#instardvst

i want your midnights but i’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on new year’s day

                          CALEB ♡ CAROLINE - A E S T H E T I C 

“ this chapter of my life is called happiness ” 

and i woke up just in time now i wake up by your side my one and only, my lifeline

{ ♚ } — send this to get an instagram edit for my character

discrete. my muse reacting to yours touching them under a table.

          there’s a keen sense of contentment that runs through him every time he’s able to introduce her as his girlfriend -- or whenever she refers to him as hers. and he can never keep the hints of pride out of his voice as he talks about her -- be it her job or her accomplishments or simply how happy she makes him. ( although caleb hopes that one day, if she’ll have him, he’ll be able to call her his wife instead. ) he’s still not entirely sure why she’d chosen him, but it’s undeniable that she’s lit up his life. his and oliver’s -- since he knows his son loves caroline almost as much as he does. the only way to put it is that he feels alive again, as if waking up out of a deep sleep to fully embrace the world and face it head-on. his creativity sparking back up, his joy at doing activities he’d long neglected re-found, even his family saying that he’s the least stressed they’ve seen him in years. but what perhaps makes him the happiest is having someone who’s indisputably on his side, as well as someone to do things with -- be they the more exciting adventures she drags him out to, or the mundane everyday things he used to do on his own.

who starts putting up decorations in october? caleb probably starts first with hanging up the lights outside the house and making sure it looks all christmasy when they come home from work in the evening. i feel like they neither of them would go all-out with decorating until the end of november though. and then slowly caroline brings home projects from her students and does arts and crafts with oli & caleb, and they pick out a tree and decorate it and eventually the house is all ~festive~

who buys the advent calendars? caroline!! she ends up really loving the tradition of counting down to christmas and insists they get a chocolate one at the store when she sees one bc she knows oli will love it, and then in following years ends up making more personalized ones for both oli & caleb herself ( obviously caleb then also ends up making one for her bc she deserves it !! )

who places mistletoes all around the house? lmao it’s a decoration caroline insists on. in fact, it might be her favorite one. caleb puts it up to humor her at first ( since he’s tall and can reach doorframes and ceilings more easily, ) but ends up finding out all the advantages of using it as decoration thanks to them both taking full advantage of it. 

who wraps the presents for other people? all of them!! they have a whole assembly line -- caleb does the wrapping paper and makes sure all the edges are perfect and don’t crinkle, caroline is in charge of ribbons and bows and glitter, and oli is their little assistant -- handing them scissors or tape or assisting caroline in making sure that there’s enough decorations on everything.

who puts the final star/angel on the top of the christmas tree? caleb, obvs. bc he’s tall !! but i definitely think they decorate it together and make homemade ornaments bc they’re all in love with arts & crafts and it’s adorableness central !! especially bc caroline and oli get winter break off, and caleb can’t resist doing the same, so it’s a bunch of time they get to spend as a family and i’m !! so soft about it.

who’s the one that hates eggnog? oof i feel like they’d be more of a mulled/spiced wine couple ( I THINK THAT’S A CHRISTMAS DRINK. IDK ) bc i definitely think that caleb doesn’t like it, but i can also see the same for caroline. so yeah !! they both aren’t fans, unless i’m 100% off base with caroline.

who’s the one that bakes christmas cookies for guests? they all make them together!! caleb is probably the one in charge of most of the baking, and caroline and oli are in charge of assembly & decorate together and he gets all ~heart eyes~ watching them, even when they turn the kitchen into a giant mess.

who sends out the christmas cards? oof I FEEL LIKE ALL OF THESE ARE THEY DO THEM TOGETHER, BUT IT’S TRUE!! bc christmas for them is a time for family and they like doing things as a family in general and yeah... so they would probably handmake cards and have oli draw some as well ( especially those for relatives or his friends ) and it’d be a little craft activity. 

who knows all the words to twelve days of christmas? caroline learns a ton of carols so she can play them on the piano and caleb & oli butcher the words while attempting to sing but !! they try !! 

who’s the better snowman builder? lmao, for sure caleb bc he’s an architect and he takes perfection in his constructions very seriously. they still tell oli he made the best one though.

who starts snowball fights? ooh, i feel like this would be more of a caroline thing !! bc she’s playful and knows she’ll win bc caleb is super fucking gentle and 100% holds back from throwing things too forcefully and is afraid of hurting them in the process of a snowball fight. i can also see caroline & oli teaming up against caleb and i’m amused !!

who’s the one that wakes the other on christmas morning by playing christmas songs really loudly? oli. except not by playing christmas songs -- but by jumping on the bed and insisting it’s time to open presents and start the day bc he’s been excited for it since the start of december. needless to say, they really don’t stand a chance bc he’s a menace when he wants to be ( except not really, they both are 1000% in love with him. )

