Flying with six kids wasn't practical, which left them little option but to drive. They hadn't been back to Pawnee for a couple years, not since Lycan was a baby. They'd doubled their numbers since then, and April wondered if they had finally lost their minds this time. They had to be insane for taking a road trip with six kids under the age of ten.
Jack had just turned nine on Halloween. The others ranged from seven years to seven months. April thought she wanted to go home for Harper's first Christmas. Now she was seriously questioning that decision, and thinking it would have been a lot smarter and more practical to do this road trip in the summer, when they didn't have bulky winter coats and sweaters to deal with.
But it was too late now. They were scheduled to be on the road already, but who could blame them for being late? Getting all the boys to use the bathroom, and wash their hands was a half hour ordeal, at best. More like 45 minutes really. But once everyone was washed up, Andy started strapping the younger boys into car seats while she fed and changed Harper one last time.
"I think we're ready," She announced as she emerged from the house. Andy was standing beside the open driver's door of the car, all five boys settled in their seats. April cocked her head at him as she made her way to the van. "Andy, what's wrong?"
He patted his hands down the front of his sweater. He didn't often wear more than a sweatshirt or windbreaker, because even when there was three feet of snow on the ground, he produced enough body heat that he sweat. "Babe, I hate to tell you this, but I can't find the key fob," he told her.
April glowered at him. "You've got to be kidding me." The van was running, so she knew it was nearby, or the engine would have shut off. "Did you check all your pockets?" Harper giggled and threw her pacifer down, but since it was on a leash clipped to her coat, it only went as far as April's knee before bouncing back up.
Andy nodded. "I've looked everywhere, babe." He looked completely dejected, and maybe a little concerned April was going to be super mad at him. Because of course she would be.
"Daddy!" Jack yelled from the back seat where he and Ian were situated on either side of Lycan's booster seat. Ian was on the passenger side, and knocked on the window to try and get April's attention.
"What is it, Jack?" April leaned in, careful that she didn't hit her head, or Harper's on the doorframe.
Jack held up the fob. "Daddy gave it to me and said hold onto it so it doesn't get lost."
"Of course he did." She grinned at her oldest son. "Sometimes your daddy is very smart." She swung Harper off her hip and into her seat beside Max. She put a hand out for the fob and smiled at Jack when he handed it to her.
Stepping back once Harper was belted in, she looked over the van full of kids, right down to the big one in the driver's seat, and she wondered what she'd ever done to deserve such a beautiful, amazing family. She closed the side door and climbed into her seat beside Andy and reached over to give his hand a squeeze.
He grinned at her and leaned over to kiss her before he backed out of the garage. April hit the button on her visor to shut the garage door, and they were officially off. The drive to Pawnee was roughly 500 miles. April figured it would take them all day, because they'd have to stop often, and she really had to question her own sanity for deciding to do this.
"It's gonna be so great to see everyone," Andy said, as if he could read her mind and knew she was having serious second thoughts. "I can't wait for Ron to meet Harper."
April turned in her seat to look back at the youngest Ludgate-Dwyer. "He's gonna love her so much," she said. She reached back to tickle the baby, and Harper's giggle filled the car. April's smile was as much for her kids as for her husband. Andy really was the best. She knew it without question, but she loved when he reminded her even without meaning to.
A/A Flufftober: 1. Breakfast (Fanfiction: Parks and Rec)
"Mama's gonna be so happy, isn't she, daddy?" Jack asked. He looked up at Andy, his eyes wide and reflecting hope. April had finally come home from the hospital, but baby Arlo was still there. He had to stay a little longer. Jack knew his mom was sad because of that, and he wanted to help her feel better.
"She sure is, big guy," Andy grinned. Making pancakes for April her first morning back home was Jack's idea. Andy was overseeing the whole thing, but Jack was running the show. It was his idea, and he was in charge of measuring and mixing. Andy wouldn't step in until it was time to use the stove. He sat at the table, close enough to keep an eye on the boys without being right there with them.
