New Additions...

Back in October we put our  "Subie" up for sale. With winter approaching this AWD vehicle would be a quicker, more lucrative sale than our Honda Accord would be. Also, the Honda seated the kids better on the back row because it doesn't have a "hump" like the Subaru has. {Three carseats in a row--- is that even possible?  Yes. With Sunshine Kids Car Seats, it is possible. They are so narrow an infant carrier car seat fits between them in the back seat just fine}

We received a great deal of interest immediately and it was a bittersweet day parting with our baby when we had a committed buyer.  We have had this particular Subie since 2006, right before we moved to Chicago. It looked just like the one we had before then, which we bought in 2003. For 7 years we were a Subie Family. Both were great and served me so well. Growing up in Virginia, I never learned how to drive adeptly in the snow. Living in Utah and Chicago was certainly a baptism by fire in a way because of all the snow, but Subie was always there for me and taught me how to safely maneuver slushy, slick roads while toting precious cargo. Subie was fantastically reliable and the trunk was spaciously hatch-backed and at thigh level, so loading and unloading it was a cinch.

{I just remembered something a little comical. For a short period of time we had two Subarus and two Hondas parked along the street in front of the home we were renting. I wonder if our neighbors wondered about our priorities: We owned four cars but lived in a teeny little 2 bedroom basement apartment. Ha! Really what was happening was we were selling a Subaru and buying one a few years newer at the same time so there were a few days when we had both, and we had also just bought a more family friendly Honda Accord that was to replace Kyle's two door Honda civic that we hadn't sold yet either (two-door cars and car seats are not a lot of fun in case you were wondering. Doable, yes. Fun? No siree.)}

While I was sad to say goodbye to Subie, I knew this meant we were one step closer to finding our van. Buying a vehicle for us is quite a slow-moving methodical process. Kyle is great at researching and finding the best vehicle for the best price. I don't dare try and rush the process, but at the same time I have to be ready to pounce on something when it pops up. I knew it was a matter of time before the right deal came along. 

I admit, there were days I grumbled because I thought it just wasn't fair that we purchased the truck before our van and our third child had entered the family, but I had to trust that was just the timing when the deals were found.  We hired a babysitter to watch the kids while we test drove some vehicles the day before I had my foot surgery.  Test driving the vehicles was to help us determine if we were going the Toyota or Honda route and help us narrow which model we liked best. Our plan was to then continue our search on eBay, various websites and locally. 

So we drove a used Honda....and then a brand new Toyota. Have you ever driven a brand new car? This was my very first time. It's nice. I mean reeeeeeeallly nice. Full of all sorts of wonderful bells and whistles. They are so shiny, have fancy knobs and doo-dads....so clean and they smell soooooo good.  So good that they smell like nothing. (Do not mistake me for liking the "new car smell" car fresheners. Ew.) New cars do not reek of stinky diapers or spilled milk or sweaty kids.  They smell of absolutely nothing. Smell is a big deal to me. I don't like bad smells. New cars are wonderfully odor free.

But new cars are not smart investments. Vehicles aren't investments at all. They are just necessary expenses that depreciate in value each year. So while we would have been thrilled if a dealership decided to GIVE us a brand new car, we could never purchase one. So we waited some more and continued our search.

And waited some more. 

I continued to grumble any time I had to load my three kids in and out of the car. I often accidentally woke Ruby from a nap because hoisting her car seat in and out of the middle spot was not exactly a smooth transition. 

Then we heard about a Honda Touring at a car auction Kyle's cousin had access to.  Auctioned cars are tricky--- kind of sight-unseen in a way. But you still have access to most of the information regarding the functioning of  the car as well as multiple pictures of the outside of the vehicle, and you can ask questions. With the price it was going for we figured worst case scenario, even if we had to replace the entire leather interior and flooring, it would still be cheaper than if we were to buy one the same year and model on e-bay or locally. 

When we got it, we were pleasantly surprised! Not only was everything under the hood in great shape as we had been told, but the interior was just fine as well. No rips tears or cracked pieces.

And then I smelled it. 

EWWWWW. It was a horrible combination of rotten milk and a Frebrezish fabric softener something-or-other. It was like someone tried really hard to cover up the smell, when really, it just made it WORSE.  It was TERRIBLE. I complained about it for weeks and weeks. Kyle did all sorts of things from letting the van air out for several days to getting it detailed,  to putting in odor absorbing containers....but the dryer sheet smell would not go away, even after the mildewy slash rotten milk smell was gone. I was convinced someone sprayed or put something in the vents because whenever the air or heat was blowing through the vents, I got an overwhelming cloud of dryer sheet smell shot in my face.  I'm sure Kyle thought I was overreacting or being hypersensitive. Trust me though, it was awful.

Kyle checked out the vents. Sure enough, dryer sheets were stuffed in each one. Do I know my smells or WHAT?!  'Twas one of the greatest day of my life when he got rid of those things. I still shake my head in disgust thinking who would do that?   Why on earth?!

I do admit, despite the awful smell, the van was a dream come true and I still drove it and loved it even when it smelled bad. It was well worth the wait. I wanted a van six years ago when I just had 1 child, but I know had we purchased one then, we wouldn't have bought this one now and would not be enjoying the perks "newer" vans have been sporting in the last few years. I'll not waste my time or my breath on trying to convert any van-haters non-lovers out there. I realize a van is not for everyone. They may not look as swanky as some of those SUVs in the car lot, but for me the van has been a perfect solution for crazy road trips with young kids, carpooling, and hauling large, bulky items. It's so nice now to be able to volunteer myself to pick up or drop off playdates, even with all 3 of my children in the car. This glorious hunk of metal on wheels seats 8, has plenty of trunk space, and even has a rear camera. Though Kyle claims the camera doesn't work. Either that, or the trash can fell over by itself and Ruby's stroller threw itself under the van when he wasn't looking. :) I think there's just a smart balance between looking in your rear view mirrors, checking behind you, and looking at the screen for the rear camera.

 Each time I push the remote buttons for the doors to get groceries in and out of the trunk and the kids in and out of the car, I say a little prayer of gratitude to the wonderful genius who invented such a brilliant contraption. It really is Mom-friendly. Going out and about with my children is much less overwhelming now. Still haven't come up with a name for my new baby. Suggestions welcome!

Now for our final addition.

See the shot behind our van where there is nothing, just some trees at the end of our cul-de-sac? 

 That was then, and this is at the end of our culdesac now:

This house has gone up SO fast. It has been fun for the kids to see a home built from the ground up. We used to have a quiet little street and with our home being the last one, no one drove into it, minus when we had company or when random people were lost and turned around. Our quiet, car-free cul-de-sac has changed drastically with all the trucks coming in and out now for building this house. I'd venture to say we now live in the most popular spot in the entire ward boundary. And no, it's not to look at our awesome garden we don't keep or check out Savvy's latest scooter tricks. It's safe to assume about half the ward drives by this house at least once a week to check it out. ;)  Really though, it's been fun, and we are excited to see who moves in. I really do like my new view.

It's a spec home that will be in the Parade of Homes (We joke to the builder that during the Parade of Homes we're going to park our cars in the yard and dump garbage all over the sidewalk...hehe). Can't wait to see the inside when it's finished!

Won't you be my neighbor?