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“Appaaaaaa don’ wan’ go to Juju an’ Seokie’s baseball gameeeee.” Jimin whined as he clung to Jin’s leg.  Jin was currently in a rush to get all five of his boys ready.  Pre-game practice started in half an hour.

“Minnie, please go get ready.  I still have to pack snack for you, Tae-Tae, and Kookie.  And I also have to get you all ready.  Then I have to make sure Joonie and Hobi have all their gear…”

“Appa!  Juju give me cap to wear!” Tae exclaimed, pointing to the baseball cap on his head.  It had been Joonie’s when he was tiny. “I go play baseball now too!”

Jin chuckled. “You’re not quite old enough yet, baby.  Maybe when you’re six.”

“Nuuu…” Tae pouted. “But I only…” he held up two fingers. “…this many.”

“And how many is that, Tae-Tae?”

“Two!”

“Yes, good job, baby.  Why don’t you take Minnie to your room and help him pick out his outfit for the game?”

“Ohhhh!  Ok, Appa!” Tae grabbed Jimin’s hand, peeling him off of Jin. “C’mon, Minnie, let’s go!”

Tae dragged Jimin down the hall, Jimin grumbling the whole way.  Jin smiled after them.  Then he packed the cooler with the ice pops and juice boxes.  He threw a few packs of applesauce and banana puffs in for good measure.  Then he zipped it up and put it on the floor next to the diaper bag.  He needed to get the little boys ready.

In the younger twins’ room, Jin found Tae throwing countless shirts out of the set of drawers.  Jimin caught few of them as they were hurled at him.  Kookie was standing in his crib at the end of the twins’ bed, jumping up and down on his two tiny feet as he held onto the bars of the crib.  He giggled every time Tae threw a shirt at Jimin.

“All right, all right, Tae.  We don’t need to make a gigantic mess.  We have to leave in fifteen minutes.  You guys need to choose your outfits quickly.  I still need to change both of you.”

Jin pulled Kookie out of the crib, taking him over to the changing table.  He laid him down on the table and changed his diaper as quickly as possible.  It was quite the struggle.  Kookie was kicking his feet as he tried to reach the mobile that dangled over his head.  Jin thought that parenting should be an Olympic sport.  It wasn’t easy.

Jin wrestled Kookie into his new onesie.  Then he pulled on his pants.  Once Kookie was in his outfit, he went back to the crib.  Jin couldn’t have him crawling around while he got the rest of the boys ready.

Jin helped Tae and Jimin into their outfits after he changed their diapers.  Eventually he got their tiny feet into their shoes.

“Ok.  Are you guys ready?”

Tae nodded.  Jimin pouted.

“Can you guys go get in the car?  I need to go make sure that Juju and Seokie are ready.”

“Ok!” Tae exclaimed.  He jumped off the bed and scrambled out the door.

“Minnie…” Jin said softly.

Jimin pouted.  Jin just sighed.  He stood up.  He’d get Jimin into the car in a minute.  Right now, he needed to make sure Joonie and Hobi had all their stuff.  He headed to their room.  He discovered that Hobi had all his stuff packed.  Joonie didn’t yet.

“Hobi, go throw your stuff in the car.  Then see if you can get Jimin into the car.  I’ll be out with Joonie and Kookie in a few.”

“Ok!” Hobi was skipping out the door seconds later.

Once they had gotten Joonie’s bag packed, Jin sent Joonie to the car and headed to get Kookie.  Kookie was standing up in his crib, a pout on his face.  He was all alone in the bedroom.  The second Jin walked through the door, Kookie had his hands outstretched to him.

“Appa!  Appa!”

So far that was the only word he learned.  Jin smiled and picked him up.

“Did you get left alone in here?  Hmm?” Jin poked Kookie’s tummy, making the small boy giggle.

“All right.  Let’s go to the car.”

In the garage, Hobi was trying to wrestle Jimin into his car seat.  Jin clicked Kookie’s carrier into its holder, then he climbed into the back to help get Jimin buckled before heading back inside to get the cooler and the diaper bag.

Once everyone was settled, and Jimin was calmer, they finally headed off to the baseball game.  They were a few minutes late when they arrived, but it wasn’t too bad.  Jimin was in a lot better mood when they arrived.  He was out of his seatbelt almost immediately and following his two older brothers to the field.  He helped collect the baseballs all the kids hit around the grassy field surrounding the baseball field.  Tae, on the other hand, didn’t want to go out to the field anymore.

