The reluctantly proud owner of a big red minivan!

We bought a minivan. There was just no way around it. My Hyundai worked fine for two kids and all our stuff, but add another kid and more stuff and it was just going to be too small. I have to admit I was a little sad. We bought my car less than a year ago (August) and I still loved it very much. I wasn't ready to become a "minivan mom", but like I said, it was a must.

Finding a nice van for a reasonable price proved to be a job within itself. We scoured the internet, checked the classifieds, and browsed at car lots daily. Everything was either too junky, had too many miles, or was too expensive (or a combination of all three). Since we sold our other car last week we decided that this weekend would be devoted to van shopping. We started off after lunch. We drove around a bit and then decided to go to Augusta to see one we had found in the paper. We got there and looked at it and it was ok, but not great. There were some definite cosmetic issues with it among other things. I wanted some ice cream so Larry was going to turn around in a parking lot and go back to Dairy Queen. We turned in and there it was. A pretty red minivan for sale by owner. It was close to the right price, had close to the right mileage, and looked nicer than any we had looked at so far. We called the number and the guy came right down so we could look in it and Larry could take it for a test drive. It was like fate. If we hadn't gone to Augusta or if I hadn't wanted ice cream or if Larry had chosen any other parking lot to turn around in we most likely wouldn't have found this van.
We met the guy selling the van this morning at his credit union so he could pay off his lean and sign over the title. We handed over the cash and we were the owners of a bright red Pontiac Montana. I drove it home and really liked it. So did Natalie. She sat in the far back and thought it was so funny that we were so far away from each other. She also liked the personal vent blowing cold air right onto her. I was a little nervous about driving something bigger than my car, but it was surprisingly nice and easy.
So, all in all I am happy with our purchase. I feel a lot more ready to welcome a new little person into our family now that we actually have a vehicle that will fit her. This was a big step in getting prepared for Baby Girl. We have a lot more to do, of course, but this sure was a biggie. So I am now an official member of the minivan club (most of my friends are already members...my friend across the street actually has a Montana just like the one we just bought, but in gold). Next step.....soccer mom!!!