Lytle 2: Round 16

Last round, Marylin Lytle found herself pregnant for the second time. Soon, she had given birth to a second daughter, Snapple. Meanwhile, Moss became much more concerned with safety following his brother's near-death experience. By the end of the week, the couple's oldest daughter Sprite had grown to a child.

Hi, guys!

Moss: Hey, mysterious voice...

What's on the agenda for today?

Moss: Oh, Marylin has some plan...she's been out all morning.

Any idea what this plan is? Kind of important for the narrator to know...

Moss: She said it was called a "play date"...I've never heard of it, but apparently it's a way for Snapple to make friends.

Oh, that sounds fun...but, where is Marylin now?

Moss: Well, in order to invite kids for a play date you need to know some kids. So...

Oh, I see...

Moss: She's not far, if you want to try and catch up...

Galaxy: Oh...hi, Marylin...I'm actually about to head to work, but...

Marylin: Don't worry, I'm actually here to see Leanna and the girls.

Galaxy: Really?

Marylin: Hi, guys...I'm Ms. Marylin. I live next door...do you guys want to come to the park and make a new friend?

Leanna: Um...I'm sorry, who are you again?

Marylin: You know...I'm Moss's wife...

Leanna: ...

Marylin: Galaxy's cousin...

Leanna: Oh, right...um...you don't mind if I tag along, do you?

What, you don't trust your husband's cousin's wife who shows up unannounced and invites your toddlers to the park?

Marylin: I'm telling you, it's the latest thing...it's in all the parenting blogs...

Leanna: Wait...there are blogs? I thought there were only books...how much have I been missing?

Marylin: Don't worry...I'll be happy to fill you in...

Well, this place is certainly...colorful.

Moss: Yeah...they remodeled the whole park. 

Sprite: Dad...do I have to be here?

Moss: Just a little bit longer, Sprite...I promise.

Sprite: But I'm the only one in this whole park who's not a baby...

Moss: Now that's not true...there's lots of grown-ups here...

Yes, but they appear to be destroying the toddlers' dollhouse...hey, guys? Can we not?

Well, I can see the making friends is going well for some of the guests, at least...too bad these two are cousins, because they're pretty cute together...

(sigh) Ok, who put Rey and Padme in different outfits?

Moss: What's the problem?

The problem is that they were dressed so I...I mean, so you guys could tell them apart.

Moss: But we can tell them apart just fine...and anyway, these are their party outfits....

Party outfits?

Moss: Yeah...this is a party, isn't it?

Well, technically I guess it is...

Complete with the random reward...really? They gave you a jungle gym for having one non-disastrous play date?

Marylin: Oh, this is great...now we can do this at home...

I hate to interrupt your excitement, but...there is no way that thing is fitting in your yard.

Marylin: Did you have fun today with your new friends?

Snapple: Yes, Mama...

Um...I don't think I actually saw Snapple the entire time, actually...

Sprite: Where's Mom?

Moss: At the play park...

Sprite: Again?

Moss: Don't worry, you don't have to go back. We'll have a fun day here.

Sprite: Why did she go so early?

Moss: She said she had a lot of kids to pick up on the way...

Pick up? Um...listen, guys, not that you two aren't thrilling, but...

Moss: Go ahead...I'm sure you can catch up to her by the time she gets there.

Man, Marylin, what'd you do? Invite every toddler in town?

Marylin: I hope so...I don't think I missed anyone...

You do realize that you have to feed all of them, right?

Snapple: I'll be the lookout, Tempera...oh, no! Giant squid monster!

Tempera: Beep beep! Out of our way, squid monster!

At least Snapple seems to be participating today.

Marylin: Snapple, sweetie, why don't you go have a snack with everybody else?

Snapple: I'm not hungry, Mama...wanna play!

Marylin: But it's snack time now...you have to stay with the other kids, honey...

Snapple: Why?

Yeah, um...I second that question.

Marylin: Because the entire point of this is so I...I mean, she can make friends. How's she going to make friends if she's off playing by herself?

Aren't any of the other parents around anywhere?

Dragon: Daddy talking...

Mark: Grown-ups are always talking...

Don't tell me...back to the park?

Marylin: Of course! Snapple's been having a ball...and the other kids all love her!

Uh-huh...this wouldn't have anything to do with making the other parents love you, would it?

Marylin: Of course not! I just want to make sure she is socialized for school...

Uh-huh...

Ok, this looks like barely controlled chaos...and I don't even know which triplet that is who's wandering away right now...

Marylin: That's Eclipse...and she'll be fine! The entire park is fenced in...how much trouble could she get into?

Yeah, because what's a playdate without a little late-night toddler streaking...

Something tells me this play date isn't going as well as the last one did...I'm not sure this is what Marylin meant when she said "socialized for school"

Moss: Uh-oh...um, Marylin? We kind of have a situation over here...

Candy: Ugh...welcome to my world...we haven't been able to get Starburst into anything more than a diaper for weeks now.

