New Car

Jenn and I have been pondering the idea of getting a new van for some time. We drive a Pontiac Montana, which is an eight passenger, nicely loaded van with plenty of space. We've been relatively lucky with maintenance over the past six or so years as we've only had to replace the usual, tires, brakes,etc over that time and one cooling fan.
My goal was to sell the van while we could still get a decent return on it and give Jenn, Lil and the kids a newer more reliable vehicle for crossing the Rockies this summer when I go to Washington. We started our car search on Monday late in the evening. We went to the Toyota dealership here in Norman. It was late, so we just talked to the dealer a bit and he showed us the van and it's features. We still wanted to see what Honda had to offer before making any decisions.
We wanted an eight passenger with dual automatic sliding doors.
We use an all military online bank, so I was looking for interest rates when I happened onto a build your new car type of deal. I started building a Toyota, and in the end, it promised $250 below MSRP if I went to a USAA (name of the bank) certified dealer. So I went to the dealer, which was located next to Tinker AFB about a 45 minute drive. We make that drive anyway to use the commissary, so no big deal.
When I got there, the dealer found out what I was looking for and started walking out toward the
vans. He didn't say anything to me, like finding out what features I was looking for.




We got to the first van and he asked if I wanted to look inside. I asked him if it had dual power sliding doors. It didn't, so he took me to another that did and repeated his original question. I asked if it was eight passenger. It wasn't. It turned out that there wasn't an eight passenger on the lot, so he wanted to order one for me.
Think of the used car salesman that is usually in the media. The gelled and slicked back hair, kinda gross looking, well, that was this guy. He needs to go to the movies and do the opposite of what he sees.
I told him that I was familiar with the Sienna, and wanted to talk about cost. An hour later, we still weren't talking about money. Jenn finished shopping at the commissary and came over and we finally got to the price tag to include the USAA discount.
I wasn't that impressed with what they were offering still plus they were including our old van as a trade-in. They wanted to give us $2500 for the van, when I know I can sell it for 7-9 thousand. Wasn't happening!



Then when Jenn told them that she had no intention of buying a car that day, the salesman went into this long dragged out deal about how reliable Toyota's are and went into every mechanical feature that it had. Thirty minutes later, Jenn got up and left. The dealership gave me one lower final offer, and I left.
The next day I tried calling them to talk again, but they would promise to call me back and then they wouldn't do it.
Jenn and I went to test drive a Honda Oddesey, but it lacked one feature beyond being more expensive. The middle seat in the middle row isn't built to hold a car seat. No thank you! Depending on the state, Jonathan still needs a booster, there is no way we were willing to have a seat that was off limits to a child in a car seat, especially that particular seat.
So we went to back to the original Toyota dealer. They still weren't being pushy like the other dealership. We talked about numbers, and they agreed to let us see the invoice and sell the car for $500 above the invoice price including 1.9% financing. So we decided to go for it, only to find out that they showed us the wrong invoice. The van we were looking at was more loaded than the invoice they showed us. They still honored the original agreement and we ended up getting the van for only $270 above invoice. So now we own a Toyota Sienna, and I drive a Toyota Corolla as a commuter car. We're an all Toyota family.
We're happy, this is the first new car that either of us have ever had, so now comes the task of selling our old van.

Summer is here

Well, Jonathan and Janina are out of school for the summer. We kicked it off with an extreamly busy last day of school. The PTA had our last fund raiser of the year, we went to McDonald's and got 20% of all sales between 5-7:00. In exchange, they got to use our Tax Exemption number and we had to bus tables. All in all it went well and we made a good amount of money.
I was only able to stay an hour because I had to take Janina to a "Father/Daughter" camp out. I wouldn't have a problem on a normal day, but we just did the Father/Son last weekend, and I hadn't quite recovered form it, to just go right into it again. It was taxing on me and Jenn. Janina had a great time though.
Some contrast between boys and girls camping: The boys were a lot louder than the girls and they ate a ton more. The boys were trying to catch lizards, while the girls were picking flowers to bring home to their mothers.
I had an easier time with Janina, but I only have (for now) one daughter and she's a lot easier to keep track of than my three boys.
We're looking forward to doing some summer activities with my family, having a baby, going to California, Utah, and Arizona. I'm not looking forward to Army Summer Camp at Ft. Lewis Washington. I'll be there from June 23 to July 25th. After that my summer truly begins.
Have a great summer, next year we'll have more to celebrate with three kids out of school, of course we'll be moving, so it won't be as fun.

