Tangled and Duck Dynasty.... :D

The next morning, I woke up around four in the morning.  I tried to just go back to sleep, but I couldn't...and by the sounds of things, Flynn was up too. 
My face mashed into the top of the dresser, I sighed and drearily lifted my head up to look at Flynn through the dimness. 
"Did I wake you up, hon?"  he asked immediately, situating himself on his side. 
"I guess not...why are you up anyway?" 
"I got one of Tangled Fan's shirts out of the dresser drawer to use as a blanket.  I was even starting to get chilly, so I figured you definitely would be cold.  She forgot to shut the window last night.  Oh, and I checked up on the girls.  They're still warm.  And I was kind of marveling at the fact that you were sleeping in the position you were, faceplanted into the dresser, without being uncomfortable." he whispered. 
I suddenly became aware of the fact that there was, indeed, a shirt spread over me.  I nodded and laughed through my nose. "I dunno..I was pretty comfy..until I woke up and realized I couldn't breathe."  I joked. 
He gave me a grin and then kissed my forehead, pulling me close to him.  I wiggled down into the makeshift blanket and enjoyed the warmth from both the shirt and his gentle arm around me. 


When I woke up again around eight thirty....(not even the vibrating phone woke me!) I smiled to myself and turned to look at Flynn.  Only...he wasn't there. 
Wait a minute.  Where was he? 
I jumped up, narrowly missing the bench before I remembered to duck, and then I scrambled out from under it. 
Rayne was the only one up. 
"Do you know where Flynn is?"  I asked her, wide-eyed. 
She shrugged.  "I thought he was with you?" 
"He..." Panic gripped my heart, knotted my stomach, and I trailed off, covering my mouth with my hand.  "What do you think happened to...do you think Tangled Fan..."
I cast a quick, careless glance around the room, but couldn't see him. 
"The girls are still asleep, so I'm going to go look for him.  If they wake up, do you mind watching them until I come back?"  I asked. 
"Yeah, that's fine.  Go," Rayne said, eyebrows furrowed with concern. 
I wheeled around to begin my search...and he was just climbing up onto the dresser. 
I gasped and dove for him, grabbing him into a relieved hug. 
He caught me (luckily.  If he hadn't, I would've gone over the edge of the dresser!  Why am I so accident prone??  Disney princesses just aren't that accident prone in the movies...) Anyway.  He caught me and held me close for a moment, chuckling. 
I pulled away from him.  "Where on earth were you?!  You scared the tar out of me!" 
"I went and asked Tangled Fan if we could have the laptop back here.  She said she'd bring it back in a few minutes...And then I invited the 18 inchers to come to Tangled Fan's bed and we'd all watch Tangled, and some Duck Dynasty.  Why were you scared?"
"Oh, okay.  You could've told me..but oh well.  That sounds like a lot of fun!  I was just scared because I woke up..and you weren't there, and then I couldn't see you anywhere...and I just sort of freaked out, I guess."  I laughed at myself thinking about it now. 
He nodded.  "I'm sorry...I was going to tell you, but I looked at you and you were sleeping so peacefully...so I figured I'd be back before you were up.  Sorry," he repeated. 
"It's fine.  I'm just overreactive," I chuckled, and he pulled me close into another hug. 
After a couple seconds, though, the door burst open and Tangled Fan came in, plugged the computer on, and set the Tangled DVD into the dvd port. 
"It's all set up for you guys, Flynn.  Enjoy,"  she said, and before anyone could answer, she was gone.

After awhile, once everyone else was up, we made our way onto the bed. 

Elizabeth, Hailey, Julie, and Christy were already sitting there, waiting for us to start the movie.  Even Punzie was there!  I smiled and while I waited for everyone else to get settled, I talked with them. 

Here's our decently-sized crowd! :P  I laid on my stomach with Hallie, to make sure that little Julie could see... :D 

The movie was awesome!  I guess I'm just about as indecisive as the movie character.  We all got several good laughs out of it.  At one point, I laughed so hard I cried!  And during the lantern scene, I almost accidentally started warbling along with "I See the Light".  I'm not the greatest singer...not the worst, but I'm not as good as Mandy Moore, who voiced Rapunzel in the movie, let's just put it that way! :D  Flynn started up too...he's not too bad a singer!  Merida just laughed at us.  Hey, at least we didn't make the babies cry or break anything from our singing. 
Oh, and then there was the scene where Mother Gothel kills Eugene in the movie.  Rayne was crying, Hailey and Elizabeth were crying, Blondie sniffled a bit...and then I was bawling like a baby...and Merida just rolled her eyes and muttered something about 'us Rapunzels being overreactive'.  She may be right.  :D  I was a little concerned that Jase would get scared at the end of the movie, but she seemed fine. 

Sometime during the scene where Eugene cuts Rapunzel's hair off and then he dies in her arms, my Flynn started stroking my hair.  I turned to look at him, about to tease him and ask if he was thinking about cutting my hair..and then I saw he was teary eyed.  Ohhh boy.  Even HE was going to cry about his character dying?  I dunno.  Regardless, I gave him a small smile and turned back to the movie in time to cry my eyes out to Rapunzel crying out the rest of the healing incantation song. 

 

Whew.  I'm glad we watched the movie before we watched Duck Dynasty...at least we could get light-hearted again after watching that movie!  I liked it, but the end is so sad...I mean, until Eugene's healed and everything.  :D 
We watched about an hour of Duck Dynasty.  EVERYONE got a kick out of it!  I laughed...Our Jase was beyond excited to see the person who shares the same nickname as she does. 

After that, and everyone had left, Eugene--whoops.  My FLYNN*...I'm going to have problems not calling my husband Eugene now, because in the movie, his name  *technically* was Eugene Fitzherbert..or however you spell that last name... :D  Anyway...my FLYNN and I decided that we definitely really needed to work on the month in review posts now...how long has it been since we posted them, seriously??  We're hoping to get at least 1 or two done today...but we'll see! 

Flynn - she's back!

The day after my visit with Rapunzel dragged as well.  Hallie and Jase kept me busy, though! 
Everyone was woken up around six in the morning, because the two babies were wailing away. And no, they wouldn't go back to sleep.  Apparently, they might have gotten a little too warm in their makeshift bed, but I'm not completely sure that's what the issue was.  Regardless...
Sometime in the evening, Merida started grumbling.  "I thought she was supposed to be back by this evening."
I looked at her, thinking hard.  "Yeah..you're right.  She should've been.  I hope nothing happened..."
"It'll be fine, I s'pose.  Was kinda hopin' she would be back before this evening, so we could go shootin', but apparently, that's not gonna happen.  I suppose I'll just go now...if someone'll watch Allie?" 
I nodded.  "I can watch her for you." 
She said thanks, and then she was off. 
I held Allie and Hallie both for awhile; Jase was off playing with Blondie.  When the babies had both gone to sleep, I carefully stood up and bent to lay them down. 
I stood for a few minutes, watching to make sure they were going to stay asleep....when I felt two small hands grab my shoulders in a death-grip and a 'boo' was whispered in my ear. 
I caught my breath, jumped and shook all over from surprise and fear.  When I heard the laugh, I knew it was my wife. 
I was going to turn around and grab her up, but when she suddenly let go of my shoulders, I lost my balance.  I stumbled backwards, and I felt her brace her hands on my back. 
Once I got my balance back, I turned around to face her.  I cupped my hands around her cheeks, and started to pull her up into a kiss, but before I could even bend down, she giggled, jumped up, and grabbed me into an excited kiss. 
When she pulled away, I  grinned at her. 
"No more cold shoulder?"  I said jokingly. 
"No more!"  she announced, smiling.  Suddenly, it faded.  "Sorry I was such a brat.."
"It's fine," I told her as I put my arms around her and rested my head on top of hers for a couple seconds.  She wrapped her stick-thin arms around me and smiled at me. 
And then Jase squeezed in between us and wrapped her arms around Rapunzel's legs.  Rapunzel managed to not fall down as she awkwardly leaned down and scooped Jase up.  Not sure how she did it, but she did. 
"I'm so-o-o-o-o-o-o glad you're back, Momma!  Daddy kept going on about how bad he felt, so I bet he's glad you're back, too!  He didn't tell me that, but I heard him saying it to the others.  But I'm really  glad you're back!  You're better?" 
She chuckled at Jase and answered her, shooting a glance towards me.  Meanwhile, I was trying to think about how to skirt around what Jase had said.  I mean, yes, it was true...as you know..but I didn't want to let on to anything. 
Pretty soon, Rapunzel set Jase down and I put an arm around my wife. 
She turned towards me, pulling loose from my arm, and instead took me by the hand.  "Where's Merida?" 
I explained to her where Merida was at.  The whole while, I couldn't help but smile at my wife.
"I see," she said, trailing off and letting go of my hand.  She reached over to pick up Hallie, who had woken back up in the ruckus, and went to sit down. 

