Dani~
July 2030 - Scottsdale

Two under two was not the smartest idea we've ever had. But we're getting through it. I sit with our son, Tucker Jackson, as Christian stands in the pool with our girls. Our family is complete. No more kids for us.

He was the perfect addition to our family. I actually mean it when I say he's Christian's twin. As the girls start to get older, they look a lot like me. But Tucker is Christian's twin. He's just over two weeks old and made his grand appearance on his due date. He was the biggest of all of our kids. 8 pounds 2 ounces and 22 inches long.

Christian carries Zara around the pool as Brie swims around them. This is the life. I always thought I would play volleyball until my body wouldn't let me anymore. But in the end, here I am, with three kids and a husband and no longer playing.

I brush his hair back as he lays in my arms. My phone rings as I watch Christian. I pick it up and answer Mikayla, "Hey."

"Hi. Can we come over? Levi and Annie want to meet their newest friend."

"Yeah. Bring their suits if you have them. Christian and the girls are in the pool."

"Okay. Sounds good. We'll be over soon."

"Okay."

I convinced them to move to Scottsdale. We'll live out here for most of our time. We'll go back to Malibu once in a while. Of course, we'll go back to Milwaukee. He knows it's my home. I want to show our kids my home.

I put my phone down as Christian gets out after putting Zara in her floatie. He dries his face off, "Who was that?"

"Mikayla. They're going to come over."

He looks down at our sleeping son, "We make the cutest babies."

I smile and nod, "They're adorable."

"Daddy watch!" Brie yells before she goes underwater and does something that she thinks is cool before coming back up.

We watch her, "That was beautiful, honey," he tells her.

"What did she do?"

"I don't know."

He laughs as he takes a drink of the glass of water I had out here. "Mama!" Zara says.

He goes to get her and brings her to me. "Baby?" she asks me.

"He's right here."

She looks at him, "Baby!"

"He's sleeping right now," Christian tells her.

Christian goes to open the sliding door. Mikayla and Lauren walk out to our patio and stand in front of me. Zara notices Annie and Levi and goes up to hug them. So many kids are here.

"How are you feeling?" Lauren asks as she sits next to me.

"Just a bit tired. Nothing terrible though."

"Good."

Mikayla hands me a drink from Starbucks, "Oh, I love you for this."

She laughs, "I figured you probably needed a pick me up."

Christian gets in the pool again with their kids and our kids. "Let me see the little guy."

I stand up and give Tucker to Mikayla. "He's a total chunk."

"He loves to eat."

"How much did he weigh?"

"8 pounds. Our biggest baby."

"No epidural again?"

"I tried again. But the anesthesia or medicine, whatever it is, does not like my body. It just doesn't work."

I sip on the coffee they got me. "I'm just glad I never have to go through that again."

Lauren digs in her pocket, "Well, I guess this is a good time to tell you about this."

She hands me a piece of paper. I unfold it and realize it's two sonograms. "Aww really?"

"Yep. Ten weeks."

I look at Mikayla, "You're not going to tell me you're pregnant too?"

She laughs, "Not pregnant. Thinking about a second one though."

"Just do it. You two are way behind me."

They laugh, "I'll think about it some more."

Fall 2038

"Follow through with your swing," I tell our 11-year-old daughter.

"I know, mom."

"Then why didn't you do it?"

She turns around and goes back to the line. She started showing interest in volleyball when she was little. I toss the ball to her and she passes it back to me. I set it for her and she goes to hit, following through with her swing.

I watch it land in the middle of the court. "Just like that."

"Most likely some girl would've gotten that."

"And that's okay. It happens. Let me see another."

She goes back to her spot and I grab another ball to toss at her. She passes it back to me and I set it to her. She hits it down the line. That's my girl.

"That was beautiful."

She goes to pick up the balls on the other side of the court. I push the cart under the net. "Can you watch me serve?"

"Yeah."

She stands at the service line and hits the ball into the net. "Let me try again."

I nod and watch Christian, Zara, and Tucker walk in. They were at softball and baseball practice. Christian is the coach. She hits it into the net again. She sighs loudly, clearly annoyed with herself. "Honey, do you know how many times I did that at your age?"

"Probably not a lot since you were basically perfect."

"At 11, I was not hitting balls down the line like you just did. I was hitting them out of bounds nowhere near the court. My serves were going into the net or they were way too far out of bounds. It takes time. You're putting so much pressure on yourself to be perfect. I was never perfect at playing volleyball."

