Lomax Family Ch. 10 Andy and Holly

Now that the big house was much quieter and emptier with just Andy and Holly Lomax and their infant twins, the enormity of the the place struck them full force. They felt it was a responsibility they owed toward Larry Max to take the very best care of their new home. Deciding to forge ahead with the changes they had discussed, Andy hired contractors and soon the quiet was shattered by workmen banging away and occasionally cussing.

Fortunately, before the big snow had come in late October, they had dismantled Larry Max's old greenhouse and removed the fruit trees. Now they could build a children's yard. Andy and Holly were both outdoor, active people. They wanted Arliss and Alexa--as well as the future children they hoped for--to have plenty of room for outside play and adventure. It must be safe, though.

To this end they put up a new fence, part of which completely contained the play-yard. There was a gate to the pool but it would remain locked until the twins were old enough to swim.

Swings and a sandbox went in, of course. and Andy insisted on putting up a basketball area for shooting hoops. Holly knew he planned on enjoying it himself for the time being.

One Saturday when it was quiet once more--the workmen weren't there and the babies were sleeping, they had some time to use the hot tub upstairs. Splashing and teasing led to a little romance.

Andy still hated doing repairs around the house. That is, he was fine when he started out, but when it took longer than he thought it should to fix the sink, toilet, garbage compactor or exercise machine, he lost that famous temper of his. Holly accepted this with equilibrium. She was as laid-back as Andy was tightly wound. It was funny to Andy's father, Larry Max; both of the younger Lomax boys, Corky and Andy, had quick tempers, Corky's was more in regard to his jealousy over Elle, whereas Andy was just plain crabby at times, while the older two kids, Mike and Chelsea, were just the opposite; easy-going and even-tempered.

When it came to the twins, though, Andy was patient and loving. When he was home from work, he eagerly did his fair share of parenting. Holly hoped he'd stay that way when Arliss and Alexa got to the terrible twos.

That early snow had melted away in a couple days, but it stayed cold and all of Pleasantview knew it was going to be a long winter. Holly discovered she was again pregnant and the couple were both pleased and excited about it.

However; this meant that the twins and the new baby would only be about 18 months apart. Andy wanted Holly to have a nanny to help out even before she had the baby and she finally agreed to start interviewing possible candidates. They moved furniture around a bit in Mike and Lucy's old room, and traded the Queen sized bed for a single one so that it could be used by the in-house nanny they hoped to hire. 


Holly had no intention of hiring a young girl for the job, as Lalique Flynn had done. Lalique was single. Holly had a husband to think of; a young good-looking husband. The person she had in mind was much more of a Mrs. Doubtfire type.

Mrs. Georgia Buckley fit the bill nicely. She was a long-time widow who had grown children and she'd been in childcare for ten years. Her references were excellent and she said she was happy to help with chores and cook as well.

A heavy snow came again not long after Mrs. Buckley had settled in and, naturally, that was the night that little Bradley decided to make his entrance into the Lomax household.

Having Mrs. Buckley there helped so much more than Holly had even guessed. It meant that she would have time again to practice her piano. Time to give a little more attention to each child. The twins took to their nanny right away and she was so good with them. In addition she made excellent cocoa and delicious sugar cookies.

The newly decorated rooms were now in use; or soon to be. The twins were moved from the little yellow nursery to a larger one across the hall and a bathroom had been built between Holly and Andy's bath and the blue nursery (as it began to be called).  

And the best thing was the new playroom. This large room had originally been Andy's mother's art studio. After their divorce Larry Max redid it for his master bedroom so that he could give Mike and Lucy his old room. Too many painful memories there anyway. Now it had become a playroom that would hopefully keep the twins bedrooms a little more neat and organized.

So at the moment there were three small babies in the house, but that was soon to change; Alexa and Arliss had a birthday coming up in just one day. If things were hectic now, the joint would be jumping with two toddlers on the premises.


The following day was birthday time for little Alexa and Arliss. Alexa was the older twin by three minutes, so they brought her to her birthday cake first. As much as Holly was eager for them to grow and learn just before she blew out the candles for Alexa she became a little tearful for a moment.

Andy brought Arliss to his cake next and they all cheered as the moment grew near. Both of the twins were happy and eager to learn all about their new world. They could crawl now and the possibilities were endless. The two children were introduced to the playroom, which immediately became a big hit.

After playing so hard the twins were happy to try out their new cribs. In the days and weeks ahead there would be potty-training, and learning to walk and talk. Every day would be a new adventure for Arliss and Alexa.

A visit from the grandparents--Holly's mother and father, that was--and their Uncle Harvey and Aunt Lori was in order. Harvey and Lori, in fact, were expecting a child of their own very soon. The twins were bathed and dressed in their cutest outfits to be ready for the family's arrival.

Shep and Madeleine brought Holly's younger sister, Debbie, with them. Saturday night was ordinarily "date night" for her, but she was eager to see how the twins had grown. Any interested boys could just cool their heels and wait to see her another night. She was confident they would.

Holly prepared stuffed rainbow trout for their supper while Mrs. Buckley kept tabs on baby Bradley and the twins waited fairly patiently for their cereal. The rest of the family gabbed in the living room while their bellies rumbled and delicious aromas emanated from the kitchen.

Holly called them to the meal and it was lucky the dining room table could seat eight people. Conversation, as is usual with large families, was noisy and brisk, punctuated by frequent laughter. Mrs. Buckley was invited to join right in; the Lomax family was casual about things like that.

Lori couldn't resist spending most of the evening playing with little Alexa and even took her to potty when it was necessary. Grandpa Shep tickled and talked to Arliss who responded with delighted laughter.

When Andy brought Bradley downstairs, Madeleine hustled over to take him in her arms. This was the eleventh child in this third generation and it was almost a dream come true for her to have so many grandchildren. Gillian had Robby, Ryan and their new twins Stephen and Sabrina. Margo had Jamie, Maddie, Mallen and Marnie, Harvey's wife, Lori, was due to have her baby right after Christmas and Andy now had Alexa, Arliss and Bradley. Madeleine still hoped for an even dozen grandchildren at least. "

"Nicky and Allyn had better start crackin'", she said now.

"Now, Madeleine, you know Nicky. You can't ever tell him what to do and you never know what he will do," Shep reminded her, "But he claims that they do want children pretty soon."

That fall was the coldest in years and the snow had come early. It looked like it could be a long winter for the tri-county area that included Pleasantview and Bluewater Village. It was warm and cozy in the big house, though, and the growing Andy Lomax family took comfort in the knowledge that spring would come eventually. It always did.

 Next blog update: Brian Ottomas Ch. 8 Back From Twikkii Island

The Lomax Family Ch. 11 Larry Max Goes Scooter-pootin'