Pretty soon, Merida came back.  She promptly greeted my wife, a pleased grin on her face. 
"Try not to injure yerself again, would ye?  You've been in and outta injuries way-y-y-y more than normal!" 
"Yeeah-h-h...I suppose I have...." she chuckled in response. 
Seizing a teasing opportunity, I strode forward to stand in front of her, looking down into her face with a grin on mine.  "You SUPPOSE you have?" 
She glanced sideways at Jase.  "Jase... do you think we should pick on Daddy?"
Jase jumped up, eagerly nodding and a sneaky smile spreading across her face. 
"I'll get his hands, you tickle." 
Good thing I'm not ticklish.  Apparently, Rapunzel had forgotten about that little fact!
She stood, putting Hallie back down.  Standing in front of me, she reached for my hands, but I jerked them back and forth and high enough that she couldn't reach them.  Meanwhile, Jase was tickling any part of my legs that she could reach...which was quite frankly, pretty amusing.  Regardless...within a few minutes, I snaked my hands out towards my unsuspecting wife, grabbed her arms, and pulled her in towards me; turning her to face away from me, and then put my arm around her waist to keep her there.  Then, with my other arm, I grabbed Jase and swung her up onto my shoulder.  She shrieked with laughter and wildly squirmed to get away.  My wife started laughing hard, too,  wriggled in an attempt to get out of my arms, and I finally let her go.  Once she was loose, she turned back towards me, giggling with a silly little smile on her face, and her green eyes glowed with happiness...or was that impishness?  Regardless. 
I let Jase down off of my shoulder, and she tore off to pick on Blondie. 
After that, we all talked for awhile.  One by one, everyone went to bed.  It had been an early start this morning, after all.  I wasn't much tired, but I followed my wife to bed anyway. 
Hoping she'd stay up a bit and talk, I was glad when she just sat and looked up at me.  For a minute, anyway...
"So....spill the beans."
"What?"  I asked, sitting and studying her face.  I couldn't for the life of me think of what she was asking about. 
"The thing Jase said about you feeling so bad and everything?"    
Oh.  THAT.  Crumbs.  I had hoped that she'd forgotten about that.  I mean, seriously.  I'D forgotten about it!  "Well...okay, fine.  I just felt bad because I'd gone back on my word; that's all it was.  That I'd let you down."
"Ahh."  she nodded. 
"So tell me, wife..how was your two days?"  I said, fumbling for something to talk about. 
"Boring.  I just laid around...I did really like that warm blanket, though!"  She quietly laughed, even though she wrapped her arms around herself. 
"You cold?"  I asked.  I didn't want her to get hurt again! 
"Kind of," she said with a shrug. 
I started to offer to go get something she could wrap up with, but she refused. 
"No, Flynn.  Stay here.  Aren't you cold?" 
I wasn't, really...I mean, I was a little chilly, but I had a long-sleeved shirt on..and she had a short-sleeved dress on!  She was probably freezing. 
I patted my lap and offered for her to come sit, but she just leaned over into my side.  I shook my head before I rubbed my hands up and down her arms for a few minutes, trying to get her warmed up.  Then I just scooped her up and plopped her down on my lap, wrapping my arms around her and giving her a kiss in the hair. 
Instead of growling at me for picking her up, she just asked how my two days went. 
"Oh....busy.  I don't know how you took care of the girls for two weeks when I was gone!"
"I managed," she chuckled, "gave me something to do!" 
"True," I said, grinning.  "Just try not to get yourself hurt again, alright?  I can't take it."
She gave a quiet laugh.  "Oh, come on!  It was just, like, two days, and you came to see me one of them!"
"But still...," I trailed off as I studied her pretty face before giving her a kiss. 
When I pulled away, she gave me a sweet smile. 
"So I was thinking - and I'm not sure how I wanna put it...but I just - I-"
She stammered around.
I basically knew what she was going to say - knowing her, she likely felt bad about her behavior from when I visited her.  So  before she could start, I shook my head. 
"Lemme guess.  You're feeling bad because of your cold shoulder you gave me yesterday?"  I paused, and she nodded.  "Don't feel bad, sweetie.  I get that you were upset, and when you're upset, you say things you don't mean.  It's fine - no harm done!"
"I just...you didn't deserve one bit of it, and I can't believe that I treated you that way.  And for you to just take it in stride, not giving me a taste of my own medicine - not yelling or storming off - an-and just being YOU  - I just got really mad with myself, and I should have never treated you that way to begin with!  So I'm sorry...really sorry."  She finally finished. 
I gave her a smile and pulled her a tad bit close, and she loosed a relieved sigh. 
"I haven't said this in a few days - I'm slipping!  Love you." 
I got that funny feeling in my stomach when she said that.  "Love you, too, dear girl." 
She looked up at me and then reached up to give me a slow and sweet goodnight kiss, which I returned.  After our lips finally parted, I swept the hair from her face and took her chin in one of my hands and gave her a smile, which she matched with an adorable little smile of her own. 
Suddenly, it faded.  "You need to get to bed, hon," she told me. 
I shrugged, reluctant to let go of the moment, but she scooted off of my lap and curled up on her side. 
As soon as she laid down, though, she shot right back up.  "Should we maybe get the kids?  I don't want them getting cold." 
I shrugged again, thinking.  I realized that the window was still open and a pretty cool, steady breeze was coming through it.  Finally, I said that it couldn't hurt to check on them. 
She promptly crept out to check on them, and in a couple minutes, she was back. 

