It’s so easy to talk to him. I didn’t expect that. Last night was a lot of fun, and as I finish the final touches on Ayrie before reveal the dress, I can’t help but feel that much closer to her now that I know that I wasn’t going crazy when she was a tiny baby. He was equally enthusiastic about me as he was about the twins, and I loved that he gave me just as much information about himself and his family.
Knightly, Tessa, and Maria are sitting on the bed with Aizen who is already dressed and ready to go. They’re all excited to see her reaction and the dress itself. They all have their phones out and I can’t believe how happy I am considering things haven’t exactly been all that great.
I bring the trunk over to the center of the room and face it so that they can see her reaction first. Ayrie loves this thing. I use it when I want her costumes to be a secret. She laughs jumping up and down excitedly.
“Ready?”
“Yes, Mommy Hurry, she pats the top. I pop the latches up and open the box. Her little face lights up and she screams before jumping on me hard enough to knock me back. “On! Please, Mommy! On!”
“Okay,” I laugh matching her excitement. She runs into the closet to wait for me as if it somehow will make me go faster.
“That is the cutest thing ever!” Tessa coos. “Hurry up, Phoebe. I want to see
“Relax” Knightly rolls his eyes,
I take the dress and go into the closet to put it on my screaming toddler who is beyond happy about this. I help her into her lights and comfy sparkly shoes since we are going to be walking a lot today. When I finally zip her up, she hops over to the mirror and lets out another baby raptor screech making everyone outside laugh.
“Ready?” she calls out and it’s followed by enthusiastic hurries. I take my camera and watch as she runs out and is immediately bombarded with the reaction she wants. “Wings!”
“I’m coming. I laugh and lift her up onto the coffee table. “Picture first,”
“Fine,” she rolls her eyes.
I take a few steps back and hold my camera up for her. She takes a knee spreading the dress out around her and gives me her best good girl smile. She then stands and spins around a couple of times before she gives me her favorite high kick
pose.
“Okay, try again with the wings?”
“Yes, please,” she jumps up and down clapping her hands. I help her into them and adjust them before pining them to the dress. “So pretty,”
I turn them on without telling her. She does her favorite Tinkerbell poses and then waves me over to her so I can show her. Her little eyes widen when she sees that they light up
“Good?”
“I love you,” she screams wrapping her arms around me so hard I almost drop my camera. “You are the bestest, Mommy,”
“Thank you,” I laugh trying my best not to cry.
“I’m a fairy princess,” she says matter–of–factly
“Last thing.” I say turning back to face Knightly. He holds up the gift box with the little tiara.
“For me?” she asks looking up at him.
I take my camera and record their interaction. I don’t hear what he tells her as I move around them and stop next to Aizen to see him open the box. She looks up at him like it’s the most magical thing she’s ever been presented with.
Laria both gasp She doesn’t jump on him or scream the way she did with me but she lowers her head for him. Tessa and Maria when he tips her head back and slips the tiara onto her head right where I bundled her curls on the top. She hugs him as he continues to whisper into her ear.
“It’s just a dress,” Aizen whispers and grins when I look over at him. “My Shark Boy costume was your best work, Mommy” “Our secret,” I hold my pinky up. He links his through mine and I offer him the box with the custom Mickey ears I made for him. He crawls onto my lap and lifts the lid.
“Mad Hatter,” his eyes light up just like her.
Successfully unlocked!
“Want to wear it?”
“Yes,” he nods.
and
I didn’t want it to be too big for him since I was adding the ears to it. It fits him perfectly. He’s wearing dark blue jeans shirt with the Mad Hatter costume printed on it. He didn’t want a costume because it was for girls, but he agreed to the T-
shirt. So as long as I didn’t make a big deal out of the occasion. My son is very good negociator.
I
“Can I get a picture with you both without you fighting me?” I ask
“Fine,” they both groan. He slides off my lap and goes over to her. The two of them tuck their hands behind their back as they stand next to each other stiffly.
“What happened to the happy faces and the poses?” Tessa throws her hands in the air. They both roll their eyes at the same and it takes Knightly everything in him not to laugh. He ends up coughing.
“Say, Disney. I try to get them to smile. The two of them smile and say Disney as Inap a couple of pictures.
“Your dumb wing is poking me,” Aizen is the first to break character.
“Your dumb ears are dumb, she fires back.
“No, you’re dumb,” he glares at her. I clear my throat and the two of them step away from one another.
“And there it is,” I roll my eyes. “We should get going.” I turn around to face Knightly to see he’s dressed amazingly like always. The rock superstar “You’re going to wear that?”
“You don’t like it?” he asks.
“We’re going to get recognized so fast, I shake my head.
“Why don’t you help him with that and we’ll get the kids settled?” Maria takes Ayrie. “Look at you. Grandpa is going to love this,”
“I wanna show him,” Ayrie hugs her back
“Okay,” I agree.
“You’re going to dress me?” he smirks.
“I’m just going to.” I pull on his denim vest and he lets me remove it. “Let’s go see what you’re hiding in your massive closet,”
He follows me into his room. His closet is the size of our room. It looks like a small boutique store.
“My Mom-”
“No, this is good, We have options,” I laugh.
“Don’t you have a big closet with a lot of things in it?”
“I keep some of the stuff I get attached to, but no. My clothes are changing constantly. I wear it once or twice and send most of it to the girls on the Rez. The same with the kid’s clothes,” I say flipping through his shirts. “Everything in here is black,”
A
