Life BC- The Cars

When Jason and I first met, we had four cars between the two of us.  At first I thought it was because he was so rich, but I quickly learned the story behind each car.  But I'll start with me first.

This was my first car- a 1994 Hyundai S Coupe (nicknamed The Scoop).  I bought it for $3,000 with the help of my dad the summer before my senior year of high school.  I LOVED this car.  I thought it looked cool.  I still think it looks cool!  It had tinted windows, a little spoiler on the back, and my parents gave me a CD player to replace the tape player not long after I bought it.  The day after I graduated from high school, my dad and I loaded up the Scoop and drove across the country- Virginia to Rexburg Idaho in 3 days.  I think my parents were worried that the car wouldn't make it all the way across the country, but I knew better.  Of course, I had never heard such grinding and groaning as we forced it over the Rocky Mountains.  But once we were safe in Idaho, this car stuck with me another 4 years- until I met Jason and we decided to sell it (I got $1,200 for it, to my dad's complete and utter shock).  This car will forever remind me of my college days- the true days of Life Before Children, Life Before Marriage, and even Life Before Responsibility.  I have great memories with this car.

This was Jason's piece of junk Ford Explorer that was sitting under a tarp, haunting his mother's driveway when we first met.  As is the case with most Explorers, this car started out great but quickly turned into nothing but trouble.  It even left Jason stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere (Cisco, Utah, anyone?) with his sister Jenny, only to be towed back to Colorado by his dad.  I have no idea what Jason's plans were for this car, but as soon as I had the chance, I convinced him to sell it for scrap metal to the junk yard.  Easiest $400 we ever made!

This was the car that Jason took on our first date- a 2002 Mercury Cougar (nicknamed The Poo that Wouldn't Flush) that he bought on eBay in Massachusetts and drove across the country back to Utah on a trip with his sister that I am still completely jealous of.  He bought this car as a favor to a girl in our ward, and after delivering it to her doorstep, she changed her mind.  And thus it became Jason's third car.  We made a deal that this car would be sold before we got married, but that didn't happen.  Although there were a few "tense" moments in dealing with this car, it was a real lesson-learner for us, and helped shape who we are and what we believe today.   I never thought I was much of a car girl (you know, the kind who was interested in a guy based on the car he drives) but this car was fast and shiny, and it certainly didn't diminish my interest in Jason.

This is the car that Jason and I intended to keep for our married life, or at least what was left of it after we were rear-ended on State Street in Orem, UT by a 16-year-old punk kid who was driving his father's car like "a bat out of hell".  At least that's what the police report said.  We never saw him coming.  We were trying to turn left onto the busy road but couldn't get across all of the lanes in time, so I suggested that Jason turn right and then flip around.  The road was clear, and I was looking down in my lap, counting money, when the next thing I knew, we were spinning around, barely missing oncoming traffic.  I never knew what whiplash really was until we got into that accident.  I was supposed to be traveling to Idaho for a bridal shower with my mom and sisters, but instead spent the evening in an ambulance, an X-ray machine, and then subsequently doped up on muscle relaxers at my parent's house.  I spent the evening in their jetted tub, Jason spent the evening watching basketball with my dad and brothers.  The car didn't make it, and after we got the check from the insurance company, we were on a mission to buy a new car. 

 

The insurance company gave us something like $4300 and a weekend with the rental car.  So we were on a mission to find- what else?- a white sedan!  Not really- it was purely coincidental that 4 of our first 5 cars were white sedans.  Jason basically let me choose the car I wanted, and I had my eye on a black Mitsubishi Mirage in Sandy.  I have very cheap taste in cars, I realize this.  We checked one out in West Jordan first that was the right price, but it had a few cosmetic issues and not much "vroom" to it, so we headed over to the black one.  It was out of our price range, but we were hoping to talk the guy down with the allure of paying 100% cash.  But it was a no go.  Not only did we NOT buy the car, the salesman actually laughed us out of his double-wide trailer office when we told him we couldn't afford to pay a penny extra (at least that's how I remember it). 

