Mother of the House

Now that the days are getting longer, I am really enjoying long walks with the dogs. Sarah has been joining me for some of our walks. We are settling into a comfortable routine with her home. When she first comes home it's like a party every night which can be exhausting with 3 small children in school. Now she helps put the kids to bed, cooks, cleans and is generally very helpful and fun to be with. For a while she was intent on kicking butt and trying to get the boys to do chores. Not that I don't do those things, but I am inconsistent.

One night I announced that Sarah had been elected the new Mother of the House and I was being demoted to Resident Adolescent. We stayed up too late watching movies, overslept the next day and were late for school. I got caught speeding in a school zone and was pulled over by a state trooper. When he asked me for my driver's license, registration and proof of insurance, I told him "It gets worse officer, I left my purse at home and all those things are in my purse." He asked me for my name and called in to check my record. He returned a few minutes later and let me off with a warning.

I wonder what my police record says? Irene is an airhead but basically harmless. She has been pulled over a lot for drunk driving because she doesn't take the center divide or lane lines very seriously. (In Vietnam, the lane lines are merely gentle suggestions. Nobody actually takes them very seriously). It was enough to scare me back into being a responsible mom again. I forgot how much I hated getting in trouble as a teen.

Hockey season is almost over. Riley's team goes to their State Championship in two weeks. I am organizing an end of the year tournament for Chris' team since they don't have a State Championship. What do hockey moms do after State? They spring clean and get ready for baseball season, of course!

Weeks 3 and 4 of dance class Maya finally started participating in class. At first she tried to pull her stunts but Grandma would have none of it. My mom asked Maya if she would rather participate in dance or go home and take a nap? Maya marched right back to class and danced! Kudos to Grandma, the original Queen of Kickbuttocity!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Maya having fun with Chris

Riley hiding in Maya's closet.

Our fire-bellied toad died. This is the coffin we are going to bury him in when the snow melts.

Oh please, really? What the...

Maya trying on sun glasses at Safeway.

Irene buys her first pair of reading glasses.

March in Alaska