“If ball hit us…”

“Tae-Tae, you didn’t get hit by any balls last time, did you?”

“No…”

“Then why are you scared, baby?”

“Hard ball…”

Jin sighed.  He pulled Kookie’s carrier from the car.  Then he collected the cooler from the back.  They didn’t usually need the diaper bag, but it was just good to have it in the car in case of emergency.

“C’mon, Tae-Tae.  Look.  Minnie’s having fun.”

“But don’ wan’ hit by ball…”

Jin held his empty hand out to Tae. “C’mon, baby.  I’ll protect you.  It’ll be ok.”

Tae took his hand cautiously, using the grip to jump out of the car.

“Can you push the close button, baby?”

Tae pushed the button, knowing which one it was from watching his older brothers do it countless times.  Then Jin led him over to the field after locking the car.

Kookie was babbling away and happily clapping his hands.  Tae was clinging to Jin’s hand.  Jimin ran over to them when they got to the field.

“Tae-Tae!  Come get balls with me!”

“Nuuuu…” Tae tugged his hand from Jimin’s grasp. “Ball scary…”

“Minnie, Tae-Tae thinks the balls are going to hit him, baby.  Maybe next time?”

“Oh…ok…” Jimin wandered back off to help the other little kids collect the balls that their siblings hit.

Jin was already sweating by the time the game started.  He collected Jimin and took all three of his little boys over to the bleachers.  He set Kookie’s carrier down and pulled him out of it.  Then Jin settled him on his lap.

“Do you guys want ice pops?”

“Yeah!” came two excited replies.  Jin opened the cooler and handed both of his twins an ice pop.  Then he pulled one out and helped Kookie eat it.

“Excuse me…” A tiny voice asked.

Jin looked up to see a tiny blonde-haired girl standing in front of him.

“Yes?” He asked the small girl.

“Can…can I have an ice pop?”

“Oh.  Yes, of course.” Jin pulled one out of the cooler and handed it to her. “There you go, sweetheart.”

“Thank you!” The little girl climbed back down a few of the bleachers, settling herself next to her parents.

After a while, both of the twins were complaining about it being too hot.  They’d run out of ice pops a while ago.  Even Kookie was whining in discontent.

“Appa…wan’ go home…” Tae whined, tugging on Jin’s shirt.

“I know, baby.  The game will be over soon.  Hobi’s batting next.  Watch him, ok?”

Tae nodded.  He watched his brother bat.  Then he went back to whining.

“Appa…when go home…?”

“Soon, baby.  Once this inning is over, we’re done.”

“Ok…”

Thankfully, the inning ended in the next few minutes and the game was over.  Jin stuck Kookie back in his carrier and collected the cooler and his two two-year-olds.  He met Joonie and Hobi at the hotdog stand.

“Appa!  Did you see?  We won!” Hobi exclaimed.

“Yes, I saw.  Good job, boys.  Let’s get to the car now.  Your brothers have been complaining of the heat for the past half hour.”

Pretty soon, they were home.  Jin’s car was half full of complaining boys.  He ushered Joonie and Hobi inside, telling them to take quick showers so he could bathe the little boys and put them down for their naps.  He hated days when the games were near noon.  That meant not only unbearably hot weather but also three whiny boys who didn’t get their naps on time.

He quickly got all the boys inside.  He stuck Jimin and Tae in the bathtub and told them to get undressed.  Then he took Kookie to their room and stripped him to his diaper.  Kookie went in the crib after that. 

Jin headed to collect all the sweat-soaked clothing from that afternoon and stuck it in the laundry.  By the time he had the washer running, Joonie and Hobi were out of the shower.  Jin headed back to the little boys’ room to get Kookie.  He took him to join his two older brothers in the bath.

Once Jin had gotten them all cleaned up, he dressed them and piled them in his bed for nap time.  He made their usual nest of pillows and blankets for them.  Then he kissed all three of their tiny foreheads.

“I need to go take a quick shower, ok?  I’ll be back out in a few minutes.”

Jin was, in fact, out of the shower in a few minutes.  All three boys were sound asleep when he returned to the bedroom.  He smiled.  He could get a head start on dinner now.  He tucked the blanket around the three of them.

“Sleep well, little ones.”