I watched her flop down on her back, and she said they were all 'comfy cozy', grinning at me. 
I reached over and took her hand, kissing it, and then asked if she was sure she didn't want me to go find something to use as a makeshift blanket. 
"I am positive, hon.  Actually, I could just wrap all this hair around myself."
Can you say train wreck?  As I thought about how that could go over, I tried not to laugh.  Instead, I just snorted.  She started giggling at me, and then clapped her hand over her mouth, horrified. 
We both went silent, and listened to make sure the babies hadn't woken up. 
Phew...that was a close one.  She let her breath out in a whoosh, and gave me a smile.  I grinned, shaking my head. 
"You know, you can just curl up with me.  You don't have to wrap yourself up in your hair.  To me, that sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen, especially with your track record the past month or so!"  I said jokingly. 
"Hey now..." she said, reaching to gently punch my arm. Then she flopped over onto her side.  Taking advantage of such an opportunity, I reached over and started to tickle her side.   She jerked, squirmed, and wormed around until she grabbed onto my hand and took it in a death-grip, so I didn't even try to pull it away. 
"You're mean!"  she whispered kiddingly, and I laughed through my nose and kissed her on the cheek and told her good night. 
"Night, hon...even though I'm not sure how sweet you really are...but good night."  she joked.  Or at least, I'm pretty sure she was joking. 
I suppressed a chuckle and pulled her close to me.  She finally let go of my hand, and then I was out cold. 


But within hours, I was back up - around four, I think.  I was freezing cold!  I glanced around, and through the darkness, I saw the window was STILL open.  Good grief!  I carefully touched my wife's arm, and felt she was cold as well, even though she was still asleep.  I crept past everyone else and went on the lookout for a shirt to cover up with.  I quickly found one, and was back up to the dresser in minutes.  On my way back to my wife, I checked on the kids, and they were still nice and warm.  Good. 

I carefully spread the shirt over my wife, and then realized how she was laying.  She was still on her side, curled up in a ball, but her face was smashed into the top of the dresser.  I went back to lay down, situating the shirt over both of us...but then I stared, fascinated at my wife's ability to sleep like that. 
How was she even comfortable?!  I mean, really...she probably couldn't even breathe.  Without thinking, I quietly chuckled. 
Then I heard her sigh and she looked at me drearily. 
"Did I wake you up, hon?"  I asked, concerned as I situated myself onto my side to look at her. 
"I guess not..why are you up, anyway?" 
I explained, adding the fact that she'd been faceplanted on the dresser, and she nodded, laughing through her nose.  "I dunno.  I was pretty comfy, until I woke up and realized I couldn't breathe." 
I grinned at her and kissed her forehead before I pulled her close to me again, and went back to sleep. 

Coming home !!!!

Hey everyone!! (:
I was waiting at the door bright and early the next morning, waiting for Tangled Fan just as I'd said I would be.  But it turns out that she popped in for a few seconds, told me she had to go someplace today, and she'd be back later and take me up then.  UGH.  Soo, it turned out that it was evening before she FINALLY came back in...and I was waiting at the exact same spot.  She almost stepped on me!  She stooped down, picked me up, and laughed.
"You stay true to your word, don'tcha!"  she laughed.
"I just wanna get back to my kids and my hubby."  I laughed.  All feelings of anger towards Flynn had washed away, and I still felt bad about being so childish towards him.  And I couldn't wait to go back home!
She jogged up some stairs, turned down a hallway, and set me on her bed. "I gotta run!" she exclaimed, hurrying back out.
Nobody had even paid any attention to her on the dresser above.  I couldn't see Merida up there, and Flynn was standing up, his back turned to the direction in which I would climb up onto the dresser.  He was talking to Jase or Hallie; I couldn't see.  But that was perfect!

I crept up onto the dresser, and snuck a few tentative, silent steps towards Flynn.
Rayne saw me, but she also realized what I was up to, so she just suppressed a grin and watched.
I took a few quick, long strides towards him and then stood behind him for a moment, deciding what I wanted to do....should I jump at him?  Stick a cold finger in his ear?  Whisper a 'boo' in his ear?  Hmm.  Deciding, I stood on tiptoe and grabbed his shoulders, whispering 'boo' in his ear.
He jumped and shook all over; and I started laughing.  I let go of his shoulders and he stumbled backwards.  He almost fell over me, and I backpedaled while still trying to keep him from falling.  Not the easiest thing to do!  Okay, so that had backfired a bit.
When he'd gained his balance back, he turned around on his heel.  My laughter had subsided, but when his face brightened and he cupped his hands around my face, I giggled and bounced up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss before he bent to give me one.  When we pulled apart, he gave me a grin.
"No more cold shoulder?"  he joked.
"No more!"  I said, smiling for a minute, and then it faded.  "Sorry I was such a brat."
"It's fine," he said, pulling me close and resting his head on top of mine for a moment.  I put my arms tightly around him and smiled up at him.
Jase wormed her way in between us and latched onto both of my legs so tightly that I could hardly even bend down to pick her up.  I managed to, however, and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  She gave me that sweet little dimple-y grin.
"I'm sooooo glad you're back, Momma!  Daddy kept going on about how bad he felt, so I bet he's glad you're back, too!  He didn't tell ME that, but I heard him saying it to the others.  But I'm really glad you're back!  You're better?"
I chuckled at her enthusiastic babbling.  "Yes...I'm all better, sweetie."  I tickled her and glanced up at Flynn, wondering about the 'daddy kept going on about how bad he felt' part.  We'd talk about that later.  She squirmed, and I set her back down.  Flynn kept an arm around me...oh great.  Now we'd be back to Velcro-Flynn...again!  Anyway...
I turned towards him, taking his hand.  "Where's Merida?"
"She went to shoot.  Said she was hoping you'd get back before she went, but that didn't happen..she'll probably be back soon."  His face held a huge grin on his face.
"I see..." I said, pulling away to go pick up Hallie.
Hallie immediately gave me a big grin and wiggled in my arms.  I laughed at her silliness and cuddled her close to me.  Her little plastic arms felt cold...despite the fact that it was chilly, Tangled Fan  never turned the heat on!  But you wouldn't figure on needing the HEAT turned on in the middle of August, for goodness' sake. It's been in the low 40s at night, I think, so it's not horribly bad, but still.
I held her close, and then sat down.

Soon after my arrival, Merida returned.  She saw me and a grin split her face. "Yer back, are ye?"  She said, setting her bow down.  I laughed and nodded.
She nodded.  "Try to not injure yerself again, would ye?  Ye've been in and outta injuries wayyy more than normal!"
I chuckled.  "Yeeahhh...I suppose I have!"
"You SUPPOSE you have?"  Flynn asked, walking up to stand in front of me, that grin on his face.  I rolled my eyes at him and gave Jase a sideways glance.
"Jase...Do you think we should pick on Daddy?"
She jumped up eagerly, nodding.
I laughed, laying Hallie down and standing up.  "I'll get his hands, you tickle."
Jase giggled and raced towards him, tickling wildly.  I made a grab for his hands, but he made some quick, jerking movements and I couldn't get a hold of him.  Finally, he grabbed both of my arms and pulled me close, holding me around my waist in front of him and then he reached down and snagged Jase, swinging her up onto his shoulder.  She shrieked with laughter when he tickled her.  I laughed at all of our silliness and then squirmed to get away from him.  He finally let me go, and I turned around to him, still giggling.  Jase was still laughing as well.  He shook his head at us and let Jase down off of his shoulder.  She grinned up at him, and then tore off to play with Blondie.  I chuckled at her, and then turned to glance at the window, finally noticing how chilly I was.
Well, good grief - no wonder it was so chilly inside!  Tangled Fan still had her window open from this morning when it was in the 70s...great.  Oh well...
I followed Flynn to sit beside the babies.  I picked Hallie up and cuddled her close, and all of us talked for awhile.