Jack handed Ian the measuring cup full of Bisquick. He dumped it into the big mixing bowl with a little too much gusto, and the powder cloud poofed and rained powder down on the counter around the bowl. Ian jumped back with a giggle, but Jack scowled at him. "Ian! You gotta be careful! That's for mama! We gotta do it right!"
"But we gotta have fun too!" Ian protested. He pinched a bit of the spilled Bisquick in his hand and threw it at Jack.
"Ian!" Jack yelled. He glowered at his brother, then suddenly reached into the bowl and grabbed a handful of the Bisquick, which he threw at Ian. Ian retaliated by grabbing a handful of the powder to throw at Jack. Both boys squealed as they threw handfuls of Bisquick at each other. Within a few seconds, the bowl was nearly empty and Ian made a grab for the box. He knocked it over, spilling Bisquick on the floor.
"Damn it, Ian!"
"Jack!" Andy scolded at the same moment Ian yelled for him.
"Sorry dad," Jack picked up the box and looked in it. "But Ian dropped the box and now maybe we can't make pancakes for mama."
"Maybe you shouldn't fool around when you're trying to cook," Andy said.
"Yeah!" Ian chimed in, agreeing with Andy.
"You started it!" Jack said, glaring at Ian.
"Hey, Jackie. let's measure the Bisquick together and make sure there's enough," Andy suggested. he got to his feet and picked up the measuring cup. "How many cups do we need?"
Jack turned the box over in his hands until he found the recipe for the basic pancakes. They were adding chocolate chips, but that wasn't part of the recipe on the box. Jack's brow furrowed for a moment as he read the instructions. "Three cups," he said after a minute. "Right?"
"You're reading it, you tell me," Andy smiled to encourage Jack to look again and double check. He knew Jack wanted to make the best pancakes ever, but he also knew April would love it no matter how good or bad they were.
"Three cups," he said again, and nodded for effect.
Andy held the measuring cup out to Jack and he started to fill it with Bisquick. He dumped the first cup into the bowl, then filled it up again. He hesitated before dumping it, and instead held it out to his brother. "You wanna dump it, Ian?"
"Uh-huh." Ian took care this time, holding the measuring cup down lower to prevent the powder cloud. Andy sat back down, but sat facing them so he could watch as they prepared the batter. He couldn't help but grin at them. They'd had a little hiccup, but they had sorted it out and were working together now to make the world's best pancakes for their mom.
Andy stepped in when it was time to heat up the skillet, carefully monitoring the boys around the hot stove. When the pancakes were done, Andy helped Jack put them on a plate. He helped Ian pour a glass of orange juice. The boys put everything on a tray, but let Andy carry it up to the bedroom.
"Mama! Mama!" Jack and Ian ran into the master bedroom. April rolled over and smiled at them as they climbed onto the bed. "We maked you breakfast in bed!"
"You did, did you?" April sat up. She pushed her hair out of her face and smiled as the boys moved in against her sides. She patted them both and looked up at Andy. "This is a very special surprise, boys. Thank you."
Andy carefully set the tray over April's legs. "They did it all themselves."
"I read the recipe all by myself!" Jack said.
"I helped mix and stir!"
April kissed the top of Ian's head, then Jack, then looked at Andy. He leaned in and kissed her lips, at the same time fumbling on the tray for the fork. He cut off a bite of the pancakes and held it out to her. She made a satisfied noise to show how delicious the pancakes were. "You just might have a future as a gourmet cook," she told Jack.
"Me too!" Ian bounced a little, and his foot kicked the breakfast tray.
April caught the glass of orange juice before it toppled over. "You too, baby," she assured him. She looked up at Andy and smiled.
Music class was Jack's favorite time of day, but he also liked art. And especially since the next day was Valentine's, he wanted to make a special gift for his special Valentine. He chose a white canvas, and painted a heart in the middle. His untrained eye could tell it was lopsided, and not quite perfectly centered, so he added another half loop on one side.
