Vehicular update

In anticipation of our upcoming bundle of joy and his accompanying big, bulky car seat, we began minivan-shopping in late July. Now, before you send us your condolences, we are totally fine with owning, driving, and therefore being seen in a minivan. We already own a station wagon, so clearly we're not that hung up on driving "cool" "cars". And really, I wouldn't put it past me to single-handedly change the image of the minivan for the better. I'm pretty sure I am that awesome.

We did a bit o' internet shopping and reading and then test-driving. Chuck focused on things like how the engine looked/sounded, how it drove, and the mileage and I focused on how much room I would have to crawl back and buckle wee children in the third row and how cute I looked sitting in it. We each brought a lot to the process.

We quickly found that the Chevrolet Uplander was the minivan for us; then it became a matter of finding the right Uplander. We looked at four pretty seriously: two were rejected for engine issues, one didn't have rear a/c (nooo thanks) and also it was gold (ditto) and the fourth seemed to be an excellent fit.

Just to make sure, we took the boys with us to test drive that one. Don't worry, we waited until after we had handed over the check before letting them climb over the seats :).

Here's a shot of the new ride!! . . . although this makes it look like it's as long as a limousine. I promise it's not.

The same day we brought home the Chevy, the Saturn got jealous and became very attention-seeking. As in the water pump went out. Now, that would have run us somewhere around $500-600 at the shop to get fixed but instead my awesome husband got ambitious and went all DIY on its, um, engine:

$70 for the part and a few hours later and the Saturn is running b-e-a-utifully. Thanks honey, you're my hero! (But stop asking if you now get to go out and spend $500 on something else you want. It doesn't work that way).

Unfortunately the truck's issues went beyond Chuck's fixing ability and its overall worth, so we had to part ways.
We bought this '88 Ford Ranger back in April of 2005 for $750. It was an excellent truck for the last six years, all things considered. It started having some serious problems earlier this year and finally gave up the ghost about a month ago, so we sold it to the junkyard for a sweet $300.

The little boys and I will miss piling in together (Beverly Hillbillies-style) and cruising around town, but I'm pretty sure we'll get over it. The truck and its habit of dying mid-right turn did provide good gospel teaching moments, though, as Clyde was ready each time to offer a prayer that it would start again and get us where we were going.

So the other day when Chuck and Clyde were adorning the new ride with a Boise State Broncos sticker on the rear side windows, I mentioned something to Chuck about other bumper stickers. He promptly vetoed the idea; I think he thought I was envisioning something like this:

Which, for the record, I was not. I actually am really not a bumper sticker person either. Buuut I did spend some time pondering and googling which ones I would commit to . . . because, you know, why not?

This one would obviously make the cut in an effort to make the minivan more legit.

And then this would cancel out any street cred provided by the previous one. . .

This one just made me laugh, and continues to each time I see it. I don't even know why; it just does.

I laughed at this one because, I kid you not, it was on the bumper of the station wagon my mom drove during my teenage years.

I'm cheesy and slightly idealistic, so I'd definitely stick one of these on there.

This is as far as I'd go, politically. Honestly, most political bumper stickers (on either side) are just really mean-spirited which isn't really how I roll.

There are a ton of autism-related bumper stickers out there; I thought this one was cute.

As is this one.

This one is sweet. And true. Although I'd probably grab my sharpie and add "But seriously, my hands really are full." And then when I'm wrestling Will as I carry him to the car whenever we leave church/the store/my mom's house/basically anywhere, people could nod knowingly :).

Then my hypothetically bumper sticker-loving self felt guilty about only focusing on one son's medical/health issues so I turned my attention to Clyde.

Unfortunately, there is a serious lack of Hirschsprung's-related paraphernalia out there; this sad/hard-to-read bumper sticker was the only one I could find. Then I realized Clyde would probably not love a reference to his intestinal disease plastered on the back of the family minivan, so I tried to find something a little more his style.

Success. I'm actually a little worried for Chuck to see this one; he might backpedal and make an exception for it. . .

Little schoolboys

(As I read the deluge of 'first day of school' blog posts the last few weeks, I was pretty psyched about two things: one, that my last 'first day of school' was two years ago and I never, never have to go back and two, that I actually had cute school lads to post about this year. Naturally, that didn't help this post get written in any kind of timely manner, but what are you gonna do?)

Clyde started kindergarten a couple of weeks ago! His birthday fell right on the deadline, meaning that Chuck and I could choose whether to start him this year or wait another year, which I really didn't want to do since the poor kid is soooo academically ready. Unfortunately, he's not physically ready for the all-day kindergarten that Nampa switched to last year, so we opted for an online/homeschool program.

One benefit of home schooling is that students are able to pack (fake) heat. Ahhh, home schooling and children with toy guns - two things I swore I'd never be party to :).

So far it's going really well. We work for a couple of hours each day, usually at the kitchen table. He's a pretty independent worker which means I can multitask . . . unfortunately this also means I no longer have any excuse to avoid the dishes :(.

