All Around Me

With so many mouths to feed, Sophia began honing the culinary art. She often spent alot of her time in the kitchen prior, due to pregnancy cravings but she never was the one actually making the meals. Sab, Don, Shaun...they usually cooked for her. But for a change, she decided to treat herself and the children to a meal. It would be refreshing, wouldn't it?

The family bonded over her delicious meal. Despite being an amateur in the kitchen, her burgers met the approval of her children. Daniel stuffed his face two, three times, with the burgers. Eventually, Sophia had to send him away before he got a stomach ache. Silly boy. He was sure to be the prime example of a man who's stomach was the way to his heart. God bless the woman he winds up with. She had better be willing to cook nonstop.

Despite his penchant for devouring half the food supply, Daniel wasn't a big handful. He stayed to himself, practiced his studies of art and science. His efforts were soon rewarded. The first of the month arrived and that meant report cards. Sophia promised both her children that if they achieved good marks, she'd treat them to something special. Daniel hopped off the bus and proudly proclaimed, "I GOT AN A!" True to her word, Sophia gave her son his well-earned treat: berry pie.

Daniel wasn't just a smart cookie either. He was very charismatic, making friends more quickly than his sister. There was also no shock when one learned most of these friends were girls. Daniel seemed to be a mini casanova. The little girls just flocked to the house to play with him. And Daniel, ever the romancer, always had a gift for them.

Roselle didn't have the same amount of luck her brother did. The girl stayed to herself, mostly. Her only friends were often older than her. When she was left behind by her teen friends in favor of other teens, she found solace in her art. Her skills were nearly perfected, so Sophia suggested she find a new hobby. Always a fan of nature, Roselle attempted to collect insects to observe. But then it all went horribly wrong. While trying to reach a beetle, she accidently struck a bee hive and....well. The outcome is obvious.

It took a few days for her to recover. She couldn't move much so she spent alot of time upstairs. Lucky for her, Daniel was kind enough to keep her company. He'd invite her into his room and suggest a game of chess. The first few times were relaxing, often ending in ties. But ever since Dan started cheating, Sophia has noticed that her dear daughter hasn't traveled his way as often

But it was thanks to Dan that she started to make friends. Once her wounds had healed, she began helping out with the shop. One of the customers was someone she recognized. "Hey, you know my brother," She pointed out to the girl.
"Yeah, I do. Is he home?"
"Yeah. Wanna go play with him?"
"Sure!" Sophia smiled as she watched her daughter skip off. She was happy that Roselle was finally happy.

That happiness remained for the rest of the week. The testing she underwent was sucessful and she was pregnant. There were not abnormalities. It felt like every other pregnancy. But it shocked her when she suddenly went into labor on the front step. She had just opened shop and was welcoming her customers when a sharp, familiar pain struck her. Her customers all scrampled and Shura drove her to the hospital. There, her son Henri was born.

Just as she was helping Henri adjust to the nursery, Gabriel was slowly becoming too old for it. Samantha took well to the boy, often reaching him long before Sophia did. She insisted the boy dress in her favorite color, green. Sophia was glad Sam took care of him, then. Green was disgusting.

Now that he was able to walk, Gabriel became more interesting to his siblings. They often went into the nursery while he was awake and played together. True to her nature, Roselle mostly sat in the corner and dug through the toy box. Daniel was glad to have a little brother he could talk to. It was both his and Sophia's efforts that Gabriel soon learned his alphabet.

Despite her seeming lack of attatchment, Roselle did help with her brother's education too. He became her student, overseeing his advancement in the world of art. Like Daniel, Gabriel took to it quickly. The only complait Roselle had was that he constantly ate the purple crayons. She liked purple!