One by one, everyone else went to bed.  Merida, Flynn and I made a bed for the kiddos using her cape, and within minutes, the three of them were all covered up, warm and cozy for the night.
I know that personally, I could've stayed up and talked for a good while longer, since it was just about 9, but when  Merida gave into sleep, I decided we'd better head to bed as well.  When we crawled underneath the bench; however, I just sat down and looked at Flynn.
"So....spill the beans."
"What?"  he said, sitting beside me and studying my face in confusion.
"The thing Jase said about you feeling so bad and everything...?"  I said, an eyebrow raised.
"Well..." he trailed off and sighed.  "Okay, fine.  I just felt bad because I'd gone back on my word; that's all it was.  That I'd let you down." 
"Ahh," I said, nodding. I wanted to talk, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to.
"So tell me, wife...how was your two days?"
"Boring.  I just laid around.  I did really like that warm blanket, though!"  I laughed quietly, putting my arms around myself.
"You cold?"  He said, giving me a concerned look.
"Kind of," I shrugged.
"Want me to get-"
"No, Flynn.  Stay here.  Aren't you cold?"
"Not really, but I've got this long-sleeve shirt, and you've just got short sleeves.  C'mere," he instructed, patting his lap.
I just cuddled up beside him and he shook his head before rubbing his hands vigorously up and down my arms a few minutes....and then the stinker just lifted me up and set me back down on his lap!   Then he wrapped me up in his arms and kissed my hair.
"How was your two days?"  I asked, rolling my eyes up towards him.
"Oh...busy.  I don't know how you took care of the girls for two weeks when I was gone!"
I chuckled.  "I managed.  Gave me something to do!"
"True," he said, giving me a grin. "Just try to not get yourself hurt again, alright?  I can't take it."
I laughed quietly.  "Oh, come on.  It was just, like, two days, and you came to see me one of them!"
"But still..." he trailed off and studied my face just long enough to make me feel slightly awkward, and then he drew me close for a kiss.  When he pulled away, I gave him a smile. 
"So I was thinking...and I'm not sure how I wanna put it...but I just - I..." I tried to say what I needed to say, but I couldn't spit it out. 
He studied my face for a few moments, whilst I gathered my thoughts, and when I started to open my mouth again, he shook his head.  
"Lemme guess.  You're feeling bad because of your cold-shoulder you gave me yesterday?"  I nodded, and he continued.  "Don't feel bad, sweetie.  I get that you were upset, and when you're upset, you say things you don't mean.  It's fine...no harm done." 
"I just...You didn't deserve one bit of it, and I can't believe that I treated you that way.  And for you to just take it in stride, not giving me a taste of my own medicine, not....not yelling, or storming off...an-and just being YOU...I just got really mad with myself, and I should have never treated you that way to begin with.  So I'm sorry.  Really sorry." I finally spit it out. 
He gave me an understanding smile and drew me a little closer.  I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed, satisfied to have gotten that off my chest.  "I haven't said this in a few days...I'm slipping!  Love you."
"Love you too, dear girl," he said, and a tingle went up my spine.
I lifted my head to look at him, and then I pulled him into a goodnight kiss.  When our lips reluctantly parted, he pushed the hair from my face and cupped my chin in his hands, giving me a gentle smile, which I returned.  And then I wondered what time it was.   
"You need to get to bed, hon."  I said, patting his leg.
He shrugged, and I scooted away to curl up on my side.  The cool air came right in on us, and a pretty decent breeze was coming through as of right now.
Before Flynn could even move, though,  I sat back up.  "Should we maybe get the kids?  I don't want them getting cold."
My hubby shrugged once more, and got a calculating expression on his face.  "It couldn't hurt to check up on them.  That breeze is a bit cool."
I nodded and turned to crawl out from under the bench.  I carefully crept over to the kids and checked to make sure they were all warm and cozy...and they were.  I paused to look at Hallie and Jase's peaceful expressions, and smiled to myself before I went back to bed.
Flynn was waiting for me, and I flopped down on my back.  "They're all comfy-cozy," I said with a grin.  He reached over and took my hand, giving it a kiss.
"You're sure you don't want me to get something for you to use as a blanket?"
"I am positive, hon."  I said.  "Actually, I could just wrap all this hair around myself."
He tried to suppress a full-blown laugh, which would have for sure woken up everyone.  Instead, a snort came out, and I started to giggle.  Clapping a hand over my mouth, I went silent and prayed that I hadn't woken anyone up.
Success!  I didn't hear anyone as much as twitch.
I let my breath out, not even realizing I'd been holding it, and smiled at Flynn.  He shook his head with a grin.
"You know, you can just curl up with me;  you don't have to wrap yourself up in your hair.  To me, that sounds like a trainwreck waiting to happen, especially with your track record the past month or so!" Flynn joked.
"Hey, now..." I reached over and punched  him on the arm playfully before I flopped over onto my side and took advantage of his offer.  He reached over, and I assumed he would put an arm around me like he normally does...but then he tickled me!  I jumped, squirming, and made a random grab for his hand to make him stop.  Finally, I got a hold of it and held it tightly, to keep him from pulling away.
"You're mean!"  I whispered jokingly, and he laughed through his nose before leaning over and kissing me on the cheek.
"Night, sweetie."
I rolled my eyes, but I told him good night as well.  I curled up in a ball, as was my norm, and he pulled me close.  I finally realized I still held his hand in a death grip, and I let go of it, squirmed around a bit to get comfortable, and then went to sleep.

Stupid leg, anyhow...

The next day after Flynn had ratted on me, Tangled Fan came into the room, something behind her back.  I sat up and watched her walk over.

Earlier, she'd checked up on me.  Yes, my leg was feeling much better.  Yes, I was telling the truth.  Yes, I was being a good girl and just laying around, wallowing in boredom and anger.
But this time, she came in with a Cheshire-cat smile.  "Someone wanted to see you!"
Oh, great.  Please just let it be Jase - I'd be likely to tear Flynn's head off and ream him up one side and down the other, right now...still.
"Oh?"  I said, not even hiding the bored grumble of my voice.
She set Flynn down on the table by me and left.  "I'll come back in about an hour."
As soon as she was gone, Flynn turned to me, a smile on his face.
"How've you been today?"  he asked, sitting beside me.
"Fine."  I refused to look at him.  I know it was childish of me, but I was just so mad that he'd gone back on his word.
"Hey..." he said, with such concern in his voice that my stomach tightened and I glanced towards him out of habit.  "I'm so sorry, babe.  I didn't want to, but you need to get healed up."
I shrugged silently, and he gently pulled his chin towards me and leaned forward to try to kiss me.  I knew what he was trying to do, and I pulled away.
"Sweetie..."
I looked down at my hands.  "Not now.  Okay?"
He sighed and from the corner of my eye, I saw him reach for my hands, stop, and let his own hand drop down beside him.  "I really am sorry.  Trust me, if I wasn't so worried you'd get worse, I would never have told Tangled Fan about it.  I'm sorry."
I drew in a shuddering breath, a small bit of the anger melting away.  "I won't stay mad forever, if that's what you're worried about."
He said he was sorry.  Again.
"I know.  I'm just...mad.  You told me you'd stop being overprotective.  You said you'd trust my own judgement as to if I needed to ease off my leg or not."
"I did, but when I saw your limp..again..I just...I knew that it was the best thing to do.  You might not think that, but it was.  You'll get better quicker."
I swallowed.  "Yeah."
He made a few aimless movements, and I knew he wanted to do something, but wasn't sure what to do.
We sat in awkward silence for awhile.
Finally, he spoke up again.  "Um...Jase wanted to tell me to tell you that when you get home, we're watching more episodes of that Duck Dynasty."
I smiled to myself, despite everything.  "How's she doing?  And Hallie?"
"Jase is doing fine..she actually said, and I quote, mind you; 'that Mommy was good to go for a couple days.'  And Hallie's been fine."
I suddenly remembered about his migraines.  "You haven't had a migraine?"
"It's been twenty four hours, sweetheart, not weeks.  But no, I haven't had any migraines.  Hallie slept all night long, and I got precisely nine hours and fourteen minutes of sleep last night."
I giggled at his preciseness; the anger slowly washing away.  He gave me a relieved grin, and I wriggled out of the blanket to bring my legs up to my chin.  "I suppose I should apologize for being a jerk.  So-"
"It's fine.  I understand, trust me," he said, gazing at me tenderly.
I looked down.  "Sorry anyway."
He chuckled.  "So, no major hard feelings?  You get why I did this?"
I nodded.  "No hard feelings.  I was just hurt and upset, and...I dunno.  It's complicated, I guess."
He peered down at my face before he gently pushed the curtain of hair away so he could see me better, his hand lingering on my cheek.
I glanced up at him and then took his hand from my cheek.  I pulled him towards me and kissed him.  He was about to return it, but then Tangled Fan came bustling through the door.  We jerked apart and I dropped Flynn's hand.
"Hour's up!"  she announced.  "C'mon, Flynn."
She held out her hand to Flynn, but he turned back towards me, situating the blankets back over me.  "I'll see you soon, okay, hon?"
"Okay."  I said, grabbing his hand to give it a quick squeeze.  His face split into a smile and I watched them leave.    Since we'd talked, I really didn't want him to leave..but what else could I do?

