The New Ride

Here's our new ride. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I L-O-V-E it. After lots of research and shopping, we chose the Grand Caravan. We originally set out to look for a Town and Country until I realized they were the same car, with only cosmetic differences. I asked one dealer, "Why do people pay more for a Town and Country if the Caravan is the exact same car?" And he responded with a shrug and said, "Marketing?"

We had several requirements that were must-haves . . . the problem was that one of those requirements didn't allow for stow 'n go seating in the second row . . . only swivel 'n go. At least we think that's the case, because finding a vehicle with a towing prep package and converter without it was impossible. It looks nice in the picture, but I would have rather had the stow 'n go. Luckily, we still have stow 'n go in the back seats and we can always pop the two middle row seats out completely if we need to.

There was one mildly embarrassing moment in the trip. I took Jack to the bathroom as soon as we got to the dealership . . . it was a 2 1/2 hour drive, so he had to GO. And due to a lack of, um, aim, he peed all over me. And himself.

He had a change of clothes. I did not.

Of course, Jack announced that he "peed on mommy" to everyone standing within ear shot when we walked out of the bathroom, and proceeded to inform the one other woman in the waiting room, as well. He probably didn't need to say anything because I went into the bathroom dry and came out with my pants and bottom of my shirt soaked.

I couldn't stop laughing . . . which I guess is better than being frustrated. I was consciously trying to put it out of my mind when we were signing the paperwork and looking over the financing options, but I'm sure the salesman saw my stifling giggles. I was a 12-year-old.

To say that the boys were cooperative for photos tonight would be a lie. But here are a few to commemorate our first night with the minivan.

Minivans Happen

We purchased a minivan this morning.

Yeah, you heard me. A MINI. VAN.

I said I would NEVER buy one. In my mind, an SUV was just as convenient as a mini-van (WRONG). So, why would I ever get a minivan? I just couldn't get myself past the "soccer mom" stigma that came with it.

But when our Explorer died at the beginning of July, I could feel it coming. Like all the other signs of middle age, the minivan just creeps up and you suddenly find yourself celebrating your husband's 31st birthday in a used car lot talking to a lady named Terri about how handy Stow 'N Go is.

The transition was so much easier than it would have been had we been looking at cars in May because earlier in the summer, I had an experience that would change my view of minivans forever.

I was shopping alone with the boys and I was doing my best to load them into the car in the Target parking lot. I gave Jack instructions to stand next to the car, with his hand on it, while I got Ben buckled in. At home, I'd just open the door and let him climb in, but when you're in a parking spot, the fear is that your three-year old will put a $1500 scratch on the car next to you. So I loaded them both in, plus all of the stuff we bought, totally unaware that there was an easier way.

There was a minivan parked next to me, and during all of this, a mom with her three children walked up. The mom clicked a button twice. The doors on both sides of the car slid open, the children all climbed in, she did a quick buckle, the doors slid closed and they were off.

I swear to you, at that moment, the clouds parted, a light from heaven shone down on me and I heard the voice of God saying, "Thou shalt buy a minivan." Or something very similar to that. I'm not even making it up.

Ok, maybe I am making it up, but still, it was a critical moment for me.

I went home that and told Kyle, "WE'RE SAVING FOR A MINIVAN STARTING TODAY!" And we did. We thought we'd have two or three years to save, but when the Explorer broke down, it only made sense to look now. We've gone two months with both car seats crammed into the back of my Saturn sedan, and I'm ready to not have my knees in my face when we drive anymore.

I'm not crazy about the car payment, but as we transferred the car seats from the Saturn to the minivan today, I think I heard angels singing. No, really . . .

My favorite

Kyle turns 31 today. We spent the entire day shopping for mini-vans. Which is appropriate for a married couple in their thirties, I suppose.

I was kind of hoping we'd buy one today, because 8 years ago today, I bought my Saturn (a few months before we were married) and I always like to say that I bought him a car for his birthday. I would have loved to be able to say that I did that twice.

But we didn't buy a car today, so instead he had to settle for an arm band for his iphone to use while he runs. The irony of his gift is that it was packaged in a gift bag under a pack of jolly ranchers and a tub of swedish fish.

I should mention that he's been running consistently for a while now and I'm really proud of him for keeping up with it. I have not been as consistent as I was at the beginning of the summer. Someone asked us a while ago if we ran together in the mornings . . . to which Kyle replied, "Yep, we just leave the kids at home alone and go out for a jog." Which, in case there was any doubt, was sarcasm. It sounds like a lame excuse, but it really is hard for both of us to fit that kind of thing in . . . with our schedules, at least.

So, happy birthday to Kyle . . . I should probably do something cute like list 31 reasons that I love him, or create an acrostic using his name. But I think all I need to let you is that there's no one I'd rather shop with for mini-vans. He's truly my favorite person ever.