Once in a while

Round 17: July 2027

Will Harper is 42, Alexa is 35, Connor and Dane are 11 and Jena is 7.

(Amabelle is 72, Brooke is 35, Iona is 15 and Ava is 3.)

Narrated by Alexa

The school is out for summer but unfortunately Will couldn't get time off work. He has weekends off but on weekdays it's just me and the kids at home during the day.

We have a little pond in our backyard and the kids have been fishing there even though I'm quite sure there is no fish in the pond. So far they've managed to drag out a couple of old shoes but especially Jena is determined that she will catch a fish if she just keeps trying.

I'm turning 35 this month and was definitely not going to celebrate it in any way. The kids had other thoughts though. They said we should definitely get a cake and since money is a bit tight I decided to just bake one.

Brooke is just about as excited to celebrate her 35th birthday than I am but she agreed to come over for coffee and cheese cake with Ava. The kids were a bit disappointed that my cake didn't have any candles but they soon forgot their disappointment when I handed out the pieces to everyone.

Our kids are older than Ava but it was good to see them all playing together on the activity table. The boys said they only did it because I told them to play with the girls but I think they were a bit too enthusiastic to be playing with blocks and drawing just to be nice.

Brooke and Charlie have been trying for a baby over a year now and last month they went to see a doctor to see if anything is wrong. They haven't gotten back any conclusive results from the testing yet but now it seems they don't need to. Brooke told me she had done a home pregnancy test and it was positive! She still needs to confirm it with a doctor and obviously it's still very early stages but it really looks like she's pregnant.

I couldn't be happier for them and I'm also touched that she told me - even though we usually tell each other everything. They're really not telling anyone at this point yet so besides her and Charlie, I'm the only one who knows.

Brooke and Ava were heading back to Exmoor just as Will got home from work. I enjoy seeing my husband with a toddler but when it comes to having kids we are definitely done. There might have been a time when I thought we should have more children but I'm really happy with the way things are now.

Will had a little birthday surprise for me: he had gotten a babysitter and we went to have dinner in Exmoor at the Enigma restaurant.

It definitely isn't in our budget to have champagne and dine at a fancy restaurant but I think it was worth it. And as Will said, I only turn 35 once.

We got back home quite late but Will still had to get up early to got to work. He still has 3 years to get promoted to Senior Officer and judging by the feedback he's gotten from his superiors (one of which is my sister) he'll most likely get promoted within a year or two.

Being self-employed has its perks. I get to spend some quality time with our kids. Connor still likes to snuggle on the sofa and watch movies with me. I can't believe he and Dane will start high school next year! I'm trying to cherish these moments because in a few years the boys are going to go off to college and after that it's only 4 more years before Jena leaves too.

I'm slowly starting my flower shop business. One of my first customers was mom who said she's really proud of me for finding my own thing and doing what I want with my life. Obviously during summer it's a bit tricky to keep the shop open because I often have to bring the kids with me but it'll get easier when school starts again in September.

I can't really manage the shop without help so I looked for someone who would take care of the cashier machine while I take care of everything else. I happened to mention it in passing on the phone with Erin and she said her daughter Iona was looking for a summer job now that she was old enough. I've known Iona since she was a kid and while she can be a bit brash at times I really like how she handles the customers.

One day I took the kids out to eat at Café Carousel after we'd been at the shop all day. I really like what Dawn Whitfield has done to the place since taking over but I think it's a bit out of our price range now. It's nice to indulge a bit sometimes though and also give the kids some new experiences.

They enjoy hanging out at home the most though. Having a pool and a big backyard means there's always something fun to do if the weather is nice and it really has been this summer so far. There haven't been many rainy days which is great because the kids tend to get a bit stir-crazy if they have to spend a lot of time indoors.

Their favourite part of the day is when Will gets home and they get to tell him all about their day. He will have some vacation days in August so the kids can have him all to themselves then.


Notes:

• Title from "Once in a while" by Timeflies.
• Alexa's flower shop is up and running! I didn't make a lot of changes to the original lot but I might do a tour later. She needed someone to handle the cashier machine and I figured Iona would probably want to earn some cash.
• Alexa and Will are definitely done with kids. They both have 3 as their ideal family size so while they woohoo a lot, they never try for a baby.
• Brooke and Charlie on the other hand got pregnant right in the end when I was playing their household. It's not official news yet but the baby is due in March 2028.
• This was Connor and Dane's last update as kids! Oh how the time flies...