The Van (On the fourth day)

Here we are on our fourth anniversary.

I remember going out that night. I was pregnant with Robyn, but I wanted to wear a cute dress anyway. I'd like to thank the photographer (whoever she was...probably the babysitter) for not capturing my entire glamorous figure.

Come to think of it, Tyler has been pretty patient through all my body changes. I basically varied between normal and whale proportions for about seven years in a row. He took it all in stride and loved whatever shape I happened to be in. Patience is not his character trait for today though. (Because let's be honest...he isn't all that patient about many things.)

Today we will talk about how sneaky and mischievous he is. Although he will turn 34 next month, he is still a child at heart. He loves to prank and he spends a lot of time trying to get a reaction out of me. I think we could call him a button-pusher. He is not mean. But that is a relative term. Some might say pretending to throw a baby down the stairs is 'mean'. Or making me think a spider is over my head is 'mean'. I say, it is just who he is. It makes him happy, so in a way it makes me happy. Because I am happy when he is happy. It's a complicated emotion at my expense.

I do get him back occasionally, so all's fair in love and war. (At least in our family.) And even if I am irked at the time it happens, it usually makes for a great story later.



I mentioned the new fridge (our unexpected Christmas gift) but we did get a gift for our family that was a pleasant expectation.

The spots are frost. Now I park it in the garage, sometimes on top of stuff (oops)

I love it. (Sorry, I didn't have the wide angle lens, but I think you get the idea.) It is a Honda Odyssey. We had a Honda when we were first married and it was such a reliable vehicle. Then we had the Dodge. That car was great for teaching Tyler lots and LOTS about car repair. I think we are ready for another stretch in our life with reliability instead of maintenance.

And it doesn't hurt that the van is pretty and holds eight people if need be. (NO, this is NOT an announcement. Remember? We are done. We just hope to transport the occasional friend.) It doesn't come with any bells and whistles, (We still claim to be DVD free.) but I love it just the same.

That should be it for large Christmas gifts, but I have my doubts on the dishwasher. Here's hoping it can hang in there at least until next year sometime.