Discouraged, we headed back to our rental car to review our options.  We were running out of time with the rental car.  We couldn't afford to buy a more expensive car, but we did not want to get a car loan.  We were too poor and uncertain about our income to consider car debt (I was working a student job at BYU that would end with my graduation in 2 months, and Jason was working as a teacher at the MTC- also a job with a limited timeline).  Plus we were still carrying the weight of the Cougar around with us- we were determined to stick within our cash budget.

At that very moment, the car dealer from the first car called us up to tell us he had "talked to his manager" and that he was willing to go down on the price of the car.  Jason told him we weren't interested in driving clear across the valley- again- unless he could give us the car for $4000, including tax, tags, and licensing.  And he said yes!  The paperwork was ready when we got back over there, the guy offered Jason a JOB for driving such a hard bargain, and Mitsy officially became part of our family.  

This was the car my brothers destroyed on our wedding day- cornflakes, Oreos, streamers, and countless unmentionables made the car undriveable without a stop at the car wash first- on our wedding day!  The car we drove all over Utah on our honeymoon.  The car we drove to Denver in countless times.  The car we drove to my parents house countless times.  The car I drove to work every day for 2 and a half years.  The car we drove to the hospital in as a family of 2, and left 5 days later as a family of 3.  I loved this car, and was really sad when we decided to sell it to make room for our growing family.  

5 years and 60,000 miles after we bought it, we sold it for $2,000.  That money went directly toward the car we drive today- affectionately nicknamed Fat A** (only by me, Jason doesn't swear)- and we've never looked back.  A car is just a car, yes, but each one represents a stage of our lives that was slowly driving us toward who we are today.

The Next Partridge Family?

"Sing with me, Adam!  I'll play the piano and you do the drums!"

Mommy-Son Date

I've been looking forward to one-on-one time with Adam since Leah started Joy School, but have found that those precious 2 1/2 hours can quickly disappear in the name of housework and errands.  Not very fun for Adam.  This morning we had our first official Mommy-Son date to the fire station!  Adam was not at all interested in the firemen or climbing through the truck, but he loved the dalmatian, and said "woo-woo" when they turned on the truck lights.  I'd say that makes it a hit!

We went to this same fire station last year around this time last year.  2 month old Adam screamed the whole time, Leah met many of her now- friends for the first time, and good grief! that baby weight hadn't even thought about budging yet!  What a difference a year makes.

Best Friends

When you're the best of friends
Having so much fun together

...
Life's a happy game
You could clown around forever

...
You're the best of friends

The Climber

I never understood before what parents meant when they talked about climbers.  Sure, Leah climbed a bit, but with Adam, climbing appears to be a need.  He CANNOT just sit in the chair.  He has to smack it, pull himself up on it, turn around and sit on it, stand up on it, attempt to climb over it, then sit back down, slide back down to the ground, and start all over again.  This is especially enjoyable during church.

Of course, in some ways it's great- 
he can get himself on and off the slide.

 And in some ways it's just funny-

"How did I get all the way up here?!"

But I have at least a dozen mini heart attacks a day watching him climb- 

on and off the bed, on and off the toilet, on and off the piano.  

 I think I need to join a Parents-of-Climbers support group.

*****

 I mentioned here that Adam has started throwing fits.  

I think it's pretty much adorable (for now).

And I mentioned here that he has the sign for "more!" down pat.  

Here it is in action- mostly used when yelling 

"cookiecookiecookie" 

isn't getting the results he was looking for.

Oh!  This sweet little boy- I just love him so much!

As She Sees It

The world from the eyes of Leah.  

 What are Thing 1 and Thing 2 doing on my brand new piano?!

It's Just Not Fair

My day started reaallly early.  As in 3:45 early.  After I made the mistake of giving in to naptime for Leah yesterday, she was up until 9:30 last night, playing with toys and basically doing whatever she wanted upstairs.  Then she decided that 3:45 in the morning was the ideal time to take a trip to the bathroom, only to inform me that she needed some, ahem, personal attention. 

Around that same time, one of our 6 smoke alarms started chirping, begging for new batteries.  (6?  Really?  Is there such a thing as too many smoke alarms?  I think yes.) 

