Regular readers may remember that back in October, I got a new car. This was the car I wanted and one that fits my personality and lifestyle: Namely “a little blue coupe.” I love my little car and it serves its purpose of getting me from Point A to Point B.
However, because I am living amongst my family and because I have a weird and flexible schedule, it falls upon me from time to time to transport my niece and nephew.
My niece is not much of a problem to transport. She is big enough that in our state she is technically legal in just a seat belt in the rear seat. When I drop her off at school I have to stop in the car pool lane and let her out. When I pick her up she has to crawl into the back under the seat belt and shut the door behind her, but we have been doing it enough this year that she has her entrances and exits mastered.
My nephew is not so easy to move on the other hand. At just over a year old, he still has to be in a baby seat. My mom’s car has one, but mine does not. Because of this, I do not have to pick him up very often and when I do, I just use my mom’s car. Unfortunately, he has recently outgrown the car seat that Mom has, so he really must be moved in my sister’s vehicle.
And so, today when I had to pick my niece up from school and my nephew up from daycare I borrowed my sister’s car… which just so happens to be a (mini)van!
Now, I must say right now for those of you out there that already have or for whatever reason like (mini)vans, more power to you, but I personally do not care for them. This is well-known to my mother… who teased me about driving a van and being like a soccer mom when she found out I was going to drive The Van.
Nevertheless, I felt sort of special to be driving The Van: My sister has had it less than a month. It is one of those fancy ones that have doors on both sides and are remote controlled. Before I went to get the kids I practiced opening the doors because I wanted to avoid a blonde moment and didn’t want to slow down the car pool lane.
I got the baby from daycare, but couldn’t figure out how to use the remote control to open the doors with the baby (ha! The little bugger weighs about 25lbs!) in my arms. Though I struggled, I finally managed to get the door open the old-fashioned way and wrestle him into his little seat. Then we were off to pick up “Sissy.”
In the carpool lane I was prepared: I got to the head of the line and Sissy came to greet us, but when I punched the little button to automatically open her door, it didn’t work. (Who knew it needed to be in “Park” for the remote doors to work?!) Forgetting that The Van has remote locks, I reached over and unlocked the door so Sissy could get in.
She jumped in The Van and as she sat in her little booster seat and buckled herself in, my little niece said, “Renée, you know you don’t have “Buddy” buckled in his seat right, don’t you?”
No happy dance yet… I started the beading on “Celtic Spring” and then got an irresistible urge to read, so I went to the library on Tuesday and have been reading ever since! I finished the book I was reading (Lolita by Vladamir Nabakov), so tonight it is back to Mae.