The next week it was time for Will's first day of preschool!
We may have had a semi-late evening the night before, which meant that Will only woke up about twenty minutes before the bus came to pick him up, hence the slightly 'out of it' look he's sporting.

Luckily Clyde was there to help him smile :).

And seeing the bus roll up got a genuine smile out of the wee one!

And after one more big brotherly hug from Clyde . . .

it was time to get on the bus! I was relieved to see that he has the same bus driver and attendant as he did last spring; it made sending him off much easier.

And this is the happy face that came home to us a few hours later! Obviously a great first day :).

And speaking of first days of school, my mom had hers this past Tuesday. She's teaching a sixth grade class in a small town near Twin Falls. We were able to stop for a visit on our drive home from picking up our minivan the week before, and it was fun to see her school and visualize where she'll be spending so much of her time this coming year. Send her good thoughts - her class is comprised of 8 girls and 20 boys, yikes :) (Good thing I get my affection for boys from her; she'll handle them all just fine!).

We went to Utah! (a month ago . . .)

So while Chuck was off traipsing about in the mountains last month, the little boys and I opted to get out of town and head south. My mom had also been pondering a visit to Utah, so she hopped in the car with us and away we went. It was a really nice trip, simultaneously very relaxing and extremely exhausting (let's just say I have more empathy for homeless people who have to sleep in their cars because I did it two different nights on the trip . . . but we'll get back to that).

Cute little road tripper #1 . . .

and cute little road tripper #2.

We started in Provo to visit Quinn and Eden for a couple of days. Sam and Terri and Bailey came down from Salt Lake and we headed to Provo Canyon for a picnic dinner.
Will was delighted to be reunited with Aunt Eden and worked hard to ensure she was always within an arm's reach, lest they be separated again.

Clyde took advantage of the situation and monopolized Unky Quinn's attention for some one-on-one soccer instruction.

Sam and Quinn entertained us all with their frisbee-playing, and Bailey entertained us all with her absolute adorableness! Minus the time where Sam freaked me out into thinking Clyde had taken a tumble down the little rock wall and I called him a slightly (well, very) bad word, it was a really fun evening (and honestly, it was actually pretty fun to call him the bad word considering he basically gave me a heart attack).

Then we headed to Quinn and Eden's apartment, where we found these excellent guest room accommodations! We timed our trip well since this was their last few days in their two bedroom apartment before they swapped for a one-bedroom for the school year :).

The Braden Casa stay also came with an excellent homemade dinner the next night. It seriously warmed my heart to see my baby brother in the kitchen making dinner with his wife. He's so grown up!

We may have fit in a couple games of Settlers, neither of which I won. Grandma Pam won the first go-round and . . .

Quinn and Eden, aka Queden, claimed victory the second game.

The first morning we were there, Quinn and Eden made us delicious waffles for breakfast. The second morning Will and I provided a healthy meal of Lucky Charms, orange juice, and donuts as a peace offering for waking everyone up in the middle of the night.

Will has had trouble sleeping on occasion and about once a month wakes up crying and completely inconsolable. It isn't a night terror, thank the heavens, just a really vocally sad baby who wants me, then doesn't want me, then wants a movie, but does NOT want a movie, etc. It had happened the night before we drove to Utah, so I was extra distraught that the previously rare occurrence was repeating itself just two nights later. I ended up sticking him in the car and we listened to Primary music and I hooked myself up with a hot chocolate (love 24 hour McDonald's drive-thru!). Will fell asleep in the car and woke up quite angry when I attempted to take him into the apartment, so he and I slept in the car the rest of the night - which luckily was only about three more hours. (Also, no worries, we were in a well-lit parking lot of an apartment building about thirty feet from Quinn and Eden's front door and the car was locked and my drooling self could not have looked that tantalizing to passers-by with less than honorable intentions).

Luckily Quinn and Eden were incredibly sweet and forgave us readily, as did Grandma Pam and Clyde!

After breakfast and a quick tour of Quinn and Eden's new apartment, we went to visit Sam and Terri for the afternoon.
The only picture I took was this one of Will enjoying Bailey's princesses, but rest assured we all had a very fun time. We played Settlers, of course, and once again I did not win, of course, but good job to Sam!

Then the little boys and I headed to visit the Littlewoods!
The kids were shy for about three minutes and then settled in to play like normal - and had SO much fun jumping in the sprinkler on the trampoline.

We only stayed one night but it was so nice to see them and catch up. A big thanks to McKay for watching all the kids that evening so Lynndi and I could make a child-free Target run :).

Unfortunately, that night Will was up again, this time around 2:30am. And his crying woke up Clyde, who was grumpy, and Lynndi, who was (as always) incredibly sweet and understanding. Still after a half-hour of crying with no end in sight, I opted to toss (well, you know, buckle) both kids in the car. We stuck the Primary CD in and drove and drove and the boys fiiiinally fell asleep. This time I didn't even attempt to move back inside, I just parked in their driveway, reclined my seat, and got comfortable.

