While Jeremy & I were busy w/ getting the minivan, Ava & Drew found they had new cars when they got to Noni & Dandy's house. I think they liked them! ;)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The Saga of Buying the Minivan
Yep, that's right. I am now the proud owner of a minivan. I always said NEVER would I drive one. But, really....it just makes more sense. And no matter how I tried to come up with a solution, there was just no way 3 carseats would fit in my SUV.
It was quite a journey to get the van. We left our house yesterday morning at 8:00 to meet my parents in Waco. They took Ava & Drew home with them & Jeremy & I continued on to Dallas(we had found the best deal on both the new car & trade in there). Everything was going well..we made good time & stopped to eat lunch at Grandy's(I LOVE Grandy's!). About 5 minutes after leaving the parking lot, warning messages began popping up on the dash: battery is not recharging, engine is overheating. Then, the power steering went out. Thankfully Jeremy was driving, b/c I know I would have totally freaked out. But, he was able to calmly get us off the highway & into a parking lot.
**Did I mention that we were apx 10 MILES from the dealership!?!?**
Jeremy called AAA(thank you, Bill, for our memberships!!) & they sent a tow truck. He took us to the Saab dealership & they quickly worked us in. We headed down to the VW dealership, where they were holding our van, to check in & let them know what was going on.
Turned out the water pump & belt had to be replaced. The wonderful Saab service department got that all taken care for us by 5:00. Off to the VW dealership to sign all the paperwork.
Finally, after much stress & both of us completely worn out, we drove my new VW Routan off the lot. So, what should have been an 8 hr trip turned into a 12 hr trip!
We are very thankful that it didn't happen with me & the kids alone......that the tow truck was so quick getting to us....that the Saab service people worked us in & fixed it.....that the VW people patiently waited for us to get there.
Bye Bye Saab 97X:
Me in my new VW Routan:
It was quite a journey to get the van. We left our house yesterday morning at 8:00 to meet my parents in Waco. They took Ava & Drew home with them & Jeremy & I continued on to Dallas(we had found the best deal on both the new car & trade in there). Everything was going well..we made good time & stopped to eat lunch at Grandy's(I LOVE Grandy's!). About 5 minutes after leaving the parking lot, warning messages began popping up on the dash: battery is not recharging, engine is overheating. Then, the power steering went out. Thankfully Jeremy was driving, b/c I know I would have totally freaked out. But, he was able to calmly get us off the highway & into a parking lot.
**Did I mention that we were apx 10 MILES from the dealership!?!?**
Jeremy called AAA(thank you, Bill, for our memberships!!) & they sent a tow truck. He took us to the Saab dealership & they quickly worked us in. We headed down to the VW dealership, where they were holding our van, to check in & let them know what was going on.
Turned out the water pump & belt had to be replaced. The wonderful Saab service department got that all taken care for us by 5:00. Off to the VW dealership to sign all the paperwork.
Finally, after much stress & both of us completely worn out, we drove my new VW Routan off the lot. So, what should have been an 8 hr trip turned into a 12 hr trip!
We are very thankful that it didn't happen with me & the kids alone......that the tow truck was so quick getting to us....that the Saab service people worked us in & fixed it.....that the VW people patiently waited for us to get there.
Bye Bye Saab 97X:
Me in my new VW Routan:Monday, April 20, 2009
Rainy day activities
Last Thursday & Friday it rained...ALL DAY. I used to love rainy days: sleeping late, lounging & reading a good book. But, w/ 2 toddlers who REALLY REALLY want to go outside, it's not so great anymore! We quickly ran out of things to do. So if anyone has any great rainy day activities that always work, PLEASE feel free to comment! Hopefully it'll be a while before we need them again!
We watched some TV:
Built a fort:
We watched some TV:
Built a fort:
Watched the rain:
Read a book:
And wished the rain would end:
Read a book:And wished the rain would end:Water fun
Saturday, we bought the kiddos a water splash table. I had seen one in a catalogue & knowing how much they LOVE water, figured they'd enjoy it. So far, they have had a blast!! The 1st time Drew soaked himself, he was a little unsure if he liked it or not, but soon decided the wetter the better! :) Ava didn't mind getting wet either, though she'd prefer Drew not splash her.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Happy Easter!
