Boy Oh Boyers

I did love our little Mazda minivan for many reasons, but for many more reasons it was time for an upgrade. We have been shopping for almost a year now, trying to decide what made the most sense for our goals. They were highly varied goals: I like to have fun when I drive, be able to take corners without practically coming to a stop, and pass pretty much any car I want to. I also want lots of space for kids, friends, the dog, and big stuff like scuba gear.

Aside: Rowan just woke up, and he's sitting at the top of our stairs. He said, "Mommy, I had a dream. I dreamt that we saw our old minivan again. I didn't have any of those big-dragons-killing-me dreams that I have sometimes. I think it is because before I went to sleep Daddy prayed for me."

Anyway, we test drove just about every minivan out there, and a really cute Ford crossover that I loved (and could have gotten in turbo!) but ultimately just would not have met the practical goals that I held equally important to the fun goals. We've ended up buying a Honda Odyssey, in a day-long marathon of activity that itself turned out to be quite an adventure. We spent so much time with the salesperson Natalie that I had to snap her picture while she was gassing up our new van! Rowan wants you to know that he was inside that van while she was putting gas in it. :)

I started to write this post as just a way to share Rowan's cute drawing -- but I soon realized I couldn't actually write the post without quoting Rowan, and in the quote I'll be revealing our new baby's name! What better way to share it? So here's the story:

Rowan asked for markers and paper, and ten minutes later showed me this drawing. He explained every part of it. It's Mommy, and above her head are fireworks of different shapes: some square fireworks, some stars, and some regular ones. Also a fish tank with minnows. Mommy is wearing earrings and carrying a book. And those five circles on Mommy's tummy? Those are Alder's toes kicking inside Mommy's belly! So there you have it; the new baby will be named Alder Russell Boyer. He is an extremely active baby at almost 8 months gestation; he kicks around so much that it's visible on a regular basis from several feet away (so I'm told). Rowan loves talking to Alder, feeling him kick, and telling him, "Oh baby brother, I love you so much!"