A Happy Coincidence

Chapter 1

"Sunshine, you have to come to this." Tyler says, following me downstairs.

I sigh.

"I know, I know." I say, tripping on a toy at the bottom of the stairs.

I catch myself with my hands, picking up the toy, tossing it to the side.

"Somebody needs to take Emly to gymnastic, Tyler."

"Let my Mom do it." He says.

"No, I can't rely on our parents for everything." I say, passing Declan, who is six years old now. He's all dressed in his little league outfit. Ethan is at track.

"Mom, we need to go." Emily says.

"I know, hold on." I say.

It's been two years.

Only two years. I'm thirty three, and my life is complete chaos.

Toys litter the house, it's impossible to get somewhere on time.

And to get all five kids in the car?

It's insane.

Noah and Nathan are playing in their diapers, two years old, giggling and laughing.

Emily is eight, Ethan is seven, Declan is six, and the twins are two.

"Momma, please, if I'm late again, I might have to sit bench." Declan sighs.

"Carmen." Tyler insists.

"Alright, okay." I sigh, thinking.

I wish I could be five places at once.

I have to drop Emily off for gymnastics from 3:30 to 6:30, I have to pick up Ethan from practice at four, and then I need to bring Declan to his baseball game, which is from 4:00 and it'll probably end around fifty twenty or five thirty.

Tuesdays are my least favorite days because all the kids have plans.

Emily has gymnastics every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, Declan has Baseball every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and Ethan has basketball every Tuesday and Thursday and Friday.

It's Tuesday.

"Momma, please." Emily sighs. "I can't be late."

All the kids start talking at once, how they can't be late, how they need to be there on time, and then Noah starts crying because Nathan took his toy, and Tyler starts insisting that I come to Declan's game.

"Alright!" I yell over them. "Emily, go get in the car. Nathan, don't take things from your brother, and Tyler, I'll be there, alright, I'm just trying to do this!"

Tyler has to take Declan to baseball.

When people used to say that you get more unafraid when you have the next kid, I always thought they were wrong.

Now I have five, and I have literally reached into Noah's mouth while he was choking, swiped the cracker out of his throat, and put him in the car seat.

I've handed the kids off to strangers while I go pee places.

It's almost summer. Only two more weeks.

Declan is in kindergarten, Ethan is in first, and Emily is in second.

I pick up Noah, pulling Nathan with me. Tyler follows with Declan.

We sold the Mustang.

We had to. We needed two big cars, so now we have a Range Rover with seen seats, and a Land Rover with seven seats. The Range Rover is mine and the Land Rover is mine.