Really? She seemed ok when I left you guys...

Candy: You were only there for the first day...

Ok, well, let's just table that one until I get back to you...

Marylin: Hey! We do not take off our clothes in front of our friends! Do you want to go home?

Moss: Honey, it's almost 10:00 at night. We all want to go home.

Wait, you guys have been here all day? What about Sprite?

Moss: Sorry we were out so late last night, honey. Did you get your homework done ok?

Sprite: Yeah...

Moss: Well, that's good...how about a story before school?

Sprite: That's ok...I read all of them last night...

Moss: So, I was thinking maybe we take a day off from the play group today...you know, just let her stay at home?

Marylin: ...Why?

Moss: Well, you know, we don't want her getting over-stimulated...

Marylin: Oh, that's just nonsense. I just wish I had known about these when Sprite was little...oh...speaking of, where is Sprite?

Moss: Marylin, she left for school an hour ago...

Marylin: Oh...

Snapple: Then Tempera went way high up...and I made the ship beep...and Dragon threw a ball at Mark and then...

Sprite: Will you shut up? I don't care about your stupid baby friends, ok?

Snapple: You're mean...

Moss: All right, now let's just have some breakfast before you and Mommy head to the park...

Sprite: Seriously? You're taking her again?

Marylin: Actually, we're not going to the park today...

Moss: Wait...where are you taking them today?

Marylin: Oh, I found the cutest building down by the library...

Moss: You're taking a bunch of toddlers to an abandoned building?

Marylin: Of course not...it's more like a...little school, almost.

I think I see where this is going...

Sprite: (sigh) You're going with her too, aren't you?

Sorry, Sprite, but...my intervention might be necessary.

Marylin: Isn't this place great? It should be much easier to get the kids together here...

Buzz: Yeah, um...listen, I think it's great that you're doing this and all, but...are we going to do this every day? I've kind of got things to do...

Marylin: Well, you know, if you can't stay you can always leave him with me for a few hours...I don't mind...

Buzz: Really? Wow...you're amazing!

Oh, no...don't encourage this...

Ok, this has now ceased to be a playdate and become a daycare...

Pine: This doesn't seem right...

Relax, Pine...I'll keep an eye on things...

Pine: That one's not even dressed...

Snapple: Mommy?

Marylin: In a minute, honey...Finn's got a smelly diaper...

Marylin: Ok, who else has a stinky diaper?

I think it might be quicker to ask who doesn't...

Marylin: (sigh) Ok, ok...line up...

Luckily I see some other parents back there...

Marylin: Oh, thank heaven...

Marylin: Hi, honey....sorry I'm so late...

Sprite: What took you so long? You were supposed to help me with my science project!

Marylin: I know, I know...but I think I know how I can make it up to you...

Sprite: I get my own room? Really?

Marylin: I think it's about time. We've been saving up my book royalties for awhile. I'm sorry I've been out with Snapple so much, honey. I really am...but you know, after today I think we're done with the playdates for awhile.

Sprite: Really?

Marylin: Really...

So no playdate this time?

Marylin: No...something tells me Moss's siblings won't respond to a playdate invite. But don't worry, we invited all her little friends anyway...

Moss: Um...Marylin? Why do they match?

Marylin: What?

Moss: The kids...they're all in matching outfits.

Marylin: Oh...well, I kind of suggested it to the other parents...you know, to help keep track of which ones are with us?

Moss: Marylin, hon...those look a lot like school uniforms...

Marylin: Oh, don't be silly...Ok, kids. Now, we're all going to make a choo-choo train over to the cake, ok?

I'll admit, it is pretty cute...even if Riley and Candy couldn't manage to get Starburst into pants.

Marylin: Ok, let me get one last picture of all of you...

Last?

Marylin: You didn't think I'd keep this up after my own kid's birthday, did you? It was a nice way to meet other parents, but this was a lot of work...

You don't say...

All right, well, as cute as this all is...Happy Birthday, dear Snapple...

Well, all those play dates seemed to have given her a boost in skills...

She's still pretty cute, too...

Oh, good...we invited some older kids too...

Asteroid: Universe said I had to come with the triplets...there's too many of them for her to watch at the same time.

Snapple: Mom?

Marylin: Oh, no...I'm off duty. It's someone else's turn now!

All right...well, while you guys wrangle the rest of the party guests home, I'll just be moving on to the next house. See you guys next round!

A Message From the Mysterious Voice: Ok, so the toddler stuff pack is incredibly adorable (badly textured ball pit or no.) I love the play date events. (In the interest of full disclosure, I use the "bigger/longer parties" and the "invite any guests" mods for all my social events, so once those were updated I was able to invite every toddler in town.) I was not aware that the toddlers would show up in their party wear, though. It wouldn't have been so annoying if I didn't have two sets of color-coded (or character-coded, in the case of Rey) triplets who were suddenly not in their assigned shirts. But, it did give me the ability to set their party outfits to the school uniforms. And no, I didn't build the daycare lot. I did build the park, though.