Dude, Where's My Car?

Well, we've done it.  We have, or I have, made the jump from post-college life to married with (almost) three young children even more official.

Yes, folks, we've purchased a minivan.

I never thought I'd do it.  I was against it from the beginning.  Dave teased me when we first got pregnant with Natalie.  He said we were starting on a road that would eventually lead to this.  I tossed my head and said, "Never."

But now I'm eating my words.  The simple fact is that minivans are incredibly practical.  That's why they're so popular.  And with three rows of seats...and three carseats to contend with...they were really one of the few options open to us.  We probably could have found an SUV that has some sort of third row seating, but then, what about car trips?  We also have an awful lot of stuff to pack.  So...minivan, here we come.

Here's what I've left behind:

Oh, Corolla, how I will miss you.  The car trips.  The concerts.  The music festivals.  Thanks for always taking me there.

And, because I'm a mom, here's the old black car with the kiddos:

And, now, are you ready for this?  Am I ready for this?

There she is, in all her mom-ish glory.

She's really kind of sporty looking.  Is that allowed?  Am I allowed to use the word "sporty" in the same sentence as "minivan"?  Whatever, I'm owning it.  And yes, the shape of this van is what sold me.  I liked it better than the Odyssey or the Sienna.  Plus, it was thousands (and I mean that literally) cheaper.

After driving this baby around for nearly two weeks, I've decided that I really like it.  I can't argue with the fact that it's easier to haul around toddlers.  Plus, it drives just like a car, so it doesn't even seem that much bigger than my (sniff, sniff) Corolla.  And, there's a ton of room.

We bought this used.  It was kind of cool the way it worked out.  We found the van on auto trader, and once we contacted the family, everyone agreed to just trade cars.  We gave them the Corolla and some cash (from our tax refund) and they gave us the minivan, so no car payment.  Kind of cool.  We had our mechanic check it out beforehand and it's in really good shape.  

All in all, I'm pleased.  I'm much happier with this transition than I thought I would be, so that's a plus.  I almost can't wait to need a stroller again so that I can see how easy it's going to be to put it in the back (it was a nightmare -- and I mean nightmare -- wrangling a double stroller into the trunk of a little Corolla).

Thanks for reading!
Sarah