domestic ship meme ; caleb ♡ caroline

who reaches out to new neighbors ;; oh my gosh, i 1000% feel like they’d be that couple who both reach out to new neighbors & be super sweet and welcoming and in-synch and everyone else is low-key jealous at how perfect they seem?? but can’t say anything bc they’re both so nice that people can’t help but love them all the same. caleb would bake something to put into a welcome basket & i feel like caroline would work together with oliver to make a card or a painting or a little guide of fun neighborhood secrets/activities/etc. for them to immediately feel at home! who remembers to buy healthy food ;; caleb. since he’s mainly in charge of cooking. but honestly, i feel like caroline also is cognizant about eating healthy. so it’s really not just him, but also her pitching in her favorite meals of his as suggestions when he asks for what they should make any given week, and him adding those to the grocery list. who remembers to buy junk food ;; oliver. with caroline as his co-conspirator. caleb doesn’t stand a chance ( he blames their puppy-eyes, but truly, the two of them could convince him when they’re grumpy & tired just as easily. ) who fixes the oven when it breaks ;; caleb & caroline do their best together, probably with caroline reading the manual or looking at youtube tutorials and caleb attempting to do the actual handiwork. if neither of them manage to fix it they would just call in a technician.  who waters the plants/feeds their pet(s) ;; i can totally see this being caroline, especially bc i think they’d like to take as much time with each other as possible, so she could be feeding chloe & making sure whatever plant-friends they have in the kitchen get watered as he fixes up breakfast AND IT WOULD BE CUTE!! who wakes up earlier ;; even with her being a teacher and having to get up early in order to get the classroom in order, i do feel like caleb is potentially more of a morning person than she is. he tries to keep a regular schedule and even on weekends he’s up annoyingly early ( it’s okay - he’d never wake her, unless he’s... especially in a mood, so it’s really just a convenient thing bc it allows him to ensure there’s always a delicious breakfast waiting for her. ) who makes the bed ;; caleb is definitely a bit methodical about being neat, so if caroline doesn’t do it after she wakes, he’ll come back in and make it. it’s just a habit, really, and he wants to set a good example for oliver. who makes the coffee ;; really either of them, caleb knows how caroline likes hers, so he’ll happily have it waiting for her. but i don’t think he actually drinks coffee often ( or is at least trying to cut the habit ) so he sometimes makes green tea or something herbal instead and if she truly wants that caffeine kick, she’ll have to either make it herself or ask him. who burns breakfast ;; caroline, but caleb is a patient man and wouldn’t let a little burnt toast dissuade him from teaching her. how do they let each other know they’re leaving the house ;; i honestly can see caleb just driving oli & caroline to school before continuing on to work, so if he was saying goodbye to them where any of her students could see - he’d settle on a forehead kiss so as not to scandalize the students. but on days where caroline might have to go in earlier and they don’t want to wake up oli before they have to, it’s probably just a simple goodbye kiss. if one of them is sleeping and they’re just going on a brief trip to the store or something, i can definitely still see them leaving each other a note just in case the other wakes up. how do they greet each other when one of them gets home ;; i do see caleb sneaking a brief kiss if he picks them back up from school, especially if it’s been a long day and he’s missed her face!! at home it’s probably a longer hug and kiss combo and them telling each other the highlights of their day.  who brings home little gifts like flowers/chocolates more often ;; caleb!! he just likes giving small gestures of affection bc he loves caroline so much & he knows her kiddos at school always get a kick out of it when there’s a special delivery of sunflowers for Miss Gardner ( or better yet, Mrs. Forrester ) & their classroom. but i feel like she’s also the type to occasionally buy things just bc it made her think of him, or get the little ones to write him a thank you card for the sunflowers he sends.  who picks the movie for movie night ;; oli most often. bc who are they to refuse a five year old when he wants to watch frozen or moana for the millionth time?? but if it’s just the two of them, caroline. mostly bc caleb doesn’t entirely care, but also he really enjoys seeing her happy and invested, and he wants to catch up on the things she loves!! it’s very rare that he’ll have a movie to suggest, but when he does it’s probably one that’s significant to him in some way or one that was recommended by a friend and he promised to watch it.  their favorite kind of movie to watch ;; period romances - caleb is fully on board with them even though caroline is his first real introduction to the genre. but he ends up being an absolute sucker for the mutual pinning and miscommunication and romances. who first suggests a pillow fort ;; oli, or caroline. caleb probably mentions a house he’s designing and is trying to explain certain features of it and doing the practical thing of drawing it out -- and one of them has the brilliant idea of actually constructing a replica. who builds the pillow fort ;; caleb. lmao - he’s the architect of the family after all. caroline is in charge of interior decoration. and oli obviously has final creative control ( it’s how they end up with a bunch of impractical, but very fun, additions. ) it’s safe to say, their pillow fort never ends up resembling the house that caleb was trying to describe in the first place. but sometimes it does get caleb out of a creative rut and he’s got his two favorite people to thank for it. who tries to distract the other during the movie ;; lmao probably caroline, it’s up for debate if caleb was instigating anything by cuddling her and giving her forehead kisses or playing with her hand. really, is it distraction if the other person isn’t entirely invested anyways? who falls asleep first ;; either of them!! especially if caroline has had a long day with her kiddos, or caleb is tired from a business trip -- i can see either of them dozing off on the other and it’s all kinds of adorable. caleb would probably do his best not to wake her & instead pick her up and carry her to bed. caroline would eventually wake him up with soft kisses when the movie’s over and guide his half-awake self to bed bc she doesn’t want him to get sore by sleeping funny on the couch. who is big spoon/little spoon ;; caleb is mainly the big spoon, bc he’s big and he likes pulling caroline in close to him. but i can definitely see them switching it up on days where he’s stressed or sad or insecure and caroline can tell he needs a little extra affection and so she’s the one to hold him and they’re just s o f t. and all kinds of adorable.