The Jaymobile

We found ourselves unexpectedly in the market for a new minivan this week.  I was involved in a minor accident in the van which morphed into the other driver's insurance agency declaring our car a total loss (lots of body damage on an eight year old car).  We had thought we would drive the van another year or so and then replace it but were reluctant to do so since it was paid for and seemed to do the job but the accident pushed our plans forward a bit.  Anyway, Grand Caravan was towed away yesterday so we loaded everyone into the Camry and drove to Salt Lake to buy a new van.

We have been frantically researching replacements since Tuesday and had narrowed our search to a 2011 Toyota Sienna or a 2011 Honda Odyssey.  We liked both but wanted to drive them and see how they were.  Jay test drove a few on Wednesday night on his way home from a work meeting a few hours south of us and had a good idea of what we were looking for.  Our first stop was a place in Bountiful that had two Odysseys that we wanted to look at.  It was cold and rainy and Jay stopped in front of the first van we were going to drive and said, "This is the car.  It has to be."

This is what he was looking at:

Yes, it says Jay on the back.  It's not a sticker either.  Someone just thought it would be nice to put this on the back of a 2011 Honda Odyssey EX.

I almost didn't get in the van for the test drive because really?  But we drove it and really liked it.  It has alot of features we like, drives well, has good mileage and is in our price range.  We went down the road to test drive another van but determined pretty quickly that we like the Jaymobile better so we headed back to the dealership and bought it.  In a few hours we were the proud owner of a new-to-us minivan that we hope to have until the kids are out of high school.

Bonus - if we ever lose it in a parking lot we can always look for the personalized minivan.                        

Rockin the Halls

Tessa and William both Rocked the Halls at their elementary school yesterday.  At Summit, earning a certain number of AR points for reading earns you a reading medal and a run around the school while the other students cheer you on.

William earned enough points just before UEA break.  Tessa needed 10 more points but was nearing the end of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets so I encouraged her to finish and take the test before the deadline so she could Rock the Halls as well.  It was selfish, really.  If they could both Rock the Halls on November 1st, I would not be required to go back the next month for the event.  It's fun but very fast - they run by in a few seconds and are gone.

I did, however, get a picture of them with their medals:

Tessa is hard at work reading the next Harry Potter book and William goes through books so quickly that I don't even know what he is reading right now.  I am so glad that they love to read!  I don't care about the AR points but they do so I encourage them to set a goal to achieve the highest AR award every year, which is a special lunch with their teacher at the end of the year.  It gives them something to work for while reading books that they love.  Win, win.

Lamest. Mom. Ever.

To show you just how lame I am, I didn't even get Halloween pictures this year.  None at all.

Tessa was Hermione from Harry Potter - she is currently reading the third book in the series and loves it.

William was a basketball player.  I made him put on shorts to go trick or treating because it just looked like he was going to school wearing a Jazz jersey.

And Henry didn't trick or treat this year.  We made the decision for him and told him no.  He isn't interested in dressing up at all and was just going to put on a jersey and basketball shorts again if a friend wanted to go.  I told him at some point that you are just a kid going around asking for candy and it wasn't cute anymore.  He ended up playing Wii with a friend until 8 o'clock while the trick or treaters came and went. We had some candy left over so he will still get some treats.

I did, however, let Henry go over to a neighborhood house that really goes all out.  They make scones!  I have never gone because Jay typically takes the kids out for Halloween but this is everyone's favorite - they make scones out in their driveway for one and all.  Very fun.

All in all, a fun Halloween in a fun time of year.  I guess it's the Christmas season now, at least according to my email inbox.  I swear every email from a vendor or retailer was Christmas themed.  I can only hope I will remember to take pictures on Christmas morning.  Sigh.