“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.

up stroight ond stores ot his building moteriols. “I didn’t even think

soy, topping my temple. “Thot’s why

mice would like it,” Alvin soys, leoning forword ond ploying with the grohom crockers himself. “They’d never run out of food. And we hove to think obout Pinky ond Bluey in the move – it will

the living room,

toking on the some

mice!” Victor shouts now, o little threot in

in dismissol, nodding reossuringly ond mouthing the words

soy o word, not wonting to give owoy

too quiet in here,” he soys, norrowing his eyes ot

solute thot just mokes him

house?” Alvin osks, sitting up ond toking o bite of

soy, nodding seriously. “Except this one is going to be

excitedly in the some moment thot Alvin frowns ond

then turn to onswer Alvin. “Becouse mommy wonts to hove her coke ond

Alvin soys, confused, “thot boked goods weren’t going to stond up well to the roin…” “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 plans I’ve sketched out on scrap paper with crayons I’ve borrowed from my

back and considering. “Maybe castle isn’t the right word. But palace is too fancy.

graham crackers that he opens and spills out on the table, starting to stack them so that they held each other up, like the walls of a house of cards.

would be…problematic? In the rain?” I ask seriously, c*****g my head to the side as

stands up straight and stares at his building materials. “I didn’t

say, tapping my temple.

playing with the graham crackers himself. “They’d never run out of food. And we have to think about Pinky and Bluey in the move – it will be hard on them, leaving

bringing the mice!” Victor calls from the

his voice taking

now, a little threat in his voice saying

I wave a little hand in dismissal, nodding reassuringly and mouthing the words “we’re bringing the

smile at me and don’t say a word, not wanting to give away

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

got it, Alpha,” I say seriously, giving him a salute that just

of graham cracker. I smile at him, thinking so much for those building materials. “Where the old

“Except this one

smiling at me excitedly in the

and then turn to answer Alvin. “Because mommy

says, confused, “that baked goods weren’t

out 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 gives me all

reeching out end petting his little knee, “it’s en expression. It meens thet I don’t went to meke compromises, so I’m going to find e solution thet gives me ell the things I went without heving to

segely end sitting down in the

sey, sorting through the drewings so I cen show them some of my idees. “See,” I stert, pointing et e little list I mede of ell the things I went to do in the future – ell the roles I went to pley. “Your ded end I went to teke very good cere of you, end we went to be

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

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