The date has been set...

...unless I can induce this baby to come earlier.

My doctor has scheduled my induction (not into any elite society, as Lil erroneously believed...) for June 16th! It's nice to have 11 days whacked off the end of my pregnancy just like that...

And, that means we now have less than four weeks to go!

Oh, and he still says she's going to be on the big side. That was not on my wish list -- I love itty-bitty babies, but I must say the bigger ones do seem to be less prone to jaundice, which is a gigantic plus.

A list of updates

First, today is Roy's birthday. I believe that he is 24. (I'm actually quite positive...) DJ called him this morning and very cutely sang, "Happy Birthday to you." Just exactly that much, not the whole song. Jonathan told me it was Roy's birthday, then corrected himself with, "I should have said Uncle Roy."

Second, last night my husband and all of my boys went to the father/son campout. We packed for it in about 45 minutes and the only thing I forgot was sweatshirts -- oops. I think the kids would have preferred my forgetting Dad's clothes...But, they did have sunscreen, insect repellent, extra shorts, t-shirts, socks -- you get the picture...

Ah, how I love having mostly boys at times like that. Nina and I went to our friend's house and had a girl party -- fingernails, toenails, makeup, dancing, princess dresses, etc. There were three moms, four daughters, and one baby son. Normally with those families the noise level would be nearly deafening -- without our sons it was actually marvelously quiet and peaceful the whole night. Nina had a great time, until she got tired. She refused to let herself fall asleep. I think it was because she had overheard me joking that I was going to leave her there for the night. She takes things like that very seriously -- especially when she is without her blanket.

Third, I am now officially 34 weeks pregnant. I am thrilled to be at this point. It's always a great relief to me to know that there is very little risk for complications, should the baby decide to make an early entrance. One of my friends saw me a few days ago and told me that I would never make it 6 more weeks. She predicted 3. I hope she knows what she's talking about. That would be perfect!

Fourth, we only have one week left of school. It's been hectic and crazy here with all the attempts to organize next year's PTA plans, while finishing everything up for this year, so I'll be glad when I don't have to worry about this year anymore. I'm also really looking forward to a bit later mornings. School starts too early here. (And I am not a morning person.)

Finally, Derek got his grades for the semester. He got all A's in his degree classes and a B in his military class. He's given up on A's in the ROTC classes, because he just can't make himself care enough to put in the necessary effort to memorize loads of uninteresting tidbits. Fortunately his other classes are more interesting and he is more motivated to work in them. Also, this puts him halfway to a master's degree. While I am not anxious to leave the life we have now, it will be nice to have the degree completed and see him commissioned.

Jonathan is funny, too!

Tonight I was on the phone with one of my friends. Derek asked me to give her a PTA related message, and she said, "So, what? Are the PTA co-president now?" I laughed and replied, "No, I'm nothing." Jonathan, who, of course, had only been hearing my side of the conversation, said, "Mom, you're not nothing! You're a mammal." He then went on to justify his conclusions with, "You have babies come out of your tummy. Not like a chicken -- they have eggs come out of them."

So there you have it. I am a mammal, not a chicken (and definitely not nothing)! I think this is good news.

Mother's Day Gifts

In sharing time yesterday, our children completed questionnaires about their mothers. I thought I would share my children's answers. Besides, I really want them recorded, because they amuse me and also (some of them, at least) warm my heart.

I'll color code their answers, so I don't have to write their names every time. Michael will be blue, Nina is purple, Jon is green.

What is your mom's favorite color?
She doesn't have one
Purple and pink
I don't know, yellow?

