Zoom Zoom!

Anyone who knows us, knows that we have been WAY over due for a new car! Somehow Ry and I have managed to get by for most of our married lives (7 years!) with only one automobile. I like to think it's contributed to family bonding, but the time has come to give the good ol' Corolla a break.

We needed something with a little more space (so, for example, I don't have to stop at home to unload my stroller before I get groceries). But we don't really need a full-sized mini-van. SUV's are pricey and guzzle the gas. A station wagon, perhaps? No--we're not even going there!

Well, I think we've found what I hope will be the perfect car for us! We trekked all the way up to Baltimore yesterday to get our new (OK, slightly used) Mazda5! It's a 2007 and only has 11,000 miles on it. We got a really good deal for just the car we wanted!

The Mazda5 is kind of a cross between an SUV, mini van and a hatchback. A mini-mini van, perhaps? It gets great gas mileage and is really fun to drive. Best of all, it's safe for Tessie--side curtain air bags all around the interior (hooray!).

It has some ingenious design features--all sorts of options to fold down seating to allow for passengers or storage. So, here's the tour:

Isn't it cute?

Say cheese!


Here's my seat!


Second and third row seats.

The seat bottom flips up for extra storage
(I'm thinking, "emergency diaper stash?").


The other seat bottom hides drink holders and a storage bin
that can fold out between the two seats.


Voila!

The back view with third row seats up.

One back seat up and one seat down.


Or both back seats down!

Still need more space? Fold a second-row seat down too!

What the heck, fold them all down!

Enough room in there to take a nap!
(You know you're tempted, Dad!
Looks more comfy than the snow hotel, doesn't it?)

With the sunroof open! Zoom! Zoom!


Happy Mom!


And the requisite Tessie picture.
At least one per post; I know the rules.

Screecher Creature

Since it's been bare-knees weather, I decided to try out Tessie's new madras shorts that Dipsy bought during her trip out here. I can't believe they fit her already! Tess is getting so long!

I've found that I can get a little more life out of her newborn pants by just pretending that they are capris on her now! Quite a clever fix, if I do say so myself.

I tried her preemie-sized red pants (the ones in the family picture on my blog) on her to see if they would work as summer capris. It was hilarious! They came clear up above her knees and were quite snug on her chunky thighs! I can't believe how much she has grown!

In the following video Tess is practicing her new favorite pasttime: letting out high-pitched SQUEALS at the top of her lungs.

She usually does this when she thinks she's not getting enough attention. Not because she's hungry or tired (she has other ways of communicating those messages).

No, these screeches are simply her way of saying, "What you're doing can't be all that interesting or important. Come play with me! NOW!"

This last video demonstrates Tessie's rolling prowess. She's becoming a regular pro!

Homebodies

So much for our springtime weather. Today was cold, wet and rainy. Only a few more days left of April showers, and then it better be all May flowers!

Given the icky weather, we stayed pretty close to home today. I bundled Tessie up for exercise class, and we had a Primary Presidency mtg. after the gym.

I know I've lost it when I start taking pictures of other people's kids, but this was too funny to resist. We turned around during the mtg. and the kids had turned the Primary piano into some kind of military bunker for their toys. Can we all sing "Armies of Helaman?"

Finally, we've received some feedback on the premiere of the Mighty B (the Bessie Higgenbottom) cartoon, which aired Saturday. Check out this pic of my friend's little girl, Samantha. (They moved out of our ward a couple months ago).

Sammie is one of the funniest little girls I've ever known. Seriously, she's hysterical. I suppose if she can find the humor in the show, so can I.

Clownin' Around

Tess sometimes has goofy moods. Usually this happens right after her nap, after she's been changed and had a bottle. All seems right in her little world, and she gets downright silly. And of course, I can't resist snapping pics of my goofy girl.

The cute owl onesie that seems to be contributing to her mischievous spirit is from her Aunt Reen (she's not wearing the matching pants--they're still a wee long on her).

Just a couple of pics of Tess hanging out with Dad. Ry is such an amazing dad to Tess. I know he's tired and worn out when he gets home, but he always makes time to spend with Tessie in the evening.

Tess enjoys her dad time. It's so cute to watch her play with him. It's interesting that when she's with him, she frequently reaches out to touch and stroke his face with these inquisitive, gentle pats. She doesn't do that with me. She seems so engaged and interested when she's with him.

Tess is getting better at chowing down her cereal. She'll be eating us out of house and home in no time!