Following this adventure, google and I spend some serious time together and I discovered that children with autism don't release melatonin (aka the sleep hormone) appropriately. I had heard of giving children with sleep issues very small doses of melatonin before bed but I hadn't looked into it until now. So I got the go-ahead from our pediatrician and did some more reading and then picked some up that day and we've used it regularly since. Will still has sleep issues (some nights he's up until the wee, wee hours of the morning) but we haven't had any more inconsolable crying episodes, praise the heavens.

So our morning with Littlewoods was extra low-key since we were all pretty tired and I was learning all about melatonin, but it was so great for the kids to see each other and for Lynndi and I to talk in person instead of on the phone!!

Our trip ended in Kays, where I got to meet this darling baby:

Sweet Anna Sierra, our newest niece on Chuck's side! Amanda and Steve did good work :).

And in case you, like me, can't get enough of her cuteness, here's one of her fancy newborn pictures that Melissa took.

While I cuddled with Anna, Uncle Steve and Clyde did some male bonding, starting with throwing darts and ending with weight lifting :).

That night we stayed with the lovely and always hospitable Smiths. Gloria made enchiladas for dinner, which despite being comprised of two food items that I've admittedly struggled with during my pregnancy (chicken and tortillas), were delicious and I keep forgetting to clarify that to her :). Of course, I'm of the opinion that Gloria could cook a meal made entirely of my least favorite foods and I would still ask for seconds. She's that good.

No Heidi and Courtney (don't even get me started on how sad I was that I couldn't see either one of them this trip!!) equaled a serious lack of picture-taking, but I did get this one of Clyde and Big Will before we piled into the car. Clyde seriously loves Big Will; it's adorable. Will had to mow the lawn while we were there, so Clyde dutifully accompanied him outside to provide protection from the always present battle droids :).

And then it was time to head back to Idaho!
We made a pit stop on the way home so Grandma Pam could pick some things up at her new school in Hansen, Idaho which provided the boys a nice break to get out and wrestle.

I opted for a hug instead of a tackle.

And then we were home and reunited with Chuck, who made us this awesome sign! He and Clyde had agreed that whoever got home first would be in charge of a 'welcome home' sign, and Chuck beat us by about eighteen hours :). It was an excellent end to an excellent trip!!

Clyde Monster is FIVE

My dear, darling Clyde turned five this past week, and as is my yearly tradition, I was completely perplexed as to how I could possibly have a child so old and grown up and darling.

We celebrated a few days early so that Grandma Pam and Unky Cody and the Daniels could come party with us.

The lovely cake! Baked by Jana, frosted by Nicole, decorated with legos by Chuck.

Clyde's very excited face at seeing his new legos. Of course, he quickly pointed out that during construction, Chuck had inadvertently mixed up the guns on the little troopers. I would share the exact reprimand, but I can rarely follow Clyde when he's rattling on about ARF troopers and pistols and rifles and clone troopers and helmets and so on :).

Will may have gotten caught up in the moment and helped his older brother blow out the candles . . .

Then it was time for some presents. Because I'm a mom and I'm boring, Clyde got new clothes, most notably a Boise State sweatshirt and a Clone Wars t-shirt. Grandma Pam and Cody got Clyde a Clone Wars ball and a badminton set, which Clyde has already played with extensively :).

Grandma Izatt hooked Clyde up with some new Clifford books and stuffed animals.

Chuck took the cake by insisting on obtaining a marble run for Clyde. And yes, Will attended the shindig half dressed. My mother-in-law's comment a couple posts back about the 'painting clothes' worn by the little boys (aka no clothes) made me laugh because, honestly, those are their summer wardrobes - especially Will. He strips himself down to a diaper daily and as long as we're not going anywhere, we go with it - I'm all about choosing my battles!

Clyde playing with the finished product. Despite my objections to the purchase (I cringe at toys with lots of small parts that I will either be asked to assemble or will find myself tripping over/stepping on frequently), I have to admit that it has provided several hours of entertainment for the little boys this week.

Clyde's actual birthday was pretty chill; he and Chuck ran errands in the morning (including a stop to the library for new Clone Wars DVD's) and he picked Taco Bell for dinner. Here he is getting a special birthday hug from Will . . . in front of our new minivan, hooray! (More on that awesome acquisition later).

Clyde is absolutely my favorite oldest child. He's caring and sensitive and sweet and brilliant and sometimes maddening and loves snuggles and Star Wars and sandwiches and he is the best, most protective older brother to Will that we could ever ask for. As we put the boys to bed after the party, Clyde very solemnly informed us that someone needed to stay awake in the living room all night to protect his new legos and toys from thieves, ghosts and/or battle droids. I agreed to do the job and he equipped me with some 'detonators' (aka a bouncy ball and his new Clone Wars ball) and then reassured us that he was armed with his beloved DC-15 blaster and would protect Will. And being the hormonal pregnant individual that I am, I totally had to blink back tears. He is forever telling Will that he loves him and that he's the best brother ever and when they're not testing out crazy wrestling moves on each other, they're often hugging for no reason. The first thing Will does when wakes up is ask where Clyde is ('Where Cly??'). Their sweet relationship is one of the main reasons I'm so excited to have another little boy join our family.

And that was Clyde's birthday!