How old is your mom?
Older than my dad
31
32

What is her favorite song?
I am a Child of God
Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam
I am a Child of God

What is her favorite food?
Mac and Cheese
Lasagna
Roast

What is her least favorite chore?
She likes to do everything
Putting her clothes in her room
Playing or jumping on the trampoline

How many brothers and sisters does she have?
Only 1
I don't know
5 brothers, 5 sisters

What are your mom's favorite things to do?
Jumping, but she has a baby in her tummy and can't jump
Cleaning the house
Cleaning the house

What is her favorite book or movie?
The Fox and the Chicken
HDTV (she meant HGTV)
Chapter books/Decorating the House channel

How do you know your mom loves you?
She smiles
She hugs me
She hugs me all the time

What makes your mom special?
Running and Jumping
Doing her favorite things
Heavenly Father made her

Why do you love your mom?
Cause she bees nice to me
Because she loves me

In nursery the children made presents for their moms, but someone forgot to clearly explain that to DJ. He came out of nursery, with his present firmly grasped in his little hands and announced, "I made a present!" When I asked if it was for me, he said, "This is my present!" It was quite cute. He was very protective of it all the way home and is still determined to do with it as he pleases. I'm going to get a picture of him with it, then put it straight in his scrapbook. Otherwise, I fear, that my memories of his small hands won't live through their encounters with his small hands. (Be sure to click on the picture, so you can read the verse, if you can't guess what it is -- I heard Duchesne nursery kids came home with the same thing.)

Before I forget

Derek took the 3 bigger kids to the park tonight for a picnic with a bunch of people from our ward. Michael saw the baby swings and asked Derek to "put [him] in the underwear swing."

It's Official...

As of today I am officially the PTA President at Jonathan and Janina's school. I'm doing this for two reasons, one is selfish, and the other is not. The selfish reason is that I'm using the position as an internship for my Master degree. I need six hours of internship which equals 460 clock hours. I was looking for paid internships first, but when I found out that this position was opening I jumped at it. I am extreamly interested in public schools, so it right up there for me. I also am studying leadership. My only leadership experience is in the Army, which is different from the "civilian" way of doing things.
The non-selfish reason for doing this is the fact that I may never have another opportunity to help in the school that my children attend. I could end up deployed and miss an entire year of school in the future. I'm seizing the moment so my kids will remember the moment.
This month I started a Watch D.O.G.S. program at the school. It is a lot of fun. For those of you that aren't familiar with the program, it was started following the Columbine High School shooting. A dad put the program together with the idea that having more male adults on a given school campus would reduce the risk of a repeat attack. Statistically, schools that participate have better scores and higher high school graduation rates. This is believed to be because of the male role models that some children never see.
Anyway, we are out there directing traffic and making sure the kids get into the building safely. I've had a lot of fun. There are only four of us so far, but lots of people are interested in joining. If you'd like more information, go to fathers.com. I'm a die hard homeroom mom now and loving every minute of it.
Jenn and I are in the school constantly and we love the chance to be there. It was hard last year in Korea. I was working 50 sometimes 60 hours a week and had no time for the school. Jonathan didn't have a great experience and it probably would have been much better had we been able to devote more time to the classroom. I'm a firm believer that parents should be involved in everything that the child is involved in. It shows the child that it is a priority to you, so it should be a priority to them.
Anyway, I've invited the ladies over to the house for a fund raising meeting on Tuesday. I promised to make lunch, but I haven't decided what to make. Jenn in on the fund raising committee, so it all works out. If you have any good ideas on the food, I'd love to hear them. For those that don't know, I do most of the cooking in our house. I'm great with a Crockpot, but that's about my limitation.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to a great year as PTA President.

Randomness

I am so ready to be finished with this pregnancy. It has been such an emotional roller coaster and I just want to have a healthy, beautiful baby in my arms. Besides which, I sleep so much better when I'm not pregnant (yes, even with a nursing baby). My emotions are so much more controllable after my hormones go back to normal. I'm just a happier, more patient wife, mother, neighbor, etc. And then, I love the new baby stages. It's been especially fun, since having older kids. I love seeing the sweet moments between the big brothers/sisters and the baby.

