A pair of polyamorous mums who live with each other and their husbands claim they don't know which men have fathered which of their children.
Taya Hartless and Alysia Rogers met online three years ago after looking to spice up their sex lives with husbands Sean and Tyler.
As the couples got to know each other better, they all began to have feelings for each other - and moved in together the following year in the US state of Oregon.
Although each couple already had a child of their own, the foursome went on to have two more children between them - but neither mum is sure whether Tyler or Sean is the biological father of the younger kids.
Taya, 27, insists it's a detail that doesn't matter anyway as the 'quad' parent all four children as their own.
She said: "None of us had been polyamorous before, but we all just met and fell in love.
"Since we moved in together we all just co-parent all the children - we're one big family unit.
"A lot of people don't really understand polyamory, and think it is deviant or un-wholesome in some way.
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"It is true that it wasn't always easy - it took me a while to admit I had feelings for someone else - and we definitely do get jealous sometimes.
"But now it's so natural to us all and I feel so grateful to have multiple partners to raise children with.
"Why wouldn't you want more love and support and more hands around?
"It's a messy, hectic, crazy, wonderful life - and I can't think of anything else we could ever want."
Taya and hubby Sean, 45, met 35-year-old Tyler and 33-year-old Alysia for the first time in June 2019, after all chatting online for months.
And according to Taya, there was an instant spark between them.
She said: "From the first night we met, we all wanted to just see more of each other. It wasn't easy - there was a lot of hesitations around having feelings.
"Sean was the first to point it out - he said 'we can't deny this is happening'. We agreed to talk it out to see what the future would look like.
"At first, I was really scared to come out and admit my feelings for Tyler - I was scared to let someone else in.
"But eventually we all admitted how we felt."
In early 2020, the quad moved into their first big family home - and were plunged into lockdown almost immediately.
A true test to their relationship, Taya said lockdown only helped their love for each other to blossom.
She explained that the men switch rooms every night - so one night they will be with one woman, and the next night the other.
Although Alysia and Taya, and Sean and Tyler, are not dating, they all see each other as close partners.
But the family are considered a 'closed quad' in that they don't date anyone outside of the four.
Taya said: "We are all on the same page in this quad - although some of us are married, it is a true square with no inner sections.
"At the start, I would share two nights with Sean and one with Tyler, but now it's non-hierarchical.
"We're all on the same page and it works better this way."
She added they all try to have a "quad date" once a month to keep the relationship fresh.
"We spend all holidays and big events together as one big family, of course," Taya said.
Taya, Alysia, Sean and Tyler became such a tight-knit quad that when they began to discuss having more children, they came to a surprising agreement.
As both women sleep with both men, they agreed to continue as normal and be content not knowing who the father of their children would be.
Alysia, who works in economic development, found out she was pregnant in August 2020 while stay-at-home mom Taya fell pregnant the following March.
Taya said: "There was no regulation of who the father was and we said we didn't care.
"We don't know and don't want to know - we said we would all be parents to all of them.
Alysia gave birth to a boy on April 3 2021 and Taya gave birth to another son on August 11 2021, with all four thrilled to grow the family.
Taya explained the children call her 'mama' and call Alysia 'mom' while Sean is 'daddy' and Tyler is 'dad' - and the kids proudly tell friends they have "two moms and two dads."
Taya looks after the youngest two while Alysia, electrician Tyler, and Sean, who works in a high school go out and work during the week and the older children are in school.
Taya said: "People ask, does it make a difference that one is not biologically mine?
"But I have stayed home with him since he was was a few months old and there is nothing that would change my relationship with him if I were biologically connected to him.
"I find it very easy to love a child of any of the people that I love - that's the same for all the children."
She added there are a lot of misconceptions about being in a polyamorous relationship that don't ring true - such as the idea you never get jealous.
Taya said: "We have found that it's normal to feel jealous sometimes, but that comes from a need that is not being met - and is actually a way of solving a problem.
"For example if I started to feel jealous that Sean is going out for a date with Alysia, it's because I want to spend more time with him and that need is not being met."
Taya explained that one of the biggest issues the family face is misunderstanding about what polyamory is, and negative reactions as a result.
She also said the quad has faced some "pushback" from close friends and family who have distanced themselves - but overall, they say their loved ones have been supportive of their relationship.
She said: "I don't think we'll ever stop learning and we know our relationship will be constantly changing. But we will roll with the punches and make it work.
"We are different from everyone else but that's ok - and we have made it clear to our children that they can be whoever they want to be.
She added: "I always find myself sat thinking about how much I love our life. I'm just really excited for the future and raising our kids together.
"I can't wait to be the big crazy family that all shows up together. It's a messy hectic crazy wonderful life - that about sums us up!"
Do you have a real life story to share? Email jessica.taylor@reachplc.com
