Perfect Oasis

April 2030 - Oasis Springs, Nevada
Richard house - Dewey is 34, Anna is 34, Piper is 4, Landon is 3

Anna is still exhausted in her fifth month of pregnancy, but that doesn’t stop her from reading to Landon each night when he goes to bed. He won’t be the youngest of the family when the baby is born but he always will be Anna’s baby, no matter what his age.

Dewey is just down the hall, tucking Piper in for the night. She was a surprise to their family, the result of his secret alien abduction. But she has always been loved and will continue to be their baby girl always.

Work days are tough, but Anna is determined to work through the end of the school year at Oasis Springs Elementary. She’ll take some time off when she gets closer to her due date, but for now things are still as usual, with Landon squealing happily when his mommy picks him up from daycare.

When they get home that day, he plays in the living room floor while his mommy takes a nap on the couch. Anna didn’t intend to fall asleep while Landon was awake, but she can’t keep her eyes open much longer. Thankfully, Landon is so focused on his blocks that he doesn’t try to get into anything else.

***

In Piper's opinion, the best way to start each day is by playing games on the computer. She is addicted already at such a young age.

“You’re using too much time on the computer,” Anna tells her.

“I’m learning,” Piper says.

“You’re playing games,” Anna says. “You need to do other things with your time.”

And so she does, chatting with her cousins Summer and Skye online instead.

Anna and the kids go visit Madison and her girls when they can. Dewey and Bryant are both working a lot of times on the weekend, so the girls all hang out together, either at Madison's house or Anna's.

“Do you have everything ready for your new addition?” Madison asks.

“We still have a crib,” Anna says. “We have Piper’s baby clothes packed somewhere in the house. Or Landon’s clothes if it’s a boy.”

“Ew,” Skye says when she comes back in from swimming in the pool. “No more boys!”

Anna and Dewey decided not to find out the sex during her ultrasounds, but she's so eager to know that it's hard to keep from asking the ultrasound tech.

Piper is sitting with Summer when Landon comes over to join them.

“Go away,” Piper tells her little brother. “We don’t want you here.”

“I play with you,” Landon tells her.

But Piper isn’t interested in playing with a baby. Her cousin is seven. She’s almost grown.

Landon runs away, pouting. Piper turns back to Summer. “He’s such a baby,” she says.

“Skye is a baby sometimes,” Summer tells her.

“They should play together and leave us big kids alone,” Piper says.

But a few minutes later Piper and Summer go upstairs to play dolls while Landon plays in the toy box nearby.

Summer really is Piper’s favorite cousin, though she’ll keep that secret from Skye.

Seeing her kids playing with their cousins is so cute, Anna thinks.

It’s always hard to tell the kids it’s time to go home, but the playtime can’t last every second.

As much as none of them want to think about it, there are always things that need to be done at their own house.

***

Dewey spends time staying healthy by working in a morning run. It helps him clear his head from all the stress of his work.

He has an easel set up on the back porch now that he uses when he needs a break from architectural drawings at times. Sometimes he paints thoughts and ideas in his head, other times he paints the views he sees around him. It’s certainly helpful in clearing his thoughts from work related stress.

Dewey hangs out with Bryant when they both have a chance. Busy jobs and busy families don’t always give extra time to spare, but they take advantage of it when they can.

“You think you’re ready for three kids at your house?” Bryant asks.

“I’m always ready,” Dewey tells him. “I’m excited to meet our new addition.”

“Well, get ready for working on fewer hours of sleep again,” Bryant says. “I love my girls, but I’m glad those days are over!”

But no matter how busy a new addition to the family might make them, Anna is excited to meet this new baby. And she's determined that Piper and Landon won't feel forgotten. Playing outside with the kids is one of the things Anna loves most about being mom. She can't wait to see what this new baby will bring to their family.

———

I know Dewey isn’t painting the background out there with the dinosaur, but doesn’t his painting seem to fit into that? He’s got the green like the dinosaur and a similar background colors starting around it.

Anna and Madison aren’t blood related in any way. But back on the old blog, Anna’s mom married Madison’s dad, so they became stepsisters. Madison’s dad has passed away, but they’ve been best friends since they were kids so it doesn’t matter if their parents are together or not, they’ll always be sisters to each other! So the kids will always consider the other couple to be their aunt and uncle and the kids their cousins.

And if you go take a look at the family’s bio page, you can already tell whether they had a boy or girl. ;)