Time for a new Van

I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and buy a new van. Kevin will tell you I've been wanting one for quite some time, but truth be told I liked my other van just fine. What I haven't liked are the ever mounting repair bills! First the whole air bag system went down and so we replaced that, a couple weeks later the sliding door motor took a nose dive and stopped working. I'll just say I was shocked at how much a new motor was going to cost! While fixing that the mechanics discovered a leaking water pump which needed to be replaced, and to top it all off the transmission is starting to slip. When I go to put the car in reverse there's a loud popping noise and the car stays stuck for a few seconds before starting to move. Of course there were all the normal items too like replacing tires, fixing brakes, and overall maitenance. It's all money, money, money that never seems to end so for the past couple of weeks I've researched all I could online, visited a few car dealerships, got numerous price quotes, and finally settled on a van. We've been test driving it all weekend and tonight we'll go finish up the paperwork. All I can say is this time I need to remember extended warranty! Hopefully I won't need to visit a car repair shop again for quite a long time!

Am I really old enough for this?

These are pictures from Kyler's 5th grade graduation ceremony.
This is Jordan and his friend Sierra.
There always seems to be some girl who wants to hang out with my Jordy.

Kyler with his second 5th grade teacher of the year, Mrs. Pedersen.
He was lucky and had wonderful teachers in both of the schools he attended this year!

Yep, it's official.
Here's the paperwork to prove it!

I'm feeling kinda old this week....most likely stemming from the fact that I now have a MIDDLE SCHOOLER!! Man, how did that creep up so fast? The pre-teens have officially made an entrance into my household! Congratulations are in order for my oldest kidlet, Kyler. He's made it through elementary school with flying colors (quite an achievement considering he attended no less than 5 schools during his elementary school career!) And what kind of mom would I be if I didn't also mention my very favorite 2nd grader, Jordan! I'm looking forward to all the fun we'll have together this summer, but believe me when I say I've already got a BIG RED circle around Tuesday, September 8th. Quieter times are sure to ensue once school is in session again.

Happy Summer Vacation to all.