When Tangled Fan had taken Flynn back up, she came back down to see me.
"And how are we feeling right now?"
"Just fine.  When can I leave?"
"Probably tomorrow," she said.
"Why not today?"
"Because even if you are feeling better, you need to rest.  Knowing you, you'll go and hurt yourself again because you aren't easing back into anything."
I started to protest, but it was true - even Tangled Fan knew that.  I sighed and nodded.  "But tomorrow morning, I'll be waiting at that door."
She laughed and nodded.  "Alright.  I know you want to get back to your kids and Flynn."

The rest of the day dragged by soooo impossibly slowly.  Luckily, I was able to talk Tangled Fan into lending me her iPod so I could blog and after that, I turned some music on to listen to. 
After awhile, though, I just turned everything off and laid back, thinking.  Mostly about how much of a jerk I had been to my husband, who hadn't deserved any bit of it.  I had acted like such a child earlier, and to prove what?  That I was a brat?  To make him feel even worse about it?  The more I thought about how upset he probably had gotten, added onto the fact that he probably felt really bad for going back on his word....the  more upset with MYSELF I got.  Eventually, I ended up having a good cry, clutching my blanket. 
When I was done, I decided to think about going home tomorrow.  I could hardly wait to talk to Flynn and get everything off my chest.  And, of course, I couldn't wait to see my girls!  Ugh.

Flynn here...Rapunzel's leg

Hey everyone!
The afternoon after I'd told Tangled Fan about Rapunzel's leg, I paced back and forth, anxiously waiting for Tangled Fan to take me to her.  I was worried as to how mad my wife would be at me.  I felt awful for going back on the word I'd given her just hours before, but her health overruled spoken words.

Finally, Tangled Fan came into the bedroom.  I waited at the edge of the dresser after I hugged Jase and told her to be a good girl - she'd said she'd prefer staying and playing at 'home' over going to see Momma...not sure why, but I respected her choice.  I didn't want her there if we got into a fight, anyway...and I was pretty sure Rapunzel would have something to say to me...and I don't mean somethnig nice! 

Tangled Fan took me down to the 'craft room'...which must've been where she'd put my wife.  Before she opened the door, she put me behind her back.
"Someone wanted to see you!"  She exclaimed, bustling into the room.
"Oh...?"  Rapunzel sounded very enthused...NOT. 
Well, this would be interesting.
She sat me down on the table, saying she'd be back in an hour.  And then she left.
Rapunzel looked no worse for wear, except for the dark expression on her face; and she was wrapped up in a blanket.
I smiled at her and asked how she was, sitting beside her.
"Fine."  she turned her head away and spat.
Alrighty then.
"Hey," I said quietly, feeling terrible.  She glanced towards me, but then turned away again.  "I'm so sorry, babe.  I didn't want to, but you need to get healed up."
She shrugged her shoulders up a little bit.  I took her chin and tried to give her a kiss, trying to get her to lighten up, but she jerked away.  "Sweetie-"
She looked down at her hands, and I broke off.  "Not now, okay?"
I sighed, defeated.  She wrapped her hands together and fumbled around awkwardly with them.  Out of habit, I reached to hold them, but figured that would really tick her off, so I let my hand drop.  "I really am sorry.  Trust me, if I wasn't so worried you'd get worse, I would never have told Tangled Fan about it...I'm sorry." I repeated.
She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I won't stay mad forever, if that's what you're worried about."
The way she inhaled made me feel even WORSE.  "I'm so sorry, honey."
"I know.  I was just...mad.  You told me you'd stop being overprotective!  You said you'd trust my own judgement as to if I needed to ease off my leg or not."
I nodded, acknowledging that I knew what I'd said.  "I did, but when I saw your limp - again - I just.. I knew that it was the best thing to do.  You might not think that, but it was.  You'll get better quicker."
She swallowed audibly.  "Yeah."
I wanted to hold her hands, or hug her, or something, but I didn't want to push it.  So we just sat in awkward silence for awhile.  I think the last time this had happened (awkward silence) was before we were even married!
Finally, I grasped upon something Jase had told me bright and early this morning.  "Um...Jase wanted to tell me to tell you that when you get home, we're watching more episodes of that Duck Dynasty."
Score!
Motherly instinct kicked in, and she smiled despite herself.  "How's she doing?  And Hallie?"
"Jase is doing fine.  She actually said, and I quote, mind you: 'that Mommy was good to go for a couple days'.  And Hallie's been fine."
"You haven't had a migraine?"
I almost laughed, but then I was glad she was opening up a bit.  Thus, I decided to tease a bit.
"It's been twenty-four hours, sweetheart, not weeks.  But no, I haven't had any migraines.  Hallie slept all night long, and I got precisely nine hours and fourteen minutes of sleep last night."
Bingo!  She giggled, and I could see her face starting to brighten up a bit. I gave her a grin, and she pulled her knees up to her chest.  "I suppose I should apologize for being a jerk.  So-"
I cut her off.  "It's fine..I understand, trust me!"  I said, watching her.
She glanced down.  "Sorry anyway."
I chuckled at her.  "So, no major hard feelings?  You get why I did this?"
She nodded.  "No hard feelings.  I was just hurt and upset, and..I dunno.  It's complicated, I guess."
I watched her face, which was covered by a curtain of her thick hair.  I risked touching her, to push her hair away from her face.  I left my hand on her cheek.
She glanced up at me and slowly took my hand from her face.  I couldn't read her expression, and wasn't sure if I should be relieved or worried.  Then she pulled my arm in towards her and took me into a kiss.  I was starting to return the kiss, but then I heard the doorknob click open.  She and I pulled apart quickly, and she dropped my hand.
"Hour's up!  C'mon, Flynn."  Tangled Fan said.
She held a hand out to me, but I turned back to my wife, reluctant to leave.
I situated her blanket carefully over her again, and then told her I'd see her soon.
"Okay," she said, giving my hand a quick squeeze.  I gave her a smile before I left.

