A new addition before THE new addition.

Two cars before two kids. That was the motto. And with less than 8 weeks to go, the clock was a tickin'. So, with Brandon's Tuesday off (in exchange for a Saturday) we called in some favours, had Teagan taken care of and headed out on the hunt. We were planning to buy later in the month, when salesmen have to meet quotas, but we wanted to look at some vehicles we'd researched and we had the time now. So we went. We had agreed on a mini-van and, believe it or not, Brandon didn't fight me on it at all. Yes, we're only on child #2, but intend to have a few more and thought we would skip the middle step of buying another sedan only to trade it in down the road. We'd thought about one of those new-fangled SUVs that have the third row, but after testing them out, preferred the roomier mini-van. I dreamed about a Honda Odyssey, but we were realistic and recognized that a Dodge Caravan was more in line with our budget. But, we found a used Odyssey on the dealership's website with all the bells and whistles we need (no DVD player, which is almost a plus) for a great price. They also had a Caravan there, so we thought we could give both a try. We didn't make it past the Odyssey.

It drove like a dream, had all sorts of fun features, and after only an hour on the phone with USAA found that it was within our price range and wouldn't break the bank. The idea of buying used both stressed me out and delighted me. It's troubling to think that something may go wrong, but we were suckered into an extended warranty, so I have (expensive) peace of mind there. And the fact that there's a hole in the back of the passenger seat and a footprint or two on the floor will help me be a little less anal when it comes to kids climbing and kicking and being kids - here's hoping I can let some things go.

Neither of us are great decision makers so I'm sure it was a painful process for the salesman, but we bought the car, so I'm sure his time was worth it (we were there for the better part of the afternoon on the phone, hemming & hawing and signing). The mileage was low, the features were many and the price was right. So we (will eventually) own a mini-van. 

I've been without my own vehicle for quite some time now, so being able to take Teagan and I from A to B is incredibly exciting. (Shout out to my wonderful friends that have carted us around for the last 2 years!) Teagan and I have enjoyed several outings in the seven days we've had the Honda and on nearly every occasion, she refuses to get out of the vehicle and asks to sit there for a while. Said outings have all been free - the library, the park, the splash pad - in light of us having parted with a painful amount of moolah. (Granted, we'd been saving for a long time and the money went where it was intended to, but it's jarring to see it sitting in our garage and not our savings account.) She's enjoying our newfound mobility and her new perspective. I catch her just staring out the window with a smile on her face, instead of crying and whining like she did in our Mazda. Here's hoping it's novel for a while longer.

I may feel a little silly driving around a van with six empty seats for the time being, but the stow 'n' go seats have already proven incredibly useful (partly in cleaning out the garage so we actually have room for it) and we are so happy to be on the road together. I may feel sheepish, but Mr. Richards owns it. He hadn't driven it since the test drive, so we took her to church on Sunday (and yes, Dad, he parked as far away from everyone else as possible) and he drove it like a man - say what you will about the mini-van. He reorganized our two car garage so that it actually had room for two cars. He built a shelving unit, dragged boxes all over the place, pushed around our fleet of strollers and doesn't complain about parking taking three times as long as it used to. What a man.

We won't be taking the van everywhere we go, as the wide open spaces as far as the eye can see are a little excessive, but I thought he earned the right to drive it.

Three cheers for mobility!