One of my favorite memories was the first time Michael held DJ. We were sitting on the hospital bed and I was holding Michael, while he held DJ. The nurse came to take DJ for some baby maintenance and Michael clenched his little arms as tightly as he could and strongly stated, "Mine baby!" I had to pry his little hands off of the baby (thank goodness DJ was never especially delicate). I can't wait for the moments that will come once this baby arrives...

We had a primary activity tonight. I love working with people who plan ahead, prepare in advance, and pull off an activity with beautiful smoothness. Our kids all mentioned going to the church in their prayers tonight. They loved the night. We ate hot dogs and nachos, made cars out of boxes and paper plates (there's a good Kid Kaboodle activity), then sat in those cute cars to watch a movie all about our primary kids. It was a blast!

Of course, the day was not without its drama -- another ward decided to come in this afternoon to set up for their activity tomorrow. They were certain that we were not on the calendar (we were -- one of the presidency checked), so they wanted us to move our activity. We didn't, but it didn't go over well with the other ward. Ah, the joys of sharing a building and the blessings of learning to live with the imperfections of others... Our first counselor is an absolute saint, though, so she put all of their stuff out for them, so they will be able to walk in tomorrow and have their activity without a hitch. I need to be more like her -- I don't think I'd have done it, if it had been left up to me.

Oh, I forgot, I've set a goal. This should be big news to anyone who knows me well. I hate setting goals (or, I should say, I hate telling other people when I set goals), as I hate failing to achieve what I set out to do (and having other people know it). However, this one is set somewhat (only somewhat) in jest, so I'm putting it on here...

My goal is to have this baby in May (yes, my due date is June 27th)... I'll be 36 weeks on May 30th, so I've decided that is the day I shall set out to have this baby. I even have a plan to help me reach that goal. I'm not putting it all on here, but it just involves trying out every sane (or entertaining, but safe) sounding labor-inducing suggestion I can find, so if you have any good (not nasty, dangerous or ridiculous -- okay, ridiculous might be entertaining) ideas, feel free to suggest them and I'll give them a shot. Then I'll let all of you pregnant women know what works and what doesn't -- after all, I'll be an expert...

And finally, an update on the Sharks (you know -- hockey...): By some mighty miracle, they actually won a game in overtime. This is the 3rd of the 5 games in this series to go to overtime and the only one they have won. Good thing, too, because they have to win every game now, if they want to go on to the next round. Fortunately, our kids slept through our celebrations -- even I yelled (and I really never do that over sports -- at least when I'm watching them on television). It was beautiful!

Game 3

So I went with some Army buddies to Dallas to watch the Sharks. They lost in overtime, but it was still an awesome experience. They aren't kidding about the playoff atmosphere and croud. It was awesome! This was my first playoff game ever, so it was cool.
This marks every arena in the Pacific Division for me. The Sharks are in the Pacific, and I have seen them play in San Jose many times, Anahim twice, Los Angeles thrice, Phoenix four times, and now Dallas once.
By the way, I was threatened by some fans during the second intermission. They tried to start a fight because I was wearing a Sharks jersey. Little did they know that I hadn't been drinking (which is normal for me), and I'm in the Army, and so are my buddies. I just sopped paying attention to him, but kept him in my perifial just in case.
The other arenas I've been to, there are more Sharks fans than opposing team fans, so you don't have to worry about stuff like that.
I'll post some pictures soon. I remembered to bring my camera, but left it in the car, drat! My friend took some pictures with his phone which he said he would email me. When he does that I'll post them.
It's easy to get playoff tickets in Dallas. In San Jose they sell out in four hours. I bouht mine 48 hours after they had gone on sale and still ended up with a good seat.
The game was great, we should have won. The ref lost sight of the puck and called the play dead just before we scored. Our defense was great, but the Sharks ran out of gas in the Third. The shorthanded goal by Marleau was incredible. The refs took that one away from us. I hope the Sharks will be the third team in histor to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win. I don't know if they have it in them, but I do hope. Last night gave me an inkling of hope.
Go Sharks!!!