*Adorable smocked outfits made by Noni*
Our attempts to get a cute family picture:
Noni, Dandy, Aunt Jess & Uncle Casey visited us for Easter weekend. We had lots of fun playing outside, coloring & hunting Easter eggs & eating lots of good food!
Noni, Dandy, Aunt Jess & Uncle Casey visited us for Easter weekend. We had lots of fun playing outside, coloring & hunting Easter eggs & eating lots of good food!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Mealtime Improvement
Mealtime around here has always been a little messy...OK, A LOT messy! About a month ago, I decided it was time to teach the kiddos how to eat like civilized people! A LARGE undertaking!!-or so I thought. It actually hasn't been that bad!
Step One: Civilized people don't throw their food on the floor.
We had a couple of different reasons for this: Drew, my picky eater, doesn't want to have anything on his tray that he doesn't like. So, he would throw ALL that he didn't like on the floor. To 'retrain' him, we would give him 3 chances & the 3rd time his tray would be taken away for 5 minutes. It really only took 3-4 times taking it away to stop him. I also added that he could put anything he didn't want on the table, & that seemed to make it ok. Within a week, my floor was MUCH cleaner after a meal.
Ava, who eats anything, has actually been a little more difficult. We still have some issues w/ her. She's a very good eater, but when she's finished she seems to get bored & will throw whatever is left on the floor. So, while we are trying to teach her NOT to do that...we just have to pay attention & take her tray away when she's done!
Step Two: Civilized people hold (to drink) their own cups.
Oddly enough, they have both been able to do this for months, but preferred to (again) throw the cups on the floor at mealtime. About 2 weeks ago, I decided it was time for them to get over that. That's gone fairly well, too. Drew, who loves to be praised, will put his on the table & clap for himself...we all join in & it's a game for him! Ava, stubborn as always, still tosses hers now & again...usually after waiting for me to look at her, just to be sure I know she's doing it on purpose!
Step Three: Civilized people eat off of plates.
Up until now, we've just put their food on their trays. Any attempt to put a plate or bowl on the tray, would end with it(you guessed it) on the floor. Recently, I've tried to put their dinner on plates a couple times(dinner is easiest b/c Jeremy is here to help) & they've seemed more open to the idea. So, this morning, they had waffles & bananas on plates. And it went GREAT! Both plates stayed flat on the tray & they seemed to have no problems eating off of them. I'm not going to assume it's a done deal, but at least this is progress!!
Step Four: Civilized people use utensils.
Step One: Civilized people don't throw their food on the floor.
We had a couple of different reasons for this: Drew, my picky eater, doesn't want to have anything on his tray that he doesn't like. So, he would throw ALL that he didn't like on the floor. To 'retrain' him, we would give him 3 chances & the 3rd time his tray would be taken away for 5 minutes. It really only took 3-4 times taking it away to stop him. I also added that he could put anything he didn't want on the table, & that seemed to make it ok. Within a week, my floor was MUCH cleaner after a meal.
Ava, who eats anything, has actually been a little more difficult. We still have some issues w/ her. She's a very good eater, but when she's finished she seems to get bored & will throw whatever is left on the floor. So, while we are trying to teach her NOT to do that...we just have to pay attention & take her tray away when she's done!
Step Two: Civilized people hold (to drink) their own cups.
Oddly enough, they have both been able to do this for months, but preferred to (again) throw the cups on the floor at mealtime. About 2 weeks ago, I decided it was time for them to get over that. That's gone fairly well, too. Drew, who loves to be praised, will put his on the table & clap for himself...we all join in & it's a game for him! Ava, stubborn as always, still tosses hers now & again...usually after waiting for me to look at her, just to be sure I know she's doing it on purpose!
Step Three: Civilized people eat off of plates.
Up until now, we've just put their food on their trays. Any attempt to put a plate or bowl on the tray, would end with it(you guessed it) on the floor. Recently, I've tried to put their dinner on plates a couple times(dinner is easiest b/c Jeremy is here to help) & they've seemed more open to the idea. So, this morning, they had waffles & bananas on plates. And it went GREAT! Both plates stayed flat on the tray & they seemed to have no problems eating off of them. I'm not going to assume it's a done deal, but at least this is progress!!
Step Four: Civilized people use utensils.
This one could be interesting.....let's make sure the 1st 3 stick before moving on! :)
Friday, April 3, 2009
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