Kris snorted. "Yeah, if he wants a big family we're waiting in between kids." Which was very possible, since she was really only able to conceive once every few months when the two cycles coincided.

Aura giggled a bit.

"Needing to wait and being forced to wait are two different things," she pointed out. "Sess and I are both keeping track just to be on the safe side. I think we're going to wait a while, until Katsuro is a bit older."

"Good choice," Kris said emphatically. "Wait a year or so. And just time things carefully until then."

"Oh we are," Aura replied, nodding. She didn't think her body could handle too many kids too close together, so she definitely intended to space them out.

Kris nodded her approval of that and moved into the kitchen to start heating water. "Tea? Or would you prefer coffee this morning?"

"Tea is fine," Aura replied as she sat on the counter with her son in her lap.

Kris nodded and put enough tea in for three people before she got out cereal for herself. The kids had cereal most mornings too. It was just so much easier.

Aura knew to stay out of the way when Kris puttered around the kitchen, and so stayed sitting on the counter. It was oddly reminiscent of their mornings when it was just the two of them, except now it was the two of them and their children.

Kris set down Aura's favorite cereal without even thinking about it, getting out bowls for everyone before putting the hot water in with the leaves to steep for a bit. She figured she didn't have long before the other three came downstairs too for breakfast.

Aura grinned a bit when she noticed her favorite cereal.

"I wasn't sure you kept that stocked anymore," she commented. She glanced at the kitchen door when Hisoka came in with Alex and Shippou.

"Up early, I see," Hisoka said as he went and gave Kris a small kiss.

Kris smiled a little and set Aiko in her high seat. "Being lazy, I see," she teased him. "And yes, I keep it around. I like having some once in a while too."

Aura grinned a bit and moved from the counter to the table, sitting in her usual chair with her son.

"You thought that cereal was completely unnatural at first," she teased her friend.

"It is completely unnatural. And tasty. Very tasty." Kris grinned and set a bowl down in front of Aura as well, along with a cup of tea.

Aura snorted and rolled her eyes, picking up the cup of tea and taking a sip. Her other hand automatically stopped her son from taking a handful of cereal and cramming it into his mouth like he wanted to, and he whined at her.

Kris snorted and shook her head, getting cereal for two of hers and then putting a little bowl of dry Cheerios in front of Aiko. She started playing with them quite happily.

Aura gave bits of cereal to Katsuro one at a time, and the pup happily gnawed on them as they were given to him. He seemed to enjoy the dry crunching sound they made, and ended up playing with them more than eating them.

Rolling her eyes, Kris cleaned up after breakfast, picking up the kids and putting them in the living room for playtime so she could clean the kitchen without them getting underfoot.

When Kris started herding the kids into the living room, Aura followed to keep an eye on them. It was practically routine by now for her to look after the kids so Kris could get things done. The system worked.

Kris got the kitchen cleaned up from breakfast and the clean dishes put away before she went to go help Aura with the kids. She could tell they were going to be fully awake and a little boisterous soon, and she was better equipped to handle that.

Better equipped, yes. As experienced? Probably not. After all, Aura still had a few years of daycare work that Kris didn't, although now they both had children of their own. But Aura still figured she was a bit more experienced with kids. Just a little.

Kris let the older two use her for wrestling practice and the slightly more boisterous play, since she didn't mind that and she didn't get carpet burned like Aura did. And she kind of figured Sesshomaru might skin her alive if Aura came back in less than the perfect condition she'd arrived in.

Aura, on the other hand, was more than prepared with bandaids and Neosporin and the argument that she got worse than a few scrapes working at the daycare. So she didn't mind letting the kids play all over her. But she did appreciate that Kris took on the games that edged into 'roughhousing' territory.

Kris growled playfully at her two kids, sending Alex scrambling behind Shippou for cover, and Shippou pounced on Kris again, sending them both tumbling across the floor. Mostly because Kris let them.

Aura ended up with both of the youngest in her lap as the two little ones watched the play fight with rapt attention. Katsuro was still gnawing on his teether, and Aiko was sucking her thumb, but the two were watching the spectacle with interest.

Kris continued playing with them for a little while before she was "defeated"; aka she let the kids win, sprawling out on the floor pretending to be dead. Alex looked at Shippou and creapt over to Kris, poking her a few times.