I guess I'm doing something right

Time and Family

Time is just a concept. It flies by when you're busy and it seems to slow down when you're sitting still. Looking at the past we've had an amazing life. Filled with fun things with a couple horrible things in between. The kids were always happy, smiling every day. Growing a little every day.

"Mom, Isa is crying again. Why doesn't she ever stop?"

"Jaimy just be nice to your sister. She just wants to play with you, read her a book, I'll be right back. Olivia can help you too."

Grace leaves the house, leaving her teenage daughters to babysit the youngest three. Jaimy has turned into a spirited 15-year-old teenager while Olivia is still a caring and quiet 14-year-old. She loves caring for her 8-year-old brother and the 7-year-old twins running around the house.

"Oli!" No answer. "Olivia!"

"Yes Jaimy."

Olivia sticks her head down the stairwell.

"Mom's gone so I'm going too. Isa is down here and she wants some attention."

"Thanks a lot Jay.. But go. I'll see you later. But send her upstairs so I can keep an eye on all three at the same time."

Jaimy starts whispering downstairs before little feet run up the stairs and the front door is slammed close.

"Hi Isa. Are you okay?"

The little girl nods her head before she joins her brothers on the ground. Olivia picks up her diary again and turns the page.

It's an entry from 8 years ago, the day she found out she was going to be a big sister again.

Dear Diary,

I want to tell you what happened today. Me and Jay were sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for mom to join us because she said she needed to tell us something. I'm was little nervous because the last time she said that, Eli was born too early. Mom walked into the room with Eli on her hip. She sat down at the table and that's when she told us.

I'M GOING TO BE A BIG SISTER AGAIN

Can you tell that I'm excited? I'm nervous too but mostly excited. And I can't wait.

Is it January yet?

Sweet dreams

Olivia smiles at the diary. She is so sweet and innocent. A small shy girl who like to write more than she liked to talk about things. She often just showed her diary instead of talking it out. She grew over it when she started in high school.

"Hi guys do you want to play a game downstairs?"

Isabella, Elliott and Alexander jump up and are already downstairs before Olivia can even get out of her chair. The fighting about a game has already started when she moves down the stairs.

"I'm going to pick the game if you guys can't make a decision together and all three of you know which game we're going to play when that happens. So play make or deal with my choice."

The trio stopped fighting each other and started to discuss what they wanted to do. Isabella got her pick and the boys agreed with her pick if they could pick the next one.

"I'm proud of you for solving it together. Compromising what you really want so you can make a decision together." Olivia sits down on the fourth side of the table opposite of Isabella. "Let's play."

Family isn't always flesh and blood. Family is a feeling of belonging somewhere. Fitting in with the people you love the most. The people you would die for. Looking at the family it started with a bond of love and not a bond of flesh and blood. But there isn't a difference.

Olivia opens her diary again that night. She opens it to a random page and it falls open on the day the twins were born. She was in the room when they were born and wrote it all down later that day.

Dear diary,

Today was a big day. We're now a family of 7 instead of 5. I have another little brother and sister. They call them Alexander and Isabella and they scream so loudly.

But it's cute too. They're very cute and I already got to hold them. And I still can't believe I saw the birth. It was so disgusting. I couldn't look at it all and now I don't know if I even want kids.

Elliott is cute and all now but he had to fight so hard. And he was so ugly. Just like Isabella and Alexander are now.

I'm just going to dream about my family now.

Sweet dream

Olivia turns the page and continues reading. This entry is was a couple weeks later.

Dear diary,

Why do babies cry so much?! I hate that we basically have 3 crying babies in the house and Jaimy is making it worse because she's only complaining and not helping mom at all.

Like I help my mom even when I don't want to but she's only complaining, whining when she needs to do anything.

Mom has been so moody with all the crying around her, three babies and two 7-year-olds. Dad only works. He's going before we get up and he's back when we're already in bed.

Will it always be like this? I miss my old life before everything changed. And sometimes I want to run away. But I won't do it for real.

Sorry for being such a whiner.

Sweet dreams

Olivia puts her diary down and looks at the clock. Almost five so she needed to start dinner soon. Mam and dad we out on a date together and Jaimy left the house again. So she was the one in charge again, like most days when neither of their parents we home.

Everybody got older but not much changed in the last 7 years. Chester was still working his butt off, Grace is back to work too but that means that Jaimy and Olivia are in charge a lot because Chester and Grace aren't home. And Jaimy isn't much of a help either.

The door opens downstairs. "Olivia? Jaimy?"

"Yes mom. I'm upstairs." Olivia crawls out of her bed and to the door. "You're home early. I was just about to start with dinner." Olivia walks out of her room and down the stairs.

"No need Honey. I'm home. Is Jaimy home?"

"I have no idea. Haven't seen her since I got home from school with the other three."

"They're playing upstairs in their room."

Olivia nods as she joins her mom in the kitchen. "Are you going to be home earlier every day or is this just a one-time thing?"

"I'm going to talk with my boss to ask if I can work shorter days. So Jaimy and especially you don't have to pick up your brothers and sister, cook and clean up every day. And I'm going to have a talk with Jaimy that she need to help because this is ridiculous."

"It would make me so happy if you can. I'm a little tired of running around."

"I'm sorry you can't be a normal teen like your classmates."

"It's okay mom. We need the money to live and I've learned to deal with it at a young age."