Drop the gate already!

Spring is upon us! The grass is getting greener. The birds are singing. Flowers are beginning to warily poke out of the ground. And you know what that means...outdoor racing season! Time to clean out the camper, tune up the motorcycles, and get out the mud boots. We will be heading to our first Loretta Lynn's area qualifier very soon. While we always hope for the best possible weather, we prepare for the worst and try to make the best of it. Last year, we endured not one but two tornado warnings on race weekends. One race was so muddy that in one class, we only raced to the first corner! To make matters worse, it snowed the next day. To quote a line from my girls' favorite book "Pinkalicious" - "You get what you get and you don't get upset."

Racing with three small children is not always easy, as any of you with children already know. First, there is the seemingly endless packing. If I had a dollar for every time my husband said, "We are only going for one night. Why do we need all this stuff?!", I could buy all three kids a new motorcycle. It is amazing how much stuff you "need" to bring for one night. Then, of course, trying to keep kids entertained for a 5 hour car ride is always a challenge. By the way, that 5 hours should only take about 3 and a half, but by the time we stop for 6 potty breaks (some of which are for me!) and two eating breaks, our poor GPS has re-calculated our trip so many times, it is starting to smoke. The race itself is sometimes difficult. My husband is the ultimate Pit Dad. He is mechanic, motivator, driver, and so much more all rolled into one man. He gets my son to the line and fixes anything that breaks in between motos. I keep track of our twin girls, keep everyone fed and (somewhat) dry, and try to take some good pictures. I usually miss a moto when the girls are taking their nap, but that's ok. Some of my son's biggest wrecks have been in the second moto. I am happy to miss seeing those bike-flipping, visor-breaking, rim-bending moments. It's part of the reason why I can still support my son in this endeavor without biting my nails down to nothing and developing stress-induced tremors. Sure, it would be much easier (and cheaper) to stay home and let the kids play in the sandbox while I read a magazine. But what fun would that be?!?! Pack the camper, load the bikes, and drop the gate already!