Last weekend we went and looked a new vehicle. We’ve known for a while that we have to get something (I can’t fit three carseats in my car). I had my heart set on a slightly larger SUV than I currently have. We test drove the car I had been dreaming about, and even got to the number crunching stage. We had the deal almost set and Dave and I decided to go grab lunch to talk about it before finalizing it all.

At the diner we realized that it wouldn’t work for us. While the bigger SUV could fit the number of people we needed it to (and then some) we wouldn’t be able to easily access all three children in their carseats. At this point Adam can’t buckle or unbuckle himself (which I’m fine with, the last thing I need is him bailing ship while I’m driving), so our original plan of putting him in the third row of seats and Luke and the new baby in the middle row, wasn’t really feasible. Plus the third row of seats didn’t have the latch system we like to use while installing the carseats (we’re able to get them in much more securely using the latches instead of just the seat belts).

We came home and researched as many other options as possible. What it comes down to isn’t so much the number of kids we have, but the ages of them. I have little kids and without a DeLorean with a flux capacitor that’s not going to change (for the record – DeLoreans aren’t really carseat friendly either). We did find a couple of options that we might be able to make work for the three children we’ll have in May, but there is no way we’d be able to make it work if we decide to have a fourth child.

So just like that, my SUV dreams were crushed and I found myself smack dab in the middle of minivan territory (a place I vehemently swore I’d never go). It took me two days to grieve the loss of the SUV I’d wanted (a bit melodramatic perhaps, but hey, it’s being replaced with a MINIVAN). Then I joined Dave in the hunt and started looking around online at our options. We had it narrowed down to two and decided to go look at the front runner today.

We were just planning on looking at it and possibly test driving, so we took the boys with us.

Luke’s test drive

Redneck playpen

Adam at the wheel

Luke took a nap in the floor model

We ended up being there much longer than we anticipated (about three hours longer by my count). We did end up getting a van though and will pick it up in a few days.

Now I just need to sign Adam up for soccer and get a little stick figure family for the rear window (that was total sarcasm, if you couldn’t tell). I’ll drive the minivan, and I’m incredibly thankfully for the little people that make it necessary, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.