"Very funny," I said, smiling despite my efforts to look unamused.

    Vanessa, who is nine, glanced away from her video. "I think pandemonium sounds more like something you clean pans with." She rolled onto her back and held up her hands. "I no longer have rough, dry hands because now I clean my dishes with Pannnnn-demonium!" she said, as if she were an actress on a commercial.

    "No, it's not dishwashing stuff." I laughed. "Pandemonium means - hey!" The Nerf ball had bounced off my forehead. "Watch it! You're not supposed to be playing ball inside, anyway." I picked up the small, spongy ball which had dropped to my feet and squished it into the pocket of my jeans.

    "Aw, come on, give it back," said Adam, annoyed. He's one of the identical triplets, who are ten.

    "It's just a Nerf ball. It's not going to hurt anything." Jordan backed up Adam. (As usual.) Byron didn't look like he minded, though. I think he was relieved not to be the monkey-in-the-middle anymore. He's not as athletic as Adam and Jordan. When he's the one trying to get the ball away, he can get stuck as the monkey for a long time.

    Some people have trouble telling Byron, Adam, and Jordan apart. But to me, they are each so different that I never have a problem. I could pick Byron out just from the way he slouches. Besides, they don't dress alike. I'm always surprised when people confuse them.

    At that moment, my mother came downstairs from the kitchen. "Hey! Hey! What is all this?" she scolded mildly. "Vanessa, turn off that TV. And did I hear something about a ball in the house?" The triplets' guilty expressions gave them away. "Well, take it ouside. Margo, you can do your cheering outside, too. It's a gorgeous day." "We - must - go - outside. We - must - go -outside," Nicky chanted with his speaker set to robot-voice as he moved mechanically out of the rec room.

    "Claire, pick up those puzzle pieces, please," Mom requested. Then she looked at me. The moment she did, I knew what was coming. I was tipped off by the way she glanced quickly at Claire before she spoke.