#ChocolateChip #buildingsnowman

My usual morning for the past one week was to wake up to silence or with a knock on the door by James because he was alone but today I woke up with the sound of things crashing and people yelling. That's when I realised that it was the weekend and everybody was in the house.

I stretched under my blanket and then got out of my bed. I woke myself better with some hot water from the shower. It feels like heaven in the morning when this happens. After washing myself in some vanilla bean shower gel, I wear my bathrobe and select my outfit for the day.

I went down the stairs to the kitchen in my black skinny jeans, converse and an oversized hoodie and I saw Sarah mixing something in a bowl. As she gracefully mixed the contents of the bowl, she looked up and saw me standing in the kitchen. "Good Morning Darling!" she greets me.

"Morning." I greet her. "Did you sleep well?" she asked me, I nod and walk over to where she was standing. "I need your help." she looked at me. "I want you to pour this mixture into these muffins baking tray." she showed me some greased muffin tins that lay on the kitchen counter. "Just halfway through because they will rise as they bake," she tells me before she hands me the bowl that she was holding. I smile and turn to the muffin trays.

"Jasper loves chocolate chip muffins. That's one thing he cannot survive without. Anybody can win his heart with a delicious chocolate chip muffin." I heard her say as she pulled out some bacon from the fridge. I continue to do my job without making a mess of the tray.

I could hear Jessica and Jesse in the living room, fighting over the television. Sarah started to fry the bacon and the sound of the bacon crackling in the heat was all I could hear.

Two dozen was the number of muffin moulds I filled. That is two trays. I took the large bowl in my hand to the sink so that I could wash it but before I could turn to the sink, I pair of hands tried to take it from my hand. When I looked up, I was greeted with those beautiful blue eyes.

"I'll take it," he tells me and the bowl let go of my hand. I didn't know how that happened. He had a smile on his face, he sat on the counter beside the muffin trays. He dipped a finger of his into the bowl and scrapped some of the leftover batter and licked it off his finger. He closed his eyes and enjoyed it.

I went to Sarah to tell her that I was done with the trays. She placed the frying pan aside and turned to me. "Are you done with the batter?" I nod. "Great, we shall have them in the oven to bake then," she tells me and turns to the trays. It was then when Sarah noticed her son sitting on the counter licking off the leftover muffin batter.

"Jasper!" she gasped which made him look up to see his mother. "Haven't I told you not to have the batter early in the morning?" she walked over to him and tried to take the bowl over from him. "Oh mom, you know how I love licking off the batter from the bowl," he whined and looked at her. "Sorry son, eating batter in the morning is something that I do not encourage." she turned around and walked to the sink and placed the bowl in it.

"You better go away, Jasper. These muffins are not safe around you until they are baked." Sarah picked up two trays in her hand and looked at Jasper. "I'll wait till they are baked." he smiled like a five-year-old. She let out a sigh and walked to the oven and placed one of the trays in them, I handed her the second tray and with that, she closed the oven.

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It was a typical Saturday breakfast with every member of the Anderson family at the dining table. Pancakes, bacon, Hash browns, scrambled egg, you name it. Oh and a cake stand that had a dozen freshly baked Chocolate chip muffins.

All of us ate in silence because that was the rule until the twins had something to say.

"Mom, Dad since we are so close to the winter break" Jesse begins. All our attention went to where the twins were sitting. "We were thinking if we could go out and play in the snow?" Jessica looked at Sarah with an unsure face.

"I'm not sure." Sarah set her fork aside and looked at Jessica. "I cannot have you fall sick in the weekend and not be able to go to school," she told her.

The twins were upset with their mother's answer and without another word they went back to eating their food. Sometimes I wonder if they are we're even ten-year-olds. Most of the ones I have seen are so rowdy like at the age of ten and here, they were so well mannered.

"Sarah, I think an hour wouldn't hurt. The temperatures seem to be fine." Peter spoke.

"An hour is more than enough. We just want to build a snowman." Jesse supports in. Sarah gave a quick look at Jesse before she looked at Peter. "Let them build a snowman," Peter tells her.

"Snowman!" James exclaimed I couldn't help but giggle.

Sarah looked at her youngest son. She smiled and then looked at the rest of the members seated at the table.

"An hour in the snow is granted. The next lot will be when your school has officially closed for the winter." she looked at the twins. Everybody cheered over Sarah's decision.

After our meal, Juliet told me that she would be doing the dishes along with Sarah. I tried to argue but she kept telling me no.

Let's assume that she likes doing the dishes when she is at home for breakfast and lunch.

I made my way to the living room and took a seat on the couch. The latest copy of the Vogue was on the coffee table, I reached out for it. As I flipped through the magazine, I saw two people walk into the room. I looked up to see Jasper and James standing near the entrance.

"Don't tell me you're planning to read that now?" he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I do not have anything else to do." I shrug and went back to the page I was on. "Come outside with us and let's build a snowman." I heard him say.

