Day 7 – Talk Like a Pirate Day

Sonya was the first to get up so she could get breakfast going for the family. She made omelets and carefully seasoned them with salt and pepper. Wyatt was the first of the kids to wake up and joined Sonya for breakfast. All the other kids were still sleeping, as was Jesse. It had been a late night for the whole family.

When Jesse woke up, he got dressed, bred the frogs and took out the trash. It was the last day of spring, and it was pleasantly warm.

At around 1:30, while Wyatt finished his breakfast and Isaac ran to get himself a plate, Jesse offered Samuel a bath. They had been so busy teaching the kids new skills yesterday that most of them would need baths today.

Samuel was getting to be a little stinker, so Jesse was glad to get to him early in the rotation.

After Samuel’s bath, Jesse grabbed an omelet. Samuel and Wyatt were playing shapes with their blocks while Sonya watched them.

Max Villareal, a neighborhood kid, knocked on the door, and Jesse let him in. Max was their first visitor since they’d moved in. If Jesse hadn’t been sitting near the door, he probably wouldn’t have heard Max knock.

Max wandered into the kids’ room and started talking to Samuel. Once he got over his Stranger Danger, Samuel enjoyed having someone new to listen to his many jokes. They shared a few laughs while Max talked like a pirate. Then Samuel started getting hungry and went to the kitchen to grab breakfast.

At nearly 3:00, Isabel asked her Mommy to give her a bath. She was stinky, and she didn’t like it. Sonya gladly obliged her daughter.

When Isabel exited the bathroom, she ran into Max. She was a little shy because he was a stranger but wanted to know who this big boy was and what he was doing at their house. They got to chatting and Isabel was happy to talk to Max.

While Isabel and Max were chatting in the hallway, Fiona was playing with the new toy her parents had built. Wyatt watched Fiona play and gained thinking skill.

Isaac and Annie were next in line for baths, and the couple was thankful they had two bathtubs. Jesse finished at around 5:00, a little before Sonya, so he cleared the dirty dishes.

Isaac joined Isabel, Fiona and Wyatt playing with their new toy. When Jesse finished the dishes, he turned on the stereo so Samuel could dance.

Max turned out to be a great kid. Without being asked, he emptied the kids’ trash can and took the bag of trash outside.

Wyatt was next on Jesse’s list for a bath, and he tracked him down to the living room where he was dancing with Annie and Samuel. He said, “Time for your bath, son.” Wyatt lifted his arms and Jesse picked him up, carrying him to the bathroom.

While Jesse bathed Wyatt, he reflected on the big difference in the kids’ behavior now compared to earlier in the week.

While Jesse was busy, Fiona began playing in the bookcase like Isabel had done yesterday. Isaac walked past her, on a mission and paying her no attention.

Fiona was having a blast tearing through the books. Sonya walked by her and, with this child in particular, decided to choose her battles. This one wasn’t worth the aggravation. Books were easily replaceable, and they seemed to have withstood the havoc Isabel had wrought yesterday. So, she walked on by.

When Jesse was finished with Wyatt’s bath, they all went into the living room and had themselves a dance party. Max even stayed and joined everyone until he had to head home at 7:30. While Max was in the house, Jesse had left the front door unlocked so he would be free to leave. He’d forgotten all about it until he saw Wyatt scoot out the door.

Wyatt ran around the corner and squeezed Jesse’s paints all over their lawn. Sonya ran out after him and saw a few elder neighbors walking by.

Sonya scolded her son. “Wyatt, don’t run outside without Mommy and Daddy. And you know better than to make a mess with Daddy’s paints.” Wyatt hung his head in shame for all of a few seconds. “Go back in the house right now. Mommy’s going to clean the mess and then I’ll be there, too.” Sonya mopped up the mess while Wyatt ran back in the house.

Once Wyatt was back inside, Jesse kept an eye on the door in case any of the other kids got the same idea. As soon as Sonya returned, she locked the door again and breathed a sigh of relief.

She gathered all the kids around and read them a story. Annie had to miss the end of the first book because she needed to use the potty.

The kids were so riveted that Sonya decided to read them another book. Meanwhile, Jesse cleaned a dirty potty, took out the trash and began a new painting.

When Sonya was finished with the second book, most of the kids were ready to use the potty. When they’d finished, they went to bed. All of the kids were asleep before midnight for a change.

While Jesse cleaned up around the house, Sonya took a steamy shower.

When Jesse entered the bedroom, Sonya was already there and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Jesse asked, “Are you flirting with me, babe?”

Jesse kissed Sonya’s cheek before she changed into her pajamas. They were both in the mood. Jesse admired Sonya’s pirate booty, and she giggled at his playfulness. “So, Sonya, do you want to ‘heave ho’?”

Sonya chuckled softly.  “What are you talking about?”

“That’s pirate talk for…” he wiggled his eyebrows.

“You’re cracking me up, Jesse.”

“That’s not exactly the mood I was going for, babe.”

“Don’t worry. I know exactly what mood you were going for, and I’m with you. Let’s heave-ho,” Sonya said with a giggle and a snort. “Get over here you crazy, gorgeous man.”

They ended Talk Like a Pirate Day the way they’d planned to end Love Day. It wasn’t the most romantic night, but it was fun just the same.

With his extra pirate talk, Jesse considered the day a complete success. Sonya thought it was pretty good, but next year she’d put in more effort since Jesse seemed to get such a kick out of it. They drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

At 2:40 AM, the house was mostly quiet, but one toddler was missing from his bed.

Isaac had had a nightmare and was sad but didn’t try to wake his parents. He was hungry, so he grabbed a Pan de Muerto that Sonya had cooked earlier and ate it beside a cozy fire. Isaac looked at it wondering how he was supposed to eat something that was as big as his head.

When he’d finished eating, he thought deep thoughts and then went back to his room to play on his tablet.

At 3:15, Wyatt woke up famished and angry. He headed into the kitchen to see what he could find.

He found a leftover Italian meatball and began devouring it. Moments later, Isabel joined him in the living room after grabbing a Pan de Muerto.

By 4:00, Isaac had gone back to sleep.

Apparently, most of the kids had gotten hungry in the middle of the night because now Fiona came running out of the bedroom with Samuel and Annie hot on her tail.

At 5 AM, Fiona and Samuel ate their meals on the sofa and chatted away happily. Annie had decided to eat her Pan de Muerto alone in the bedroom. Isabel had since gone back to sleep, as did Wyatt. When the trio finished eating, they went back to sleep as well.

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Let’s take a look at skills at the end of Day 7:

The toddlers:

As a reminder, the yellow-highlighted skills represent the ‘Happy Toddler’ reward trait levels, while the green-highlighted skills are at the ‘Top-Notch Toddler’ level. Potty skill is maxed at level 3.

If the kids were to age up today, they would all receive the ‘Happy Toddler’ reward trait. 🙂 My ultimate goal is to attain the ‘Top-Notch Toddler’ trait for all six kids, and tomorrow is their birthday. Wish me luck!

The parents:

Sonya gained a level in cooking and parenting skills, while Jesse gained a level in charisma and dancing,