As April 15 has come and gone, the results are in: as Doug put it, we’ve been tax shamed by the IRS. (For those of you who don’t speak Doug, we will not be receiving a refund this year.)
To remedy the problem, our accountant has suggested we each claim one less dependent on next year’s tax return.
Not such an easy solution, considering all three dependents are equally adorable.
My baby, not so much of a baby anymore. Here’s to seven magical years!
A sign that your student has absolutely no faith in you: At the end of each page, he writes, “Turn over.”
As a cop’s wife, one of the first things you learn is to speak 10 code. These are the codes police departments use to relay information over their scanners.
For instance, rather than asking me where I am, Doug will often inquire, “10-3?” (Translation: “What’s your location?”)
If the kids are being particularly boisterous, you will hear him roar, “HEY! 10-5!” (Translation: “Remain silent.”)
When the phone rings, it is not uncommon to hear something along the lines of, “Eva! I’ve got a 10-6 here for ya! Tell your friends not to call during dinner!”
One of the most frequently used 10-code in our home is 10-44, which in police lingo translates gently into “mental case.”
For example, “I ran into a 44 in the grocery store today.”
Or, when the children are acting like they inhaled the contents of our sugar bowl, “Stop acting like a bunch of 44s!”
Or during those blue-moon occasions that I say something outlandish or devoid of common sense: “What are you, 44?”
Today I can officially say, “As a matter of fact, I am!”
Thank you to all my friends…the greatest bunch of 44s the world has to offer.