"I might catch a cold." I reply without looking up. He sounded so excited, at times I wonder if he is the same person I first met in New York. "Have you experienced the snow? It doesn't snow in California." I looked up; he had a smirk on his face.

"It snows in New York City," I say.

"It's different here. Come on!" He insisted. I shook my head and went back to the magazine. James came and stood next to me. "Please Holly, let's build a snowman." I was forced to look at his adorable face and it wasn't the one where you can deny it. I let out a small sigh and placed the magazine back on the coffee table. I looked at James with a smile and nodded my head; I got up and walked to where Jasper was standing.

"Rub that smirk off."

"It worked." He told me. "You didn't do it on your own," I reply and followed James to the backyard.

I was welcomed with a blast of cold winter breeze right in my face when James pushed open the door that let us to the backyard.

"I've got the carrots, coals and the beanie." I heard Jasper yell which made the twins turn around and look at me and then at Jasper.

"You came to help!" Jessica ran over to me and pulled me by my hand to the middle of the yard. Soon everybody came to the centre of the yard. I did not even know what was going on because I've never built a snowman.

"Let's start off with the bottom snowball of the snowman," Jesse says. "It has to be really big." He looks at Jessica. "Oh yeah, an avalanche is going to help you, right?" She frowned.

"I did not mean it to be that big," Jesse told her. The two of them started gathering the snow together to create the bottom tier of the snowman. James joined them.

"Brother, why don't you and Holly work on the middle snowball that has to be placed on top of this one?" Jasper nodded at Jesse's words and looked at me.

"Let's get to some work." He said and walked to the other side, close to where the twins were. I quietly walked to that side. He stood on his knees and gestured me to do the same. "I know you haven't made snowmen's before." I looked at him. "Let's build this one." He smiles.

"I don't know how."

"Ever built Sandcastles before?" I give a quick nod. "Then we begin by gathering the snow together." He begins to gather some snow, I follow the method and gathered the snow together. Once there were enough to be the second tier, he told me we were to shape into a ball.

We begin to smooth the sides in such a way to give it some curves so that it turned into a sphere. The base would be flat so that it could sit still on the other tier and the top of it as well. While we smoothed the side curve, my hand met with Jasper. For some reason, we looked at each other for a second and I quickly moved my hand and smoothed the bottom half of the snowball.

He said nothing; there was nothing to be said.

But I felt a spark that I have never felt before.

Shut up, Holly!

"We're done with this!" Jessica's voice made me come back to reality. "We're done with this one." Jasper spoke and looked at me. "We'll have to lift this heavy thing and place it over that." I nod and we carefully placed our hands under the sphere, gathered a little more snow under it and carefully lifted. It was heavy, fragile and a small bump could ruin the effort.

Jesse came to us and supported it from the bottom. We carried it very gently to where Jessica and James were standing. Jesse moved away and Jasper and I placed it over the other sphere. He immediately took some snow in his and settled the sphere we place.

The twins went to make the last tier of the snowman and Jasper in the meantime shaped or sculpted the two tiers. When the twins were done with the last snowball, Jasper went over and helped Jesse to bring it over and then Jasper placed it on top of the two tiers and shaped it.

"Time to dress Frosty!" Jessica exclaimed and ran over to the small bag of coal and brought to where we were standing.

"I'll put the carrot!" Jesse exclaimed. "I want to put carrot!" James pouted.

"Alright" Jasper handed him a carrot, "James will give Frosty his nose." and he lifted James up so that James could place the nose. Jessica stood on a small stool and gave "Frosty" his eyes and with my help a smile on the face of Frosty.

Jesse arranged the buttons on the second tier and broke some dry branches and gave Frosty two arms.

Jasper then stood on the stool and carefully put a large beanie over the snowman's head and scarf between the first and second tier of the snowman.

"It looks so good! Better than the ones we've done!" Jesse and Jessica clapped their hands together, seeing the twins clap, James started to clap his hands together.

The first snowman I'm seeing in real and I helped a little in making it. It really did look good.

"We should take a picture with it, don't you think?" Jesse suggests. Everybody agrees and got into positions. I step out of it and stood opposite to them. "Why are you standing there?" Jessica asked. "I'll take the picture." I say and pulled my phone out from my pocket and got ready to click.

"But you should also be in this!"

"We'll take one more with Holly." Jesse tells her. They all posed for the picture and I took the picture. It was adorable.

"Now come and stand here!" Jessica yells, I chuckle and walk over to her and stood next to her. Jasper pulled out his phone and told us all to pose for a group selfie. Giving one of our best smiles and pose, he clicked the picture.

"Yay!" Jessica exclaimed and jumped. We heard Sarah yell that an hour was up and that she made some hot chocolate. Everybody ran inside, including Jasper. I stayed back for a minute and looked up at the snowman that was created in the last one hour. I couldn't help but smile.

My first snowman.

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