"Dad always says you were."

"Dad likes to over-exaggerate when he talks about me."

She laughs. "We'll work on it. Sports are always a work in progress. Even the best athletes in the world are bettering themselves each day."

"Okay."

"Babe, I think you should definitely serve a ball over," Christian tells me.

"Do you want me to be sore for the next four days?"

"C'mon, Mom, please!" Brie pleads.

I can't say no to my firstborn. I grab a ball from the cart and kick some of the balls to the side. I'm going to regret this. Christian moves Zara and Tucker to the sidelines.

I probably still have this in me, right? We'll see. I spin the ball into the air and hit it as it comes down. It falls on the other side as I come down on my feet.

"I want to be able to do that someday."

"And you will. Sports are frustrating and time-consuming. But you have two athletic parents that know the ins and outs of the sports world."

She hugs me, "I love you, mom."

"I love you too. Go get your bag. We're going to leave soon. I have to make dinner and you have homework to do."

"Okay."

I start to pick up the balls as she goes over to her bag. "I missed seeing you do that," Christian tells me as he comes over to me.

I laugh, "My body doesn't miss it."

I throw him a ball before picking up the rest and putting them in the cart. He pushes the cart to the wall. "How was practice?"

"I have a lot of work to do."

I laugh, "Even with those two?"

"Well, Zara wants to play in the dirt by second base. Tucker just wants to use the tee to hit the ball."

"That's all I wanted to do."

"Which part? Only hit with a tee or play in the dirt?

"Play in the dirt."

He laughs, "So that's why softball didn't work out."

"Basically."

We go over to our kids as Brielle seems ready. I grab my keys from her bag, "Are you riding with me or with dad?"

"I'll go with you."

We walk behind them as they walk out to our cars. They split into our cars as we stand behind them. He kisses me.

"Ewwwww," I hear from Christian's car. I look over at Zara and Tucker looking at us, making tons of weird faces.

"You two drive me crazy."

They laugh and so does Christian. "We'll follow you."

"Okay."

We split off and I get into my car as Brie sits up front with me. I back out of the parking spot and head for the exit. "So, do I have to go to school tomorrow?" she asks me.

"Yes."

"Really? Aren't we leaving right after?"

"Yes. Dad and I are picking up you and your siblings from school and then we're heading to the airport. You're going to school. That's why you need to get all of your homework done tonight so you don't have any during the weekend."

She sighs, "Okay."

"All three of you might stay home on Monday since we're getting back late on Sunday."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Are Aunt Lauren and Aunt Mikayla going to be there?"

"Yes. And grandma and papa. We're all going to Saturday and Sunday's game. All three of you are throwing out the first pitch on Sunday."

"To dad?"

"Yes."

I pull into our neighborhood before pulling into our driveway. I open the garage and pull into my spot. Christian pulls in next to me and we all head inside. One big, happy family is what we are.

We did quite alright with these three. They are turning out to be great humans with big hearts.

Christian comes downstairs as I start the dishes from tonight's dinner. "She really doesn't want to go to school tomorrow," he tells me.

"She tried it with you too?"

"Yeah."

He takes the dishes I washed and rinses them. "Are you excited to go back?"

"Always. My mom said she cleaned the house a couple of days ago. Which I thought we left it clean but apparently not to her standards."

"Mikayla and Lauren going to be there?"

"Yeah. They're coming to both games."

I wash the rest of our dishes before drying what he hasn't dried yet. He puts away the dishes. "They're packed already?"

"Yes. I'm finishing that tomorrow."

I get out their lunch boxes and throw some stuff together for tomorrow. He wipes the counters down before we go sit on the couch. "Are you packed?"

"I'm getting there."

"Dani."

"I'll get it done. Don't worry about it."

"What was she upset over?"

"She couldn't get the ball over the net and then I told her I wasn't doing the things she was doing at 11. Then she told me that you told her that I was perfect all around. I then told her you like to exaggerate."

He laughs, "You were good and you know it."

"Not at 11. I was clumsier than ever. I was not hitting balls down the line like she was today."

"She's going to be good."

"She's going to be great. She loves the game. She works hard. There's nothing more that I could ask for."

He nods, "We have some great kids."

"They're amazing."

"I love you."

"I love you too."