By the time he was done trying to perfect the heart, most of his work space was red. It would have to do. He was pretty sure the person it was for was going to love it. He blew on it and waved his hand over it to try and help the paint dry faster.
"Looks great, Jack," the art teacher praised him, and he beamed. He had been worried it wasn't good enough, but now he thought maybe it was. He glanced at the kids next to him, and decided that his was definitely the best.
He reached for a black marker, and wrote the words 'Happy Valentines Day' around the heart in his best, most careful handwriting.
Three hours later when he got home, he put the painting and the handmade card he'd drawn to go with it in his room. He hid it under his bed where his mom wouldn't find it.
Jack almost couldn't sleep. he was so excited to give his special valentine her gift. He really wanted to give it to her early, but he managed to resist. When morning finally came, and his mom woke him up, he thought of it immediately.
"Mom?"
"Yeah, baby?" Jack was the oldest, but April told him all the time he would always be her baby. He was special because he was the first. They were all special, of course, for so many reasons, but Jack was her first born.
He dropped to the floor and pulled the card and the painting out from under his bed. "Happy Valentine's Day."
April noticed the heart was lopsided, and fatter on one side than it was on the other. And there were places there was a deeper streak of paint from multiple brush strokes. And the words were awkward, Happy was spelled with one P and a backwards Y, and Valentines was broken up with VALE on one side of the heart, and the other side actually said TIMES, but to her it was perfect.
"Oh, Jack. Did you make this for me? It's the most perfect Valentine's gift ever." She held her arms out for him to come to her, and she pulled him into a tight hug. She kissed his temple. "Thank you, Jack. I love it, and I'm going to take it to work and put it on my desk."
Jack couldn't stop grinning all day at school. He absolutely loved Kindergarten.
At eight and a half months pregnant, April wasn't the most mobile. She sat in a chair Ron had made for her way back when she'd been pregnant with Jack. Watching Andy and the boys run around the yard, she wanted to join them but knew she couldn't. Or she could but knew she shouldn't. She needed to take it easy, avoid stressing out the baby she carried.
Andy, Jack, and Ian were tossing a football around. Two year old Max struggled to keep up, no doubt hoping they'd throw him the ball at some point. He ran as fast as his little legs would allow, with the puppy running along side him.
Lycan and Arlo were on the porch with April, playing with toy trucks.
April shook her head at the scene when Andy fumbled and fell down on the gorund. All three boys hollared and jumped on top of him. He kicked his legs up and caught the boys in the circle of his arms. April was pretty sure their giggles could be heard for miles around.
"Dada!" Arlo held on to two of the columns that made up the porch railing, his little face pressed between them.
April hauled herself up from the chair. "You wanna go see Dada?" she asked him. She unlatched the gate at the top of the stairs. She let Lycan go first, then made her way carefully d9wn the three steps to the ground before turning around to help Arlo navigate the steps. Holding his hand, she guided him over to his father and his brothers, letting go when they were within a few feet of the doggy pile of Dwyer boys, and he fell into the pile, wiggling between two of his brothers.
April frowned seeing that Lycan hadn't joined in. She shouldn't be surprised, he wasn't as rough and tumble as his brothers. He'd always been the more sensitive one. He was happier with crayons and paper than with a ball, and was often left out of the fun.
She tracked him to the small flower garden the boys had planted for her in the spring. He stood just looking at the flowers, a look of wonder and awe on his little face. "Mama!" he exclaimed after a moment, turning to look for April. "Mama come look!"
Trusting that Andy could handle the other four, April made her way over to the garden, drawn by Lycan's excitement. "What is it, baby?"
"Mama! Look!" he gestured to a bee drinking nectar from a tulip. It wasn't something April would normally notice, but it brought such wonder and joy to her middle son that she couldn't help but smile too. April glanced over at Andy and the other boys, but then drew her focus back to Lycan when he gasped. She tracked his gaze to where a beautiful butterfly had landed on his arm.
She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and opened the camera app to capture the moment.
