Page 71 of Twin Babies For The Grump

“We’ll make them together,” she assures me and lists all the fruit she knows with so much passion.

“Those are great ideas, baby,” I tell her.

“But why did you hide them under the couch?” asks Owen.

“Because it was a surprise,” says Lily exasperated, then adds, “And Blanc wanted to bring them to you. Look!" she points at one of the drawings and it’s true, there’s a slight mark of teeth there.

Blanc seems proud of her work and goes to join Tipsy who’s lying in front of the window, enjoying the way the sun warms his fur.

“Can we make them now?” Luke asks.

So that’s what this was about; they are trying to find a reason to go out. They love playing outside, running around, chasing the dogs, and teasing the staff, but we try to keep them away from the main building for safety reasons.

If the dogs were hard to contain, two small children with a complete lack of self-preservation need to be watched all the time.

“We can,” says Owen, and I don’t think I’ve ever turned my neck around this fast. “In our kitchen,” he adds, seeing my startled expression. “We have all the fruit.”

The kids start jumping up and down. Tipsy and Blanc, though they don’t know the reason for this sudden burst of happiness, join them. Owen takes all of Lily’s “recipes” and adds Luke’s vision for our family on top, and we all head to the kitchen.

The kids are too young to know the difference between wine and juice so it’s not uncommon for us to spend our afternoons by the fire pits, enjoying our drinks. And I guess this desire to help also stems from Grapefest approaching once more.

Owen and I spend a lot of time testing new flavor combinations. It’s not a life-or-death race to win anymore, more like an excuse to let our imagination run wild.

We make the juices, and the twins do the tasting.

Reviews vary from yummy noises to tongues stuck out in disgust.

The successful recipe drawings are placed on a pile on the kitchen table while the others are put on the counter to be recycled. But I know Owen would never throw them away, even if Lily insists on it.

Our day passes like this; juice tasting in the morning, playing with the dogs at noon, then lunch by the fire pits, playing with their friends in the park early in the afternoon, and back at home, exhausted by six in the evening.

We are about to start watching a movie with our dinner when we hear a knock on the front door. Before Owen opens the door, I already know it’s Beau. Tipsy and Blanc are at the door waiting for their friends.

Beau needs to go to Italy for a couple of days again, so he’s asked us to help him out—more like informed us since those trips are frequent nowadays and he knows we love having his little monsters over.

Bear and Bubbles rush inside, as comfortable in our home as they are in theirs, and Beau follows, holding a little something in his hands.

“What’s that?” Luke almost yells.

“My new dog,” Beau explains. “Her name is Biscuit.”

“A chihuahua?” I say in disbelief. The dog is tiny and brown and louder than Bear and Bubbles combined.

“Don’t judge, it was love at first sight.” Beau gives the cup-sized dog a kiss and slowly places her on the floor.

Bear and Bubbles seem a bit wary—probably not having warmed up to the new family member—but our dogs are thrilled for the new visitor.

At least, until they get too close. Biscuit doesn’t appreciate being sniffed by two giants, so she starts barking again. Seeing the dogs retreat, she gets more courageous and takes a step forward.

Tipsy backs down, and soon the chase begins.

“Don’t worry, she has short legs, she won’t be able to catch up to him.”

“We weren’t worried,” Owen says, and we all burst into laughter.

We suggest that he stays for dinner, but Beau insists that he has to get ready for his trip.

He leaves after a last call to his little princess, and I get the kids and start the movie. In the meantime, Owen makes sure all five dogs are alright, securing Biscuit in a separate room for extra safety—whose, I’m not sure.

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