Let’s start with some disconnected tidbits, yes? You know, just to catch you up on the end of last week.
In political news: luckily, we had a Kamala Harris doll lying around.
Speaking of the Olympics (were we?) Minnie made herself a gold medal at camp. The kids go to camp in swim clothes because the playground is full of water toys. Then they go inside and have snack and put on dry clothes. But Minnie stays dry in her swimsuit and then just doesn't change. It makes me laugh every single time I pick her up.
File under THINGS ARE HECTIC: I had to pick Dorothy up during swim lessons once last week, and both Harry and Jack were working (at the pool), so I asked Cooper to make sure he left summer dive practice at 5:30 and hang with Minnie for the 5 minutes it would take me to get back to the pool;. He tenxted me I HAVE THE PACKAGE and this pic:
On Wednesday, Jack had an appointment to take his road test and get his drivers license after completing his 12 hours of driving school lessons (clogged system; takes forever, etc). Only I had to teach, and Ben was in Peoria. Sooooo Harry took him. AND HE PASSED THE TEST! Only he couldn't actually get his license because you need a guardian with you, not just an adult (which makes sense, but also the driving school said anyone over 18 could take him **shakes fist at them**)
Minnie and I returned with him on Thursday and waited FOREVER and probably got Covid.
But it was all worth it because HE GOT IT! We have another licensed driver in the HOOOOUUUUSE!
He took his first solo ride to dive team practice in the good old 2010 Prius on Friday morning:
Harry is not taking the Prius to school (the Prius has almost 200,000 miles on it-- could it even go to school?), so we will deal with adding a fourth car to the family in May. Can't wait to watch Harry and Jack battle it out for car access for the next 30-something days and over winter break.
Teaching outfit 22/27 another ANCIENT Old Navy dress
LOLZ YOU GUYS. READ that paragraph about buying a car in May again. NOW BRACE YOURSELF and read on. I wrote the above post on Friday afternoon and scheduled it for this morning. THEN NEWS BROKE.
We took Dorothy, Jack, and Coop to their last dive meet of the summer season (except for All-City) on Friday night, and Harry called while we were there to say the brakes felt funny on the Prius all the sudden and the brake light and the ABS light were both on. Ben left the meet (Coop won! Jack got second, continuing his streak of beating everyone but one dude in the city! Dorothy got scores for all her dives!!) to meet Harry at a car service place where he could leave the car, book an appointment for Saturday, and stick the keys in a drop box.
SO. For the second time in about 5 weeks, I went to a car dealership while my husband was out of town AND BOUGHT A CAR. LOL. Sort of LOL.
(Can't find the Prius title, either-- which means BACK TO THE DMV FOR ME MY GOD)
Some farewell Prius pics
Stuff in the glove box that's NOT A CAR TITLE
Harry had fun test driving a cute sedan and a just adorable (and exactly in my price range!) Kia Soul. I sort of liked the sedan (blue like all of our cars!) and was going to buy it even though it was a little bit more than I wanted to spend, but the sweet car salesman sensed my ennui (I was going to buy it though, you guys, because we barely got the Prius to the dealer, and I wasn't going to take that car home again LOL) and pulled out the Soul (a car I really never even considered) out, and I just fell in love with it!
Read the sign!!
Harry was like MOTHER. THIS IS THE ONLY CAR EVEN MORE DORKY THAN THE PRIUS, but then he drove it and was charmed. It has color-changing LED lights inside and a horn that makes a truly silly beep, and it looks like it is smiling. There was an ad campaign calling it a party in a box, and I agree.
Party in a box. Love it! And such a fun colour.
ReplyDeleteThough TWO CARS so soon. Gah! Not what you wanted added to the mix. Congrats on having another driver. What a big milestone.
Hope the diving nationals is going well!!
thanks!!
DeleteUgh, an unexpected car purchase is awful! But yay for another licensed driver in the house! My parents were thrilled whenever someone else got their license. The car does look like it is smiling, though. My first car was a Toyota Celica and there were covers on the headlights that would lift up when you turned on the lights which make the headlights look like eyes. It was also cherry red like that car. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteLISA!! That was Ben's first car, too! Bright red! Cute little lights that looked like eyes! He drove it all through college
DeleteCongrats on Jack's DL... just in time to replace college-bound Harry! Cooper's package delivery is the cutest though! Hope he's having a great time at diving nationals.
