IT'S A BABY-BONANZA!

[paradisamods]

Good morning, residents! Did you sleep well? You're going to need all the energy you can muster because congratulations: You're parents! Again! The Paradisa Stork has paid some very lucky residents a visit last night, and even moved them to a more kid-friendly environment.

Some of you may already recognize your little bundle of joy and--my, how they've grown! Others will have to get acquainted with their little rugrats. You may not know them, but they certainly know you. By they way? They're bored. And hungry! And they want all the attention you could possibly give them.

It's going to be a long week.

(ooc: Use this as a catch-all post! This will be the only mass post for the Sunny Skies Retreat, so you may use it for any day that you'd like. Feel free to make your own posts and/or sections whenever you'd like!

SECTIONS: BEDROOMS | PLAY ROOM | PETTING ZOO | POOL | GARDENS | THE CASTLE)

Comments

[youfallback]

We can do that. [Carolina smiles, even at the tilt of her head. Damn, she looks so much like her father right now.

Jack barely shifts on his part of the bed, waking up enough to ask.] Want Georgia.

[Carolina glances over at Jack again and quickly goes searching through the boy's things before she comes up with a little stuffed red panda.]

[encryptedlock]

That is the cutest thing I have ever seen, except maybe for Laura's panda.

[Laura giggles, though quietly as she's pretty aware of how easily her brother can wake up in the first few minutes of a nap.]

[youfallback]

[Carolina holds the red panda out to Jack, who snuggles up to it and promptly falls back asleep. Carolina kisses him lightly on the top of the head. With that all taken care of, she heads to Laura's suitcase to grab a small book.]

[encryptedlock]

I can stay here with him if you guys want to go outside or anything?

[He wouldn't mind a bit of a nap himself.]

[youfallback]

[Carolina glances down at Laura, silently asking if she wants to go outside or stay in their room to read.]

[encryptedlock]

[Laura nods and takes her mother's hand.]

Come on!

[It's a big hotel, after all. There's probably a number of posh sitting rooms and balconies to explore.]

[youfallback]

[Carolina pauses to glance back at York, opening her mouth to say something before she decides against it and heads out with Laura to go find a place to read.]

[encryptedlock]

[She seems to be a pretty smart girl for a seven-year-old, so Laura has a small chapter book to read from. It's a fairly standard magical realism story set on a distant colony and starring a plucky young girl.

As for York, he'll take a short nap snuggled up with Jack for a while. He missed having another warm body in bed with him, even just for cuddling.]

[youfallback]

[Carolina finds them a plush armchair to settle in and sets Laura on her lap so the can read together. It's surprising to Carolina just how natural and warm it feels to have someone else in her arms. Altogether, it's been so long that she can't help but eat it up. She'll keep reading as long as Laura wants her to.

Jack, meanwhile, will sleep for a solid hour and a half before stirring.]

[encryptedlock]

[Laura will insist on alternating chapters as they read so she gets practice, though after a while she'll want to investigate lunch options as well.

As for York, he'll be poring over the journal when Jack starts stirring. He'd been able to sleep for about half an hour earlier, which was a nice nap for him.]

You waking up there?

[youfallback]

Let's go back and get Daddy and Jack for lunch. [Carolina carefully lifts Laura and heads back up to the hotel room, entering as quietly as she can.

She notices York with his journal before the stirring Jack and sets Laura back down as the sleepy toddler starts to sit up with his panda.]

Anything on the journals. [Nope, still hasn't learned how to ask questions.]

[encryptedlock]

Some people apparently didn't have any idea they'd get kids. Shocking, I know. Did you get some good reading in, Laura.

[She nods excitedly and puts the book back in her bag so they can continue tomorrow.]

Mommy says it's lunchtime!

Mommy's smart. [He was starting to get pretty hungry.] What do you guys want to eat?

[youfallback]

[Carolina heads over to her own journal and as she scans through entries, she pales at the sight of Church's.] Take them to lunch, I need to handle something.

[And doesn't wait for an answer before heading out of the room.

Jack doesn't look too perturbed as he blinks around and rubs his face.] Chicken nuggets?

[encryptedlock]

[Lovely. York rolls his eyes a little at Carolina, who probably doesn't notice it.]

Can I have a cheeseburger, Daddy?

Course you can, Laura. Let's head downstairs, okay?

[Yep, two Happy Meals down in the dining area coming right up. As for York, he'll have a McRib. Mmm.

That should give Carolina enough time to get her business over with.]

[youfallback]

[Carolina's back not too much later, around the time they're finishing their lunches. She's a shade paler, but she's quickly settling at the table, offering a weak smile to the kids.]

Did you already finish? [Holy shit it's an actual question.]

[encryptedlock]

[York raises his eyebrows at her--what was that all about?--but goes back to helping Jack with his meal. Laura is all done with hers, of course. (But then, she is several years older than Jack.)]

I'm done, Mommy!

[youfallback]

[She murmurs a reluctant] Later. [to him before turning her lackluster smile back to the kids. No, she has to be better. Smile wider, smile more genuinely.] We can explore the gardens when everyone's done.

[Meanwhile, Jack is making spaceship noises as he flies his chicken nuggets through the air toward his ketchup.]

[encryptedlock]

[Yeah, he has a feeling she's probably going to conveniently forget about "later", but oh well. York helps Laura gather up the trash from their meals while Jack works on finishing his.]

That sounds like a good idea. You know, I saw a bunch of bunnies out there from the windows earlier.

[youfallback]

[Yeah, she probably is going to forget about later, but for now, she's focusing on the kids. She looks over at Laura, watching for her reaction to bunnies.

Jack, all and all, is still pretty focused on his spaceship chicken nuggets.]

[encryptedlock]

[Laura, naturally, gets all wide-eyed despite having just been at the petting zoo earlier.]

Real bunnies? Are they soft?

Softer than anything.

[Hmm, looks like Jack might be here for a while. York looks over at Carolina thoughtfully.] Do you want to grab something to eat? Or I can grab something for you, if you want to watch the kids for a second. [Which she'll probably throw against the wall and eat an MRE instead, but.]

[youfallback]

[Carolina actually fully smiles at Laura's reaction and when she turns to answer York's question, she can't exactly shut those good vibes off. Looks like she'll just have to endure him doing something nice for her.]

I can watch the kids.

[encryptedlock]

[Victoly. York quickly heads over to the counter to grab her some chicken strips and a salad. Not quite fried chicken, but close enough.]

[youfallback]

[As he does, Carolina will aid Jack in directing those spaceships toward his mouth, but not too strongly to rush him through the rest of lunch. He still has a handful of nuggets, some carrots, and pieces of apple, so they're not going anywhere fast.

When he gets back, she'll just nod, not quite up for stomaching gratitude right now. Clearly, she's the one doing him a favor.

(You don't deserve him. The back of her mind fights back against that rationalization.)

And then she'll start actually eating the food he got for her.]

[encryptedlock]

[Hey, a small victory is still a victory. He'll also slip some apple slices to Laura since she finished her meal already and he doesn't want her to get antsy.]

So, are you guys liking vacation so far?

[Laura's expression brightens up and she nods vigorously.] I am, Daddy!

[youfallback]

[That distracts Jack from his Spaceship Nugget adventure and claps his hands, getting ketchup all over them.] Yes Daddy!

[The jury's still out for Carolina as she fills her mouth with salad as an obvious excuse to not reply.]