Minivan Mama

Sometimes I wonder when in the world I became old enough to be a mother of 3, racing around town in a minivan. I used to think that some level of maturity had to be obtained before succumbing to minivan ownership. I now realize there is very little required before driving one off a lot. Our minivan was acquired 3 years ago out of pure necessity after having our 3 kiddos in just 21 months. Three big, bulky car seats just didn't fit easily across a single row of seats, and having no independent seat belt bucklers until just this year made a minivan, with so much walking space, a perfect fit. Jim was pretty resistant at first, but by the time the boys were just 2 months old, my reasons of practicality won out.

Now, however, I can tell him we no longer have a minivan. Ever since the boys were old enough to use their imagination, our minivan has taken on the identity of a whale, a ship, a race car, a jungle safari vehicle on an alligator hunt, a roller coaster ride, and most recently it has been an airplane. When we climb into our "airplane" Colson states, "OK, we going on an airplane ride! Get ready!" Jim and I follow suit and tell the kids to buckle up, as we assist the boys with their 5 point straps. "Where are we going today?" one of us will ask, and the kids always respond that we're headed to California or Oregon. Where else have we to go?

I have always enjoyed the world of rabid imagination of my children. It takes me out of the adult world of responsibility and realism and lets me get lost in the fun and excitement of "pretend". Today, Kaden says we're off to Disneyland!