Tangled Fan took me back up to the dresser, and I went to go sit. 
"So, how'd it go?"  Merida asked as soon as I sat down. 
"It was...interesting at first, but she opened up after awhile.  When I hit upon the topic of the girls, she opened up."  I said. 
She nodded.  "She'll be fine. She's more in love with you than what I think I've ever seen before."
"These are the only two you've EVER seen fall in love, Merida."  Rayne piped up.
"She saw me and Ray.." Blondie said tentatively. 
"Let's not talk about Ray."  the three of us piped up quickly, and Blondie shrugged. 
"Ray's why we're in this mess to begin with," I added. 
She nodded.  "I know.  Don't make me feel bad!" 

The rest of the day dragged on once more.  I tucked Jase and Hallie into their makeshift bed, which was actually Merida's cape, and went to bed when everyone else did, but I was far from going to sleep.  Thoughts ran rampant through my mind...bouncing from Rapunzel to Jase and Hallie, to wondering how much longer Rapunzel would be gone, back to Rapunzel,....and then just back and forth until I finally went to sleep. 

Flynn here... weird buzzing things, letdowns and Duck Dynasty

Hey everyone...well, today was quite interesting. 
Started off, I woke up with just over seven hours of sleep.  I watched Rapunzel as she slept, but within minutes, she woke up as well.  She propped herself up on her elbows and smiled at me. 
With a grin, I asked, "How're you feeling this morning, dear girl?"
Instead of rolling her eyes and grumbling that she was fine, she grabbed my hand, rolled over to face me, and said, "I'm feeling pretty great right now!" 
Getting that she was teasing me, I chuckled.  "Same here."
THEN she rolled her eyes and gave me a smile.  I studied her face, wondering what to say or whatever, and she randomly reached over to kiss me.  Just as I put an arm around her and started to kiss her back....BOOM.  This weird feeling hit me.  Not because I was kissing my wife or anything health-related...it was like the whole dresser was vibrating. 
Before I could get up, Rapunzel jumped up and pulled away from me.  Mind, jumping up isn't a good idea, seeing as we sleep under a bench. 
She cracked her head off of the underside of the bench with a THWACK.  She ducked with a grimace, and I started to ask if she was okay, but by the time I opened my mouth, she was on her knees and crawling out. 
"What on EARTH is that??" I heard her exclaim. 
"Tangled Fan's...stupid...cell phone!"  Merida.  "She uses it for her alarm clock, and it..vibrates!" 
I heard thudding, so I scrambled out myself and went to stand behind my wife. 
Tangled Fan reached for her phone, and since Merida was standing on it, stomping her plastic feet on it..Rapunzel grabbed her and yanked her off of the phone just in time. 
Tangled Fan turned it off, staring at us.  "Didn't I warn you that my phone does that every morning?"
"No..." my wife said, casting a glance towards Merida. 
"I knew, but I didn't think ya put it there!" 
"Yeah..sorry guys!"  Tangled Fan exclaimed.  Then she left us to our own devices. 
My wife turned around, and apparently, she still hadn't noticed I was standing right behind her.  She thumped into my chest and looked up, an alarmed expresison on her face. 
"Sorry!"
I took her beside me, kissed the top of her head, and chuckled as I thought about her grand head-banging experience minutes ago.  "So, how bad did you crack your head off of that bench?"
She giggled.  "Well, I didn't knock myself out-"
"So THAT'S the thud I heard a few minutes ago!  Wow."  Merida laughed and looked at Rapunzel. 
"Yeah.  That HURT!  For us having soft plastic heads that'll squoosh, that hurt!"  she laughed again. 
Merida's grin subsided and the firey, 'I was woken up too early by something stupid' expression vanished. 
"Well..I'm going back to sleep, like the rest of em are doin.  I can't believe everyone slept through that, especially the babies!"  She said, stroking Allie's arm. 
"We were already up, so-"  Rapunzel started, but I broke her off, seizing an opportunity to freak Merida out. 
"We'll finish up what we'd started doing before that stupid phone went off."
Calculating glances from Merida arose, and she finally managed, "I..don't want to know."
"We were just talking!  He has a way of saying things and having them not come out right-"
"Yeah, yeah...I said I didn't want to know!"  Merida laughed. 
My wife elbowed me in disgust and I tickled her, making her giggle.  Then, we headed back under the bench. 
"Duck this time."  I joked, watching her stoop down to come in behind me. 
"Yeah, yeah."  she laughed, sitting beside me and crossing her legs at the ankles. 
I gave her a grin, and I must've freaked her out.  "What?  You're creeping me-"
I reached over to kiss her, breaking off her sentence.  When I pulled away from her, she bumped her forehead up against mine and reached to hold my hand. 
I sat back.  "So...what are your big plans for today?"
She shrugged and said she didn't really get to think much about it. 
I suggested that we watch some of that Duck Dynasty that everyone talks so much about. 
"You mean you'll allow me to walk that much?"  She said, wide-eyed.  Not sure if she was joking or not. 
I chuckled.  "If you feel up to it.  I'll try to not be so overprotective." 
She grabbed me into an excited hug.  When she pulled away, I gave her a grin.  "Sound like a plan?"
"Sounds like an excellent plan, hon!"  she said with a sweet smile. 
Suddenly, Jase came careening in, throwing 'good morning's to both of us.  She plopped her little self down, half on my lap and half on hers. 
Rapunzel reached to give her a hug, laughing through her nose. 
"Daddy, are you and Momma still mad at each other?"  Jase asked, blinking innocently at me. 
Great...I knew that was coming. 
"No, honey, we're not.  We just had a small disagreement, is all."  I said. 
"Good!"  She reached over and snuggled up against me with a slightly melodramatic sigh. 
I couldn't help but smile at her cuteness, and I looked up to meet my wife's eyes.  She smiled as well. 
After a bit, she pulled away from me and held her hands out towards my face. 
"What?"  I asked, leaning down towards her.  She took my face in her hands and gave me a kiss on the cheek, giggling.  I got the impression that she was trying to be like her momma. 
Awhile later, we left to watch some Duck Dynasty. 
Forgetting my promise to not be so protective, I told Rapunzel to stay where she was at on Tangled Fan's bed, and I would go get the iPod from the drawers nearby. 
When I realized what I was doing, I apologized and said it was fine, that she could come along like she wanted to. 
She laughed, leaning her head on my shoulder for a second before taking me by the hand.  "Thank you!" 
"Anything for my girl," I joked. 
It only took a few minutes to get the iPod, and pretty soon, we were settled on Tangled Fan's bed, watching the hilarity that is known as Duck Dynasty. 

Lemme tell ya, if you're one of the few people (or dolls...if any dolls read our blog!) that have never seen Duck Dynasty...you need to go on A&E's website and watch some.  Now.  It is so hilarious.  All I got done was laughing, laughing at Rapunzel laughing, and wiping my cheeks of tears, from laughing so hard!  And they've got good values going, too.  I'm sure that we'll be sneaking onto Tangled Fan's iPod quite frequently to watch new episodes...!
The hour went wayyy too fast, and before I knew it, our chosen two episodes were done. 
Rapunzel rolled onto her back, holding her sides and giggling. 
I grinned, and then randomly remembered a song I'd heard online a few days ago.  Deciding I'd show it to Rapunzel, I got to work finding it again. 
If you're wondering what the song is, it's "If I Didn't Have You" by Thompson Square. 
"Hey, silly!  Listen to this song I found the other day online," I told Rapunzel, glancing over with a grin. 
"Okay," she said, returning  the grin and rolling over to watch the screen. 
Halfways through the song, she looked up at me, starry-eyed.  She smiled.  "I think I love this song.  It's beautiful!"  I met he eyes and she suddenly sat up, grabbing me into a kiss. 
Well, gee.  Tell a person before you give them a fervent kiss, right in the middle of listening to a song.  I was just a wee bit surprised.....
I gave her a wide-eyed stare, trying to think of something to say.  She laughed at me, and I shook my head at her. 
"Don't surprise me like that!"  I laughed, finding words. 
She laughed even harder.  "But you do that to me all the time!"
"I suppose you have a point," I chuckled.  I stared into those emerald green eyes for a moment, but she quickly looked down into her lap. 
She asked what we would do next, and I suggested going over to look out the window.  We hadn't done that in ages! 

