Chinese Fire Drills and Other Mean Pranks

I bet everyone has a story they tell that makes them Laugh Out Loud every time. I think this one is going to be one of those for us.

Tonight after having dinner in Twin Falls with Grandpa (who was passing through town) Courtney started complaining about half way home that she needed to go to the bathroom BAD. Courtney is kind of the drama queen of the family so I usually take her theatrics with a grain of salt. She said she was desperate and would I please pull over or at least drive faster so we could get home sooner. Being the slightly sadistic mom that I am I decided to have a little fun with this. When we got onto our little country road about three miles from home I slowed waaaay down to 25 mph. The kids who had been distracted in the back seat wondered what the heck was going on and why was I slowing down. No sooner had they figured it out than Courtney started to wail again. (I'll remind you she is twelve)

Gabby who was sitting next to me smiled a naughty smile and I could tell she wanted in on the joke. One more mile to go and we pull up to the railroad tracks.

I look left....and then right,

"Gabby, do you see a train?"

that wicked gleam again

"I don't know mom, let me roll my window down, wait.....is that......could that be?"

(Courtney: "you guys stop it")

"Oh I guess it's not".

Me: "Wait a minute.......

is that a.......

Chinese Fire Drill?

Everybody out of the car Now, Now Now,"

Gabby and I jump out of our doors and start running around the car. I bump into Ally (and this is the best part) who is just getting out of the door on her side. She stumbles out of the car right in front of me and starts running awkwardly around the front end of the car. She's huffin and puffin and wide eyed with terror. We all jump back in the car except Ally who is standing outside the car, looking in the window, just a little bit confused. After some coaxing she crawls back in and says "What was that? Where's the fire?" She told me between my bouts of laughter that she thought we were having a real fire and that she was trying to get her seatbelt off fast enough. It was Classic!

We laughed the rest of the way home.

And Courtney didn't even wet her pants!