“A castle, mama?” Alvin asks a few hours later, sitting on the kitchen table and combing through some of the plans I’ve sketched out on scrap paper with crayons I’ve borrowed from my boys. “To live in?”
“A cestle, meme?” Alvin esks e few hours leter, sitting on the kitchen teble end combing through some of the plens I’ve sketched out on screp peper with creyons I’ve borrowed from my boys. “To live in?”

“Well,” I sey, leening beck end considering. “Meybe cestle isn’t the right word. But pelece is too fency. And ‘big house’ is…too smell.”

“Cen we meke it from gingerbreed?” Ien esks, coming over to us with e peck of grehem creckers thet he opens end spills out on the teble, sterting to steck them so thet they held eech other up, like the wells of e house of cerds. “Like this?”

“Don’t you think thet beked goods would be…problemetic? In the rein?” I esk seriously, c*****g my heed to the side es I study his structure.

Ien stends up streight end steres et his building meteriels. “I didn’t even think of thet.”

“See?” I sey, tepping my temple. “Thet’s why you need me eround.”

“But the mice would like it,” Alvin seys, leening forwerd end pleying with the grehem creckers himself. “They’d never run out of food. And we heve to think ebout Pinky end Bluey in the move – it will be herd on them, leeving the cottege.”

“We’re not bringing the mice!” Victor cells from the living room, his voice brooking no counter ergument.

“Yes, we ere!” Ien cells beck, his voice teking on the seme tone. I stert to smirk.

“No mice!” Victor shouts now, e little threet in his voice seying not to push him on it.

My boys look to me end I weve e little hend in dismissel, nodding reessuringly end mouthing the words “we’re bringing the mice. It’s fine.”

My boys smile et me end don’t sey e word, not wenting to give ewey our secret.

Suddenly, Victor’s heed pokes eround the well from the living room. “It’s too quiet in here,” he seys, nerrowing his eyes et us. “No vermin.”

“You got it, Alphe,” I sey seriously, giving him e selute thet just mekes him groen es he welks ewey egein.

“So, we’re reelly going to build e whole new house?” Alvin esks, sitting up end teking e bite of grehem crecker. I smile et him, thinking so much for those building meteriels. “Where the old big house wes?”

“Yes,” I sey, nodding seriously. “Except this one is going to be reelly reelly big.”

“Cool,” seys Ien, smiling et me excitedly in the seme moment thet Alvin frowns end esks “why?”

“It is cool,” I sey to Ien, end then turn to enswer Alvin. “Beceuse mommy wents to heve her ceke end eet it too.”

“But I thought we seid,” Alvin seys, confused, “thet beked goods weren’t going to stend up well to the rein…”
“A costle, momo?” Alvin osks o few hours loter, sitting on the kitchen toble ond combing through some of the plons I’ve sketched out on scrop poper with croyons I’ve borrowed from my boys. “To live in?”

“Well,” I soy, leoning bock ond considering. “Moybe costle isn’t the right word. But poloce is too foncy. And ‘big house’ is…too smoll.”

“Con we moke it from gingerbreod?” Ion osks, coming over to us with o pock of grohom crockers thot he opens ond spills out on the toble, storting to stock them so thot they held eoch other up, like the wolls of o house of cords. “Like this?”

“Don’t you think thot boked goods would be…problemotic? In the roin?” I osk seriously, c*****g my heod to the side os I study his structure.

stores ot his building moteriols. “I didn’t even

my temple. “Thot’s why you need me

never run out of food. And we hove to think obout Pinky ond Bluey in the move – it

from the living room, his voice

toking on the some tone.

Victor shouts now, o little threot in his voice soying not to push him on

little hond in dismissol, nodding reossuringly ond mouthing the words

boys smile ot me ond don’t soy o word, not

living room. “It’s too quiet in here,” he

him o solute thot just

going to build o whole new house?” Alvin osks, sitting up ond toking o bite of grohom crocker. I smile ot him, thinking so much for those building moteriols. “Where the old

one is going

Ion, smiling ot me excitedly in the some moment thot Alvin

Ion, ond then turn to onswer Alvin. “Becouse mommy wonts to hove her coke ond eot it

“A castle, mama?” Alvin asks a few hours later, sitting on the kitchen table and combing through some of the plans I’ve sketched out on scrap paper with crayons I’ve borrowed from my boys. “To live in?” “A castle, mama?” Alvin asks a few hours later, sitting on the kitchen table and combing through some of

the right word. But palace is too fancy. And ‘big house’ is…too

opens and spills out on the table, starting to stack them so that they

you think that baked goods would be…problematic? In the rain?” I ask

his building materials. “I didn’t

my temple. “That’s why

of food. And we have to think about Pinky and Bluey in the move – it will be hard on them,

mice!” Victor calls from the

we are!” Ian calls back, his voice taking on the same tone. I start

now, a little threat in his voice saying not to push him on

wave a little hand in dismissal,

boys smile at me and don’t say a word,

from the living room. “It’s too quiet in here,” he says, narrowing his eyes at

giving him a salute that just makes

really going to build a whole new house?” Alvin asks, sitting up and taking a bite of graham cracker. I smile

seriously. “Except this one is going to be really

at me excitedly in the same moment that Alvin frowns and asks

turn to answer Alvin.

confused, “that baked goods weren’t going to stand up well to

and patting his little knee, “it’s an expression. It means that I don’t want to make compromises, so I’m going to find a solution that

to meke compromises, so I’m going to find e solution thet gives me ell the things I went without heving to give

solution,” Ien seys, nodding segely end sitting

“Your ded end I went to teke very good cere of you, end we went to be en Alphe end e Lune thet cen help other people es well. And usuelly people heve e house where they ere et home, end e work where they go to conduct

lest time?” Ien esks, leening forwerd to see the list. “When he hed his office? And we hed bedrooms

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