Too bad I didn't know that the cool breeze would affect her leg. 
We sat on the open window for about two hours.  A practically chilly breeze filtered through the screen almost the whole time. 
"I think we should head back...much as I hate to say it."  she said, standing. 
I stood up as well.  "Are you feeling alright?"  I asked, immediately concerned. 
"Yeah....," have I ever mentioned that my wife is a horrible liar? 
"It's your leg, isn't it?"
She nodded. 
I sighed.  I can't believe I hadn't thought about her leg!  When I voiced my thought, she exclaimed that it was fine and she didn't think about that either. 
By the time we were back to the dresser, her leg was stiff and she had a limp started up again.  Much as I didn't want to, I knew the best thing to do was probably to tell Tangled Fan about it. 
Luckily enough, I was able to slip out the open door without anyone noticing. 
I hurried down a really long hallway, and after awhile, I found Tangled Fan. 
"What are you doing out here?  The dog-" Tangled Fan stood up from her chair and gave me an odd stare. 
"Rapunzel's leg is bad again..It's my fault, and-"
"Let's go see."  She picked me up and we were back to her bedroom again within minutes. 
I was met with a cold glare from my wife, as soon as she saw me and Tangled Fan.  "Why did you-"
"I don't want your leg getting worse!  I'm sorry."  I said.  I felt just plain  horrible about it.  I knew I had gone back on a promise and let her down, and that just about tore the heart right out of me. 
Tangled Fan chatted with her, and I stood off to the side, concerned.  Luckily, Jase and Hallie were napping, so Jase wasn't playing twenty-thousand questions about Rapunzel. 
"No.  No WAY.  If I didn't go when I was knocked out, like you'd said-"  Rapunzel was giving her a hassle.  Tangled Fan wanted to take her somewhere and keep her for a few days, to get her leg healed up. 
"Rapunzel, it couldn't hurt."
Then, the claws came out.  "You just can't trust me, can you?!  I TOLD you I'd be fine and I'd make sure to take care of myself!  And you SAID you'd try to stop being so overprotective!  Why did you go back on your word?" 
"Because I...I just don't want you getting hurt any worse."  I said, staring at her and hoping she'd get it. 
She didn't.  She simply looked away from me. 
"I just want to do this because it's going to be chilly this week, especially at night."  Tangled Fan said.  "It's the middle of August!"  Rapunzel exclaimed. 
"But the weatherman's predicting a cool streak this week.  It'll only be for a day or two; you'll be back home in no time if you behave yourself."  Tangled Fan said. 
Rapunzel heaved a huge sigh, still staring down at her lap.  Tangled Fan turned to go, and I tried to wave to her, to get her attention, to do anything...but she pointedly turned her head away from me. 

Wearing my heart on my sleeve, I watched them go.  I felt like my heart could shatter.  I knew I had promised her I wouldn't be so overprotective, but what was better? My wife possibly ending up with a lifetime plagued with leg soreness and injuries, or my wife better, but really ticked off at me?  I told myself it was for the best, but why did it have to be this way? 
I turned around and saw Blondie, Rayne, and Merida all standing and staring at me. 
"Ye did the right thing," Merida told me, nodding. 
"Then why does it feel like I've betrayed my wife's trust?" 
"Because you sort of did.  But if it's for her well-being, you did the right thing."  Rayne said. 
I sighed.  "She's going to be so mad at me..."
"Yeah, she is, too.  Yer really gonna in for it."  Merida said. 
"Thanks for the moral support, there, Merida." I said flatly. 
"Sorry, but it's true.  She'll get over it, though, for sure."  she added. 
"I hope so," I whispered, trudging off.

The rest of the evening dragged by.  Jase was quiet, and Hallie was very fussy.  I kept myself busy by keeping Hallie quiet and plaguing my mind with 'what ifs'...which isn't a very fun game to play! 
I also confronted Tangled Fan, and even though she told me originally that I couldn't go see her, I harped at her enough that she relented and said that I could visit her tomorrow. 
Tomorrow cannot come too soon. 

The Odd Buzzy Thing...

The morning after our spat - which I guess was pretty small-scale, compared to some stuff I've seen online! - anyway, I woke up pretty early.  Flynn was already up, and I rolled over onto my stomach and stretched before I propped myself up on my elbows and smiled at him.
He gave me that grin of his and asked me how I felt...which had become pretty routine this past week!
So I decided to joke around and act like he does.  I reached over and grabbed his hand, rolling onto my side to face him.  "I'm feeling pretty great, right now!"
Thankfully, he got the joke and chuckled.  "Same here,"
I rolled my eyes and gave him another smile. He studied my face for just long enough to make me feel awkward, so I reached over and kissed him. As he put an arm loosely across my waist, beginning to kiss me back, this weird, buzzing sensation hit me. 