Then Leah appeared in our bed around 6:00, and I finally gave up and got out of the bed at 6:45.  I folded some laundry, put away the dishes, CLEANED THE STOVE, and took a shower, all with no effort to be the least bit quiet.  But nothing.  Suddenly sleep is the most important thing in the world.

At 8:05, she looked like this.

We had to leave for Joy School at 8:40.  So I turned on the ceiling fan in hopes of freezing her out of my bed (I'm a mean, mean mommy, I know).  It worked, and we were on our way. 

Cut to this afternoon, when I'm dragging like a zombie (why?  why did I got to bed at 11:30 last night?) and Adam has gone down for a nap.  Determined to not let Leah sleep, I set her up with books, crayons, coloring books and snacks.  I sit down to check my email, and turn around to find this.

I'm trying to get her on a normal schedule.  (One in which she goes to bed at a decent hour and I don't have to wait until 10:00 in the morning to get anywhere.)  Really I am.  But it's not working, and it's just not fair.  That should be me on that couch!

The Seven Year Itch

When Jason and I got married, we dreamed big. We dreamed about building a family, a home, a life together. We were going to travel, get rich, and have a love story that would make others chartreuse with envy. And we were surrounded by loving family and friends who were (and still are!) cheering us on, praying we would make it. The best part was that all of these people were giving us- just giving us!-gifts to show their support. It amazed me that people were giving us dishes, lamps, even cash, just because we had fallen in love.

Of course, we scrimped and saved for all of the big ticket items- the kitchen table and chairs were on layaway for a month before we saved up enough to take them home, our couches were serendipitously selected and paid for with cash, and our bed was the first purchase we made after our honeymoon (it should have been taken care of well before that!).

Everything was new! And clean! And fingerprint smudge-free. Setting up house was exhilarating, and a great symbol of the fresh new life we were beginning together.

And now, nearly seven years later, everything is old, tired, and dirty. The trade-off is, of course, completely worth it, but it has really come to my attention lately that we just don't have many nice things. We haven't replaced much of anything since we've gotten married- the carefully selected couches are now threadbare and stained on both sides of the cushions (darn it, we can't just flip them over anymore!), the surround sound DVD player that we bought on a great sale with a few wedding gift cards doesn't play any sound for the first 5 minutes it's on, and the matching coffee and end table that my brothers and sisters gave us as a wedding gift are No. 1 on my list of things that will not make the next move with us. Everything is just worn.

I look around and get the itch to throw it all out and start over again. This sounds familiar... Have you heard of the concept of the 7-year itch? According to Google-

In short it is a relationship term - usually after 7 years people tend to re-evaluate their relationship. Supposedly, after being married for seven years, you start looking at other options. Hence you have an itch to scratch. In layman's terms, one is expected to leave/cheat at this time.

I've evaluated our relationship more than once in the last seven years, and I'm quite happy to report that there is no itch to leave. While getting a sneak peak of this post, Jason gasped and said, "That's horrible! I had no idea that even existed!" Apparently it's not a concern for him, either.

The abandon hope feeling about our stuff is a complete contrast to the way we feel about our commitment to each other. Thankfully.

I love this talk. I especially love this quote:

If you want something to last forever, you treat it differently.
You shield it and protect it.
You never abuse it.
You don’t expose it to the elements.
You don’t make it common or ordinary.
If it ever becomes tarnished, you lovingly polish it until it gleams like new.
It becomes special because you have made it so, and it grows more beautiful and precious as time goes by.

I'm realizing that even though the stuff around us is beginning to really show the wear and tear of the years as they go by, our relationship is different. We won't be trading in for something new, we'll continue to work together and become even better than we were before. It is wonderful to realize that this investment is one that will bring us many returns, instead of many replacements.

And in a fantastic leap of topics, I'm excited to announce that today, for the first time in quite a while, we acquired a shiny new (to us) something!
A piano has been on my list of dreams that I hope come true someday for quite a while now, and today, Jason made it happen. You could say this piano represents the realization of dreams coming true together, even (or especially) seven years later. Another dream come true. Another piece of furniture to smudge. It's a wonderful dream we're making come true, and I'll take it all!

