Fences, cruise ships and sinks.

There I was, working on our fence that our dog keeps getting out of. Avery, Braden and our newest buddy, Chance, were playing 'cruise ship' on the swingset. I had the door open so they could go in and out to the bathroom. (I should have learned my lesson about this from the previous open door post...)

I was pretty smug because everyone was getting along, coming and going; having a great time!

I noticed Braden follow Avery into the bathroom but came out shortly after she did.

No biggie.

Until about 30 minutes later when Avery and Chance ran out telling me water was "running over the edge of the sink!"

Yep. Braden. Water on. Flooded bathroom.

And here I thought my biggest worry of the day would be the blisters that were forming from the fence-mending...

Recipe for Disaster...

Words cannot describe how much the kids and I are enjoying this fabulous spring weather! We have been outside everyday for hours at a time. A new routine has begun since after naps there is actually daylight left. The kids get up, and we all go outside to play. After a few hours, I head inside to start supper while the kids continue their play. I prop the back door open so I can hear them; this also allows them to come and go if they need me or need to get a drink.

For those who have not seen our back steps, they are a little scary to say the least. I've provided a picture so you can see the steep, concrete, coupled with no railing. This obviously makes me nervous because Braden sometimes has trouble with his center of gravity, and Avery is, well...clumsy.

Today was no different, except that one of the neighbor's kids was here playing too. (That's a side story in itself. I love the fact that my kids are getting old enough to have friends over to play with by themselves...this week, two of the four neighbor's kids have been over to play...)

So...imagine: back door propped open. Me, back and forth between dining room and kitchen. Braden, in and out.

All moms out there know the zone you get in where you hear the things going on around you, but aren't necessarily focused in on them...imagine me in that place.

Another piece of this puzzle: Braden's police motorcycle that Santa brought him. He loves this, but it stays inside most of the time because it's small enough to ride around inside, and I don't want the wheels to get all messed up if he takes it outside.

...Back to the not really focused zone....

I faintly hear Braden say, "I get my poyeece motosicul..."

The statement barely registers with me. I hear him hop on his police motorcycle and head off.

Then I realize the door. Propped open.

Then the cries begin; followed with Avery's screams, "he drove..well, not really drove..he flipped down the stairs!" (Braden never cries about falls, bumps, etc. unless he is truly hurting.)

I bolt to the door not knowing what to expect. Broken bones? Gashes? Missing teeth? At least blood?

None. of. the. above!

God is truly good. What could have been a night in the ER was only a minor abrasion on his face and hand. Wow.

Other than the fact that he wasn't hurt, I am so so so glad that I didn't have to see it happen. My heart was pounding enough at the thought of what could have been.

On the other hand, poor Avery will probably have nightmares tonight.

My Knight

My beloved rodeo decided that she was past her prime and started making her aches and pains known a little while back. Nothing major, but the little things started adding up into a pile of big bills in order to get her back to normal. Kenny and I had been tossing around the idea of a larger vehicle anyway. So instead of pouring money into the the rodeo, we decided we should trade it in while there was still some value left, then use the money we would have spent to fix as a down payment on something newer.

I had been doing some wishful perusing prior to the actual looking, so I knew a little bit about what our options were going to be. We knew we were in no hurry to buy because we truly did not have to get a newer vehicle, and I think that made the process a little more enjoyable. (Plus, jumping back into the car payment realm after having been out of it for so long was a little daunting.) In the past, when searching for a new car, we have had in mind exactly what we wanted. This time around we just had an idea: a SUV with a third row, or a (gasp) minivan.

Kenny's mom came to watch the kids one day so we could go out, uninterrupted, to do a little shopping. We found a few options that day and were on our way home when I caught a glimpse of a Honda Odyssey sitting in a small lot. After a wild u-turn (not really wild, just normal), we checked that one out. Of course we went home thinking the price was just too high because it was loaded.

I joked with Kenny that if he wanted to be my knight in shining armor, he could go buy that one for me.

He told me to not get attached since I hadn't even driven it because it was out of our range.

Over the next few days, we did some internet shopping and comparing. I soon began to realize that I of course do have an opinion, and my choices were narrowing because I admittedly have expensive taste.

After not much luck finding something elsewhere, we found ourselves back at the Odyssey. I got to test drive it this time....

My knight mounted his white horse and began to haggle. He got the guy down pretty low...and a pretty good offer for our precious rodeo as a trade. Alas, that day was not the day.

The next day, more haggling...dealing with bank loan, and walah!

A beauty sitting in my driveway, with a pricetag we can afford!