A New Car!!

Okay, we don't actually HAVE a new car, but now it's time to start SHOPPING for a new car.  The last time we bought a new car was in the year 2001, and after having twins, we decided that we had become a minivan family.  We got the most beautiful car - a 2001 Caravan.  I have LOVED this car.  The roomiest car ever, but still drives like a car rather than a big ol' SUV.  That car took us from one coast to another, more than once.  It has taken our family of four to a family of seven, with camping trips, family vacations, trips to the school, church, and the park.  You name it, that car has BEEN there for us! After 150,000 miles, it's still purring along and taking us where we need to be.  So, shopping for a NEW car doesn't even sound fun to me.  I want THIS one.  MINE.

Alas, it is time for a new car.  A seven passenger will no longer meet our needs.  But who wants a huge SUV which is difficult to park, or a very UNcool van??

So, what do I do?  I'm open for suggestions.  I love my Caravan.  There are other minivans out there that are eight passengers vans.  But they don't have a whole lot of space for our camping gear for our family trips.  And I'm thinking that we will be wanting to be able to tow trailers too.  So, maybe we need an SUV.  But the smaller 8 passenger SUV's don't have much cargo room either.  Could I really handle a Suburban or some other monster?  Certaninly, no big van.  I just don't think I'm there yet.

Birthdays Past

Well. My new years resolutions have gone very well so far. Except the one about blogs!! (Two a month! Guess I blew that one!) Who knew it would actually be detrimental to set a resolution? I haven't totally given up, though. Here are a few pictures to get me back into the game.

I turned 8 1/2 this year. Wahoo! We celebrated my birthday very late because I was out of town all week before my birthday, got home late Saturday night, high-fived it with Cannon, and he took off early Sunday morning and was gone for a week. Funny - after all of his years as an active duty submariner, he never missed any major holidays or any birthdays. But this year, he has or will have missed multiple birthdays. Yay for reserves! That's okay though - it's a small price to pay. The big celebration was that Cannon managed to find me a Carvel ice cream cake! Since I was a kid, that has been a tradition for me. There is no ice cream cake like Carvel ice cream cake! We haven't been able to find it anywhere for the past few years. I haven't even really enjoyed ice cream much for the past couple of years. But this year - it was perfect!

Jackson and Jordan have now officially had more birthdays than me! They are 9! And wow, they are grown up now! Every age is fun - I love to see how they grow and overcome the challenges of childhood.

Here is a picture of our backyard two weeks ago. We have had a crazy spring! The poor fruit trees can hardly tell which season it is, and the kids are pretty confused too. I am hoping that was the very last of the snow, because the cherry trees are blossoming, and the rest of the trees are soon to follow. Yay for spring!

And here is crazy Eli. He is here in our home to make me laugh and to keep me sane. He has the funniest expressions sometimes! And he somehow knows when I need a good snuggle. Such a sweetheart. He will be two in August, but I think he will always be my baby!