(Assuming that no one really wants to see pictures of my dirty furniture, this post is instead sprinkled with pictures of our first family trip with the Morales Ladies- St. George 2004)

Weekly Update

I used to capture so many snapshots of my days on this blog. Lately, it's been one or two mass postings a week to catch up on the goings-on of our family.

This post is no exception.

I have discovered three things that have made our weekly grocery shopping trips much more endurable- 1. Aldi's. 2. Giant carts with seats for all. 3. Letting Leah wear dress-ups to the store.
She was so shocked when I told her she could wear her "Odette from Swan Lake" costume to the store, she double checked to make sure she heard me right.

"This is a real dress-up, Mama. And I can wear it to the real grocery store?"

She was in heaven. Totally worth it.

Leah's absolutely loving Joy School, as am I. It is just what I was hoping for- a blend of play time in someone's home, exposure to new ideas and activities, and the structure of a preschool experience. Last week I told Leah that she was going to be learning about the 5 senses, and then listed them off for her (in secret hopes that she would have the answers in class). Her response?

"Don't tell me any more, Mama. I want it to be a surprise!"

As for Adam, he's just growing like a weed... one that likes to hang out in the garden. He's really into climbing all of the sudden- onto the picnic bench, over the couch, up the slide, even out of his swing. He's always so proud of himself, too.
And he's started throwing horrific fits when he doesn't get his way. Have I ever mentioned that Leah never threw temper tantrums? Apparently that doesn't run in the family. He's got the head-flinging, body-collapsing, crocodile-tearing production down to a science. No pictures of that just yet.

We went another week without Jason (or the car!) last week, and rewarded ourselves with another trip to the Children's Museum. I'm slightly obsessed, yes. I'm amazed at how quickly my kids are growing, just based on what holds their interest. When we first went to the museum, Adam was all about the crawling mazes and balls. Now he's moved on to the water table-
and the sand table.
And Leah has moved on to the Barbie exhibit and the planetarium. But they are still my little babies, sweet enough to give me a 45 minute break in the middle of the crazy day.
And that is the end of this weekly update.

All Good Things Must Come To An End

When we finally finished up touring the big cities, Allison and I spent the rest of our time together enjoying small town Indiana. It might have been my favorite part about the trip... but haven't I said that about the whole trip?

We checked out the university campus,
put the dirt roads to good use,
and tasted sweet corn fresh from the stalk.
We picked peaches at a local orchard, and discovered the BEST tasting peach in the world. See below.
We visited the petting zoo
which Jason joined us for. Yes, that is a goat balancing on his leg.
Al and I went on a date one night- dinner and downtown window-shopping, topped off with a terrifying visit to the wrong side of town. Sorry about that!
And we enjoyed a tasty Bon Voyage cake the night before she left. I love these pictures of Adam with his Auntie Al- who wouldn't love an auntie who lets you poke her in the eye just for a laugh?
As is the Henscheid general rule, we had a craft-ivity and ended up with some adorable headbands. Aren't we crafty? And don't you think I would be one hot blond? Just check out my sister!
And before we were ready, it was time to head back to the airport. That morning ranks among the Top 10 Worst Days of My Life, as we almost didn't get Allison to her plane in time. It was the classic airport nightmare, including racing down the airport corridors, cutting through the security line, and shouting out "DON'T SHUT THE DOOR!" as we raced up to the gate. It was awful. I am terrible at math, and apparently that includes calculating an appropriate amount of time to allow for leisurely airport good-byes. Thankfully she got on the plane. I'm sure my mom would have KILLED me had she not gotten on that flight.

And so, we said good-bye. And we still miss you, Al! Almost as much as we miss Ermentrude.
We can't wait to do it again next year!

I Paid Money To Do This?

When I started running earlier this summer, I decided that I needed to cap off the summer with a race of some kind. Not wanting to commit myself to anything too intimidating, I chose the local Apple Popcorn Festival 5K. And it was NOT intimidating. Sandwiched between the bubble gum blowing contest and the hairiest leg contest, it was about as low-key as I could have asked for.

It felt more like a regular morning run than anything else.
Except for the fact that BOTH of my shoes came untied just minutes into the race, and I had to stop to tie them up again.