ReplyDeletethe cutest text maybe ever.
DeleteBeautiful blog
ReplyDeletePlease read my post
ReplyDeleteI would always text "I have the package" when I went OVER THE BORDER to pick up Angus at Elmira - it's possible your package is the tiniest bit cuter.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even realize kids other than Cooper (in your family) did diving, what is WRONG with me?
"the only car dorkier than a Prius" lolol - being charmed by a car is a wonderful thing.
It is such a charming, silly little car-- like a Cozy Coupe come to life.
DeleteI love "I have the package" - so funny. Bummer about the day he couldn't get his license. What the what, driving school with the bad info? I'm assuming they are in different age competitions, but when you say Jack continued his streak of only losing to one guy in the city, that one guy wasn't Coop, was it? ;0 Car shopping without my spouse if I didn't have a kid who sold cars at the dealership and if I didn't totally trust the dealer family because I babysat for them since I was 12, would make me feel overwhelmed. It is so hard to not put more money in a car that is loved and reliable, but sometimes once they turn on you - it's all downhill from there.
ReplyDeleteLOL-- different age groups, but Cooper would beat him head to head, which is a source of tension even though COOPER BEATS EVERYONE; he should not take it personally.
DeleteOh, that feeling...when you think, "What if we fix the brakes and the car suddenly makes it 3 more years, wouldn't that be awesome?" But..."What if we fix the brakes and then next month something else happens, and then the month after that something else happens, and it just becomes unbearable?" UGH. If only we had a crystal ball, so we could KNOW the best time to let a car go was. I'm sorry you went from one new car to two new cars in such quick succession, and I am dreading the idea that we might be in a similar situation, because our cars are both so old. We went car shopping on Saturday and came home determined that our cars are going to live forever and we are not going to have to figure this out. LOL, as if.
ReplyDeleteIt is not an amazing time to finance a car. I was like um, maybe I SHOULD JUST PUT THIS ON A CREDIT CARD and was only half joking.
DeleteOH MY GOD!! SARAH! You're living my nightmare.
ReplyDeleteWe just paid off our second car and have no car payment. Yay! But our 2010 Hyundai is not well. It needs at least new tires, brakes, and to fix the HVAC blower which doesn't blow which is inconvenient in the summer, but dangerous in the winter because ha ha ha we need defrost in the winter. So we think if we pay $3000-$4000 in repairs it would be the equivalent of a year's worth of car payments and wouldn't we get more than a year out of it? But what if we fix all the things and then the transmission goes? The car is OLD. But it was our first "big" purchase. LOLOLOL. I hate being an adult.
I have the package. LOL. I hope Minnie never learns he called her that!!
That's what we were thinking too about a year of driving, but what if it isn't a year?? So hard to plan.
DeleteI am on my 4th Kia and just love them! My current Sportage is 13 and I'm probably replacing her with a Soul before I retire.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the diving kiddos and to you for surviving the DMV!
Love it! We need ot get harry a car in May-- maybe another Kia...
DeleteOoh! We bought my son a Kia Soul two years ago! They are very cute. And congrats to Jack!
ReplyDeleteLove the Kamala Harris doll. Where did you get that???
I don't remember even getting the KH doll. I wonder if she came with Hillary Clinton...
DeleteI think the Soul is super cute! Kind of reminds me of my first car, a VW Golf my parents bought me while I was in college. It was so cute, drove nicely and was also SO unreliable. I thought it was normal for cars to break down every 6 months or so before we switched to Toyotas. Ha!!
ReplyDeleteLOL— I remember those cars— they were so cute
DeleteOmg I'm twinning with your sons! Haha. I loooove my Kia Soul. Like I literally see it in a parking lot STILL and she makes me smile. I am obsessed. It's such a fun car!
ReplyDeleteIt IS a fun car. I love seeing it in the driveway— always makes me smile.
DeleteI LOVED the Dodge Neon when it, well, existed. LOL. You probably remember it, too. It looked like it was smiling and it always made me smile when I saw one.
ReplyDeleteAnd wow, never dull in your world, is it? (Also STRONGLY AGREE with dropping the 2010 Prius although now I am terrified that my 2012 Prius will bite the dust and... no, just no. Please no.)