies, games and the twins mini playmat and toys. A few other patrons had come over to comment on how well behaved all the children were to which JJ thanked them and spoke with the women for a bit if they engaged in a conversation.
"Is it always like this?" River whispered to JJ. She had been out with the family enough to know they got comments wherever they went but today it felt different for some reason. Maybe because she hadn't been here while all the kids got a haircut last time or because they were always on the move anywhere else they went, River didn't really know.
"Yes," JJ answered. "Even when we had just three and four kid's we heard a lot of the same comments," JJ added.
JJ had a big feeling it was due to the fact she and Emily were and looked so damn young because their family made sense to society when the mothers walked around with Oakley and Lily. Amelia started the slide due to her age and Emilys, then JJs age and Olivers and again with Clarkes and Emilys. Their family was nobody's business but their own, however, because everybody seemed to make it their own, they all assumed Emily had Clarke when she was 20. Society tells us that it's far too young to have a child, however, crazier things have happened.
"I don't mind it though. It used to bother me far more, especially when certain things were said however, most people tell me what I already know about my sweet babies," JJ continued with a smile looking at the kids who were playing either together or alone quietly.
"Momma, dis one not opemin' up!" Lily said, stomping her little foot while looking down at the lollipop in her hand, completely frustrated with the wrapper. "Tan you hewp me, pwease?"
She crashed into JJ's legs putting her head in the blonde's lap while snuggling doe-doe and her blanket holding the lollipop up to her mom. "I sure can, baby."
JJ held the lollipop between her teeth then lifted Lily up into her lap and situated the blanket around her then pulled the wrapper off and handed it to the little girl and rocked her back and forth. Lily did not have the best night's sleep and the mothers knew she would have an early nap today which would be good for her as they had a busy few days ahead of them.
"Fank you."
"You're welcome, bug."
The twins were already in the stroller and dozing off with their bottles and Lily would be asleep before they left the salon. Hudson and Emerson would nap at their normal time as they were now on the Prentiss schedule, Lily bug was playing by her own schedule today and that was fine.
Last night she had a nightmare about a talking tree that ate people with magical flowers. In the nightmare she was running so much she ended up running into her mother's room completely out of breath, clawing at the covers and screaming, mommy the twee eap me, over and over again until Emily lifted her up and snuggled her close. She was so terrified Emily had to keep the light on until the little peanut fell back asleep after reading two books and singing.
Fifteen minutes later River reached over and gently took the lollipop out of Lily's mouth, tucked the blanket up around her sleeping form making sure doe-doe was positioned the way she liked her and commented with a sad smile, "It must have been some tree."
"I know, poor little baby. She was so afraid," JJ said, continuing to rock Lily back and forth. "Their minds are something else. I obviously don't want them to have nightmares but when they dream, my gosh, I love hearing where their minds go."
"I do too," River agreed. "Sometimes that would be the best part of my day."
JJ reached over and squeezed River's hand knowing the woman was referring to when they were held captive. "Now it can be one of your favorite parts of the day."
"It definitely is because there are so many," River said with a smile. She then saw Oliver and Hudson run over with the biggest smiles and said, "Oh, look at you handsome boys and your matching haircuts. I love them!"
JJ gasped and pretended not to recognize either of them. "Oh my gosh, are those my boys? No, it can't be. Are you Hudson, no way. I don't think my Hudson was this cute, was he? And hmm, what's your name?"
"Him Owiver, momma! And I Hudson the all the whole time!" he giggled.
The adults, including the patrons watching on, laughed at his response. He sure was a spitfire and definitely gave Lily a run for a money in the sense of humor. Even though Oliver was now ten he still loved that his moms paid him so much attention. He didn't fall for the fact they didn't know who he was or other silly things they did for the littles, but some things still went right over his head. "Thank goodness, I don't know what I would have done without my beautiful boys. Abbie did a great job on your haircuts. Do you love it?"
"Yeah!" they answered at the same time. "I wook wike Owwie, momma. See," Hudson said, tipping his head down so JJ could get the full view even though she already had it as Hudson was just a little peewee.
"You do, buddy. I'm sure you love looking just like Ollie, huh?"
"Mhm, only me getta do it," Hudson said proudly.
Amelia and Clarke's haircuts were the hardest because of their precious curls. They had the most beautiful and matching curls you'd honestly never know they didn't share DNA; it was uncanny. Their curls were the perfect ringlets when Emily styled them and when she didn't, she cared and maintained them properly so she could do the fun hairstyles the girls loved while keeping them intact.
It was one of the things Emily most regretted about her own childhood—she knows how crazy it sounded but it was true because if someone had taught her how to care for her curls, she would still have them today unlike the frizzy mess she was left with when she didn't style her hair. Fiona was great at literally everything and always got her out the door with a fresh set of French braids, but she didn't know how to style her curls because Fiona had pin straight hair like Lily.
"What have you girls been up to since you got home from vacation?" Abbie asked Amelia and Clarke. They also came over to her station together because they just wanted to talk, and Abbie enjoyed it as well.
"Lots of playing outside," Amelia said, watching as Abbie cut her hair. She had trouble holding a full conversation while Abbie was working because she was fearful the woman would make a mistake and cut off too much even though she knew her mom wouldn't allow her to.
"Yeah, literally every single day," Clarke agreed. "We've had friends over a ton and the family too. Swimming, outdoor movie nights, we went to this really cool interactive museum, and so many birthdays. Hudson and Emerson turned five, Oakley turned seven, Brooks and Brynley turned two, Oliver turned ten and my birthday is next month."
"Wow, it sounds like you've been very busy," Abbie said, thoroughly impressed.
"It's always really busy at our house," Amelia giggled.
Emily laughed and winked at Amelia through the mirror when the little girl made eye contact with her. Soon enough Clarke was in the chair and Amelia was a little chatterbox with Abbie as she cut the final Prentiss child's hair. Emily looked over at JJ to make sure she was still doing well and was happy to receive a smile in return. This trip to the salon started out a bit chaotic but that was life as a Prentiss, now it was time to surprise the kids with something beyond exciting…