This love

Round 14: Winter 2022


Ben Cooper is 44, Denise is 36, Riley is 12, Liam is 10, Brady is 3 and Tate is 7 months.

Narrated by Ben Cooper.

I have to admit I wasn't very fond of the idea of getting a dog but I've gotten used to Paco. I could say I even like him.

The kids love him. Brady loves him so much that we have to be careful so that he doesn't hug the dog to death. He's too young to understand that the dog could actually break. Paco doesn't seem to mind though because he always goes to Brady when Brady's awake.

Denise is on maternity leave but she's going back to work in a couple of months. She says that she loves our kids but she goes crazy staying at home all day.

"Besides, we might be able to re-decorate some rooms when I get a full salary" she said. We've only been living here for a couple of years but she really doesn't like the decor. The interior designer kind of pressured us to use subtle colors and that's just not us.

"Why don't we put aside some money and do the kitchen and the living room?" I said. We've been able to pay back some of our mortgage and I don't see any reason why we should spend every spare cent on loan repayments.

I usually try to get the breakfast ready before Riley and Liam get up so that they have time to eat before the school bus arrives. Then I wake them up, get Brady downstairs and feed him.

After the boys have gone to school I sit for a while and read the morning paper while Denise takes care of Tate.

Being a senior partner at the firm gives me a few privileges that younger co-workers don't have. I usually have meetings with clients in the beginning of the week but I often stay home on Fridays and work for a few hours during the day.

It isn't as peaceful as it used to be though. Riley started high school this year and he excepts to be treated like an adult now. Which he obviously isn't.

He wants to go to Generation X because "everyone at school goes there". What he fails to mention - and what we know anyway - is that everyone at school is older than him. We just feel that he's too young to go there.

He's a good kid though. He helps us with Brady and Tate and they adore him.

He also spends a lot of time with Liam. They often throw American football or play catch in the front yard. I keep telling Riley that he shouldn't throw so hard because Liam is smaller. Riley wants to become an athlete but he hasn't picked his field yet. He plays everything for now but if he wants to become professional then eventually he'll have to choose.

I suggested to Denise that we could just paint the kitchen cabinets and she thought it was a good idea. She loves the new colors.

We also bought a new sofa and chair for the living room and a small cabinet for the souvenirs from our trip to Kalaupapa Island a few years ago. The house is still quite empty because we can't afford to buy more furniture. However to us it's the people living in that house that matter more than fancy furniture.

Denise and I are both making the most of Tate's baby time because we know this is the last time we'll have an infant in the house. Kids grow up so fast and I cherish every moment I spend with them.

Notes:

• Title reference: This love by Maroon 5.
• Tate really is Ben and Denise's last child. It didn't really fit into the update but I decided that Ben would get the "snip" (although in reality it's Denise whose ACR says "Sim cannot get pregnant").
• I've changed Riley's LTW to Become Hall of Famer. I thought it made more sense because his hobby is sports (not Fitness like it has said in his profile) and he's not very interested in games. I think he would've made a really cute nerd though ;)
• I've updated the Rules and Regulations post with info about maternity leave. It's based on the system we have here in Finland.