I jumped all over, jerking away from him.  I started to stand up...but the stupid bench we sleep underneath is low, and I whacked my head off of it with a sound THUD.
 The buzzing continued as I dropped to my hands and knees and crawled out.  Merida was up as well, and she was stomping on Tangled Fan's cell phone.
"What on EARTH is that??!" I yelped, hurrying over to her.
"Tangled Fan's...STUPID....cell phone!  She uses it for her alarm clock, and it vibrates!"  She exclaimed, scrambling up on it to jump up and down on it.
I chuckled to myself, but only for a moment.  Tangled Fan suddenly sat up, groggily reaching for her phone.
I jerked Merida off of the phone by her arm, and Tangled Fan turned the alarm off and set it back on the dresser, looking at us.
"Didn't I warn you that my phone does that every morning?"  she asked us.
"No..." I said, glancing at Merida.
"I knew, but I didn't think ye put it there!"  Merida exclaimed.
"Yeah...sorry, guys!" she exclaimed.
I nodded and turned around to go back to Flynn.
But Flynn had come to me.  I bumped into his chest, and I looked up quickly.  "Sorry!"  I exclaimed.
He put an arm around me and pulled me to his side, kissing my hair with a chuckle.  "So how bad did you crack your head off of that bench?"
I giggled. "Well, I didn't knock myself out-"
"So THAT'S the thud I heard a few minutes ago!"  Merida looked at me and laughed.  "Wow."
"Yeah...that hurt!  For us having soft plastic heads that'll squoosh, that hurt!"  I laughed.
"Well...I'm going back to sleep, like the rest of 'em are doin'.  I can't believe everyone slept through that, especially the babies."  She glanced down at Allie, who was sleeping soundly nearby.  She reached over and stroked her baby's arm lovingly.  I smiled.
"We were already up, so-"
"We'll finish up what we'd started doing before that stupid phone went off."
Merida gave us calculating looks and finally said, "I don't want to know."
"We were just talking!  He has a way of saying things and having them not come out right-"
"Yeah, yeah."  Merida laughed.  "I said I didn't want to know!"
I elbowed Flynn and giggled when he tickled me, before he led me back under the bench.
"Duck this time," he joked as I bent to go in after he did.
"Yeah, yeah," I laughed, sitting down beside him and stretching my legs straight out and crossing them at the ankles.  He continued staring at me with a grin on his face.  "What?  You're creeping me-"
He broke me off with a kiss.  When he pulled away, I bumped my forehead up against his and reached for his hand.
My hubby sat back and said quietly, "So...what are your big plans for today?"
I shrugged.  "I didn't really get to think about that much."
"How about we go for the day and just hang out?  And if Tangled Fan's iPod is charged, we could always find a few episodes of that Duck Dynasty online to watch," he suggested.
"You mean you'll allow me to walk that much?"  I half-joked, wide-eyed.
He chuckled.  "If you feel up to it. I'll try to not be so overprotective."
I reached over to hug him excitedly, rubbing his back with my hand.  Finally, he was going to be less obsessive about my safety!  When I pulled away, he gave me that goofy grin.  "Sound like a plan?"
"Sounds like an excellent plan, hon," my heart surged and I smiled at him.
"Morning, Momma!  Morning, Daddy!"  Jase suddenly came barreling in and worming herself between us - halfway on my lap and halfway on his.
I laughed through my nose at her and gave her a hug.
"Daddy, are you and Momma still mad at each other?"  she turned to look at him.
Uh oh.
I'd really hoped that she hadn't heard us or paid attention to us.  But apparently, she had.
"No, honey, we're not.  We just had a small disagreement, is all."
"Good." She reached over to her daddy and snuggled up against his side with a cute little sigh.
Flynn met my eyes, and I saw the enamored smile he had on his face...which made me smile as well.  She eventually pulled away from him and reached up towards his face.  He bent, asking her 'what'.  She took his face in her hands and gave him a small, precise peck on the cheek, giggling.
I chuckled at her silliness and then I heard Hallie start to cry.
"It seems like the children think we should get up early!"  I joked, crawling out to get Hallie.  And yes, I ducked this time!

A few hours later, we left the dresser; the girls in the care of Merida.  We went across Tangled Fan's bed, to the trunk.
"Stay here, and I'll get the iPod.  It's just riiiiight over there," Flynn said, pointing.
"I'll go with you," I said.
"No...you don't-" he broke off and glanced at me sheepishly.  "Okay, fine."
I laughed and leaned my head on his shoulder for a second, until I took him by the hand.  "Thank you."
"Anything for my girl," he joked, and then we went to get the iPod.

Within minutes, we were back on the bed.  I flopped down on my belly and leaned up on my elbows, and Flynn sat beside me and set the iPod on his lap.  After a few minutes of searching the internet, we found A&E's website and then found some Duck Dynasty episodes.
Flynn and I decided to watch two episodes.  Before we were halfway through the first episode, though, we were both laughing our heads off.  Yep, Jase (our daughter) was definitely nicknamed after a 'good human'...and a funny one at that!  The whole episode was filled with hilarious sayings and just tons of funny stuff.  I don't think I've ever laughed so much!  At one point, tears were streaming down my cheeks from laughing so hard.

An hour later, when we were done with the two episodes, I wondered if my stomach would ever stop hurting, I'd laughed so much!
I rolled over onto my back, still giggling as I thought about the two episodes we'd watched.  Flynn was still messing around on the iPod, though.
When he had done whatever he'd wanted to do, he looked at me and grinned.  "Hey, silly -  listen to this song I found the other day online."
"Okay," I said, grinning and rolling back onto my stomach to watch the screen.
Turns out, the song was "If I Didn't Have You" by Thompson Square.  I looked up at Flynn halfway through the song and smiled.  "I think I love this song...it's beautiful!"  He met my eyes and butterflies started up in my stomach.  I impulsively sat up and kissed him.  I think it surprised him, because when I pulled away, he gave me a wide-eyed, red-faced stare.  I laughed and he shook his head at me.
"Don't surprise me like that," he said with a laugh, finally finding words to accompany his expression.
I laughed harder.  "But you do that to me all the time..."
He chuckled.  "I suppose you have a point."  His eyes held mine in a tender gaze for a moment, and then I looked down into my lap awkwardly.
"So, um...what do you want to do now?  I really hope we can watch Duck Dynasty some more, someday, and we'll have to let Jase watch it, too.  And Merida  would get a kick out of it, for sure."
He shrugged, turning off the iPod.  "Whatever you want to do."
"I dunno what I want to do!"  I exclaimed, chuckling. I laced my fingers together and studied them.  Flynn put a huge and gentle hand on top of mine, and then suggested going over to look out the window.  We hadn't done that in a good while; since we haven't been right beside it!  From our new display, though, we can see across the room to it.
I nodded.  "Sounds great to me!"
He stood and offered a hand to me.  I gladly accepted it, and we made our way over to the window, which was open.
A cool, almost chilly, breeze was coming through the window.  Flynn and I sat down, and we just sat in comfortable silence, watching the outdoors.
However, after about two  hours of that, my leg was starting to feel really bad, after being exposed to the chilly breeze.
"I think we should head back, much as I hate to say it."
Flynn stood.  "Are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah..." I didn't meet his eyes.
"It's your leg, isn't it?"
I silently and reluctantly nodded.
He sighed and shook his head.  "I should've known that-"
"No!  It was fine.  I didn't think that the cool breeze would affect it."  I said.
He gave me a calculating look, and then we started making our way back to the dresser.
By the time we were back, I'd developed a slight limp...again.  I sat down promptly and kneaded my leg.
Flynn silently disappeared, and I wondered where he'd gone.
Until he came back with Tangled Fan.
I gave him a glare.  "Why did you-"
"I don't want your leg getting worse. I'm sorry."  He gave me a pained look.
I huffed and looked away, angry at him.  Couldn't he just stop being obsessively protective?!  
"So, I hear your leg's worse?"  Tangled Fan asked, picking me up.
"I'm fine.  It was fine, too!  I just..that cool breeze..we were over at the window for awhile and it seized up.  I'll be fine."
"Just to be sure, I'd prefer to keep you somewhere else, wrapped up nice and warm, to make sure you get the rest you need, before this leg problem gets worse."
"No.  No way.  If I didn't go when I was knocked out, like you'd said-"
"Rapunzel, it couldn't hurt."
I flashed him a glare.  "You just can't trust me, can you?  I told you I'd be fine and I'd make sure to take care of myself!  And you said you'd try to stop being so overprotective!  Why did you go back on your word?"
"Because I-" he broke off.  "I just don't want you getting hurt any worse."  He gave me a pensive stare.
I looked away from him and down at my lap.
"I just want to do this because it's going to be chilly this week, especially at night."
"It's the middle of August!"  I protested.
"But the weatherman's predicting a cool streak this week.  It'll only be for a day or two; you'll be back home in no time if you behave yourself." she said.
I sighed in defeat, on the verge of tears.  I couldn't believe Flynn had done this.  I would be fine in a few hours, if I just rested!  I...

Tangled Fan whisked me off before I could even tell Jase good bye or Hallie or anything.
She took me and set me somewhere else in the house, and then wrapped me up in a small, warm blanket.  I must admit that, despite my anger, it felt pretty good.
I curled up on my side and stewed over the fact that he'd done this.  I mean, I know it was for my own good and just for a couple of days, but really?!  I tried to stay mad, because I knew once the anger drained away, tears would quickly ensue...