Minivans & Mom-Jeans!

I can still remember dreaming about the day I'd be able to drive and what kind of car my parents would purchase for me! Was I going to be a cute civic kind of girl? A "wind blowing through your hair" convertible kind of girl? Or maybe even a "sporty - truck driving" kind of girl? Little did I know that I'd be driving a teal Geo Storm that seemed to be a magnet drawn to curbs, parking garages, or other vehicles! Ha!

I say all of this because throughout my driving life, I always dreamed of my next car and what it would be and how cute or cool I'd look! Never once, not once, did I ever dream of driving a minivan! That is, until I was about 6 months pregnant with Brycen! Even with Skylar, I wanted a Tahoe or Sequoia...or any nice SUV but NOT a minivan! Try as he may, Matthew was never going to convince me to get one! So here I was, enormous belly, trying to get Skylar in and out of my Explorer while the car next to me is parked so close I can only manage to open her door just a smidge! It was at that moment, squeezed into a small space with her, my belly and the door that I realized - I can't do this anymore! This is nuts! So I agreed to go LOOK (emphasis on look-only) at the new Sienna's that just came out! My dad joined us because he too was interested in what they looked like and he was also team Matthew on this one! Thanks dad!

So we went to take a look and Matthew insisted on me driving one! To keep peace, I consented but not without a few growls and eye-rolls! We hop in, listen to the guy in the backseat talk about all the "amazing features" and I slowly begin to merge onto the freeway! Suddenly, I fell head over heels in love! The comfort, the space, the heated seats...it all won me over! Matthew smiled proudly as we cruised around and a few weeks later - I got my own!

I find myself giggling at times at all the "mom things" that I've been suckered into! The things that 20 year old Sarah would NEVER do! I mean, a minivan for crying out loud?!!! And that's just a small sliver of it! I traded in designer shoes for sneakers, name brand makeup for cover girl (not a bad choice, either), 100 different styles of jeans for 100 different styles of sweats or "workout" pants....the list goes on! I even cloth diaper!! That's right, I get down and dirty (literally) to try and save a couple bucks and the toxic waste on the environment! And you know the best part of all of it, I'd do it all again in a second! I wouldn't give up one part of my life as it is today for even 2 seconds of my life before kids! My world is my kids!!! So bring on the boogies, the boo-boo's, the dirty "cloth" diapers, the colored walls, the spaghetti painted tables, and the 100 loads of laundry because when Skylar looks at me and says "I yuv u mama", or when Brycen snuggles deep in my chest and lets out an "I love you" sigh - it's ALL worth it!