June 23 = Upgrade the Car Day

Zachary and I are 26 years old and now the proud(ish) owners of a mini-van.  If you had told me 5 years ago I'd be driving a van in my mind 20's, I would have... well actually I would have believed you but it's still a tad bit jarring.  We had to buy a new car seat for Malia because the one we used for Liam, which would have been perfectly acceptable, got mold in it because unbeknownst to us, the storage unit downstairs gets damp and gross when it rains and so anything with fabric on it, you can kiss goodbye.  We had to let go of the car seat and the stroller that the car seat conveniently fits into because both were ruined.  We figured we probably won't use a single stroller for a long, long time so we just got a new car seat.  I was going to have Zachary install it in the CRV so that we could all get used to it- Liam having a back seat buddy and us having our storage space significantly decreased.  Zachary pointed out that it was going to be a tight squeeze.  Now we aren't driving my old Honda Civic here... we originally got the CRV because we thought it would be a good family car.  And if you had a child who didn't require a car seat and one who did, I think the fit would be a bit better but when you have to shove two car seats in that back seat, there's no room for anything in the backseat- no groceries, no diaper bag, certainly no other humans. 

We had been joking about needing a van but reality set in when we tried to picture the two car seats in the back seat and the huge double stroller in the back.  So I went online just to look at how old this new purchase was going to make me look and they had a deal on their Siennas, 0% interest for 5 years plus $1500 cash back.  The 0% interest piqued my interest for sure.  So I did my research to make sure it was a safe, reliable car and Zachary put in requests at different dealerships around here- we went to one last night and after about 4.5 hours consisting of a test drive, Zachary having to big boy the dealer and Liam making it very clear this was not how he wanted to spend his Monday night, we drove home a 2014 Shoreline Blue, AWD Toyota Sienna. 

 

I have yet to drive it- I'm slightly terrified to.  I remember when I got the CRV after only having driven my tiny Honda Civic I was very intimidated.  I'm hoping I adapt well.  But I love it!  You can set three different temperatures for the driver, front passenger and the back of the van; the third row folds down flat for extra storage if you only have four people riding; the back doors open with the push of a button- either in the back, in the front or on the keys; there's a special place for my purse so I don't have to ride with it at my feet anymore... I've only been in it for a combined total of maybe 20 minutes so I'm sure there will be other things I love about it but mainly, my little family of four can be comfortable and safe!

Our main method of entertainment for Liam was providing him with unlimited fruit snacks and letting him crawl around the cars that were on display inside.  Note: You may not want to buy cars that have been on display because more than likely there have been two desperate parents who let their child crawl around and drool all over said car.