And the fact that there were real runners passing us up on the left and the right. Oh, and cars. We ran through the tiny little town and they didn't even bother to block off the road, so we had to run around the cars that were driving by. We headed straight out of town, took a right at the cornfields, and headed back again after another mile down the winding country road. Only in Indiana.

My generally laid back running partner had enough "race day" adrenaline for both of us, and she kept me from walking over the finish line. Thankfully. My only goal in this race was to run the whole thing, and although I tried otherwise, she kept me going the whole way.
What really kept me going was the fact that my little family would be cheering us on at the finish line.

(This picture was posed... the shot that should have been.)

Only we just ran too darn fast, and they weren't there when we finished. Literally 3 minutes after we finished the race, Jason found us, encouraging sign in hand and sleepy-eyed kids dragging close behind. They're really just not morning people.

It was slightly reminiscent of my first birthday as a mom. I had great plans for Celebrate-Melanie-Day-2007, and 3-month-old Leah had the audacity to get her first ever cold that day. How rude! Don't kids know that parents occasionally like to do something for themselves? Umm... nope!
But, the moral of the story is- I did it! I don't know that I'm hooked on racing now (I really felt like an impostor on the starting line), but it feels good to say that I ran a race. Me! Running! I really never thought I would be able to say that- but now I've even got the t-shirt to prove it!

It's All Talk

Thankfully potty words aren't the only ones Adam has picked up on. His list is getting longer every day, although most of what he says still requires a family translator.

Grandma
Clean up
Cookie
This
Up
Ball
Hat
Honk Honk
Out
Apple
Juice

Mama, Dada, and Leah are still his favorite words, and we have entered into the sibling tormenting phase. Leah has started saying classic lines like, "He's looking at me! Stop touching me!" On the way to the library last week the backseat conversation went like this-

A- "Leah!"

L- "Stop saying my name, Adam!"

A- "Leah! Leeeeeah!"

L- Stop it! Mooooom! Adam's saying my name!"

A- (pause.... pause... pause...) "LEEEEEAAAHHHHHH!"

And so it begins... Jason and I were wiping away tears as we tried to stifle our giggles in the front.

One concept in the English language that continues to allude Miss Leah is that of being "rich" or "poor". I explained to her once that when you are rich you have a lot of something. She has taken the definition beyond money, and says things like

"Mom, the honey's almost gone. We are so poor."

or

"I am rich with books. I love the library."

So the idea is there, it is just funny to hear her take on it. I wish I could view wealth so simply.

Earning Keep

One of Adam's newest words is "poop!". Thankfully, he uses the word appropriately. I didn't realize how entrenched we are in the diaper change routine until he started taking charge of it. I ask him if he's pooped, he says, "poop!" and pats his tummy. We head to the bedroom and change out the old for the new.

Then Adam takes the rolled up diaper to the top of the stairs and chucks it down.

He turns around, waits for me to pick him up and we head down after the diaper.


He then picks the diaper up, carries it around to the garage door, and waits for me to catch up.

I open the door and get a trash bag.

He puts the diaper in the bag, I tie it up and hand it back to him.


He carries the bag over to the garbage can and hoists it in.

Then he claps and we head back inside.

And it MUST. HAPPEN. THIS. WAY. EVERY. TIME. Or there will be crying. Lots of crying.

Not that I'm complaining- it's nice to get a little help around here! And the routine-following- he's a little man after my own heart.

This is Getting Ridiculous

Leah is giving up naptime. Rather, I'm withholding it from her. I am tired of keeping company with her until 10:00 at night because she is rested and refreshed from her 2 hour afternoon nap. So, rather than fight that battle any more, I decided that she could quit napping and start going to bed at a decent-for-a-3-year-old time.

Only, it's not really working. She puts up with quiet time- reading books or coloring or watching a video from the library- but then she is a bear in the afternoon. If I put her in the car, she falls asleep. And if we stay at home, I find her like this.Poor Adam didn't know what to think when he walked into his bedroom and found Goldilocks asleep in his bed.

And just now! As I am typing this up, Leah has started snoring on the couch. I guess I'll be spending another late night with my girl.