We are in the eleventh hour of this whole college experience. Our stuff is wearing out. We're bursting at the seams of our house. Our cars are old. I basically pray that everything will last just a little longer so we can get through this last year, get moved, get established into job and home and all the expenses that come with that before we have to replace anything major.
Yesterday was quite the day. I had plenty of opportunity to think about the possibility of replacing a vehicle, which would definitely not fulfill my prayer for everything to work just a little longer. Thankfully it looks like that won't be necessary, but I definitely thought about it as the afternoon unfolded.
I took the girls with me to a baby shower about an hour away yesterday morning. On the way back the Jeep went haywire. All the electrical systems turned off including all lights, flashers, the radio, and as I rolled to a stoplight, the Jeep itself cut out completely. It was pretty awesome. Traffic was super heavy as everyone headed to Clemson for the football game. There was an accident about half a block ahead, so everyone was stopped right where I was, which was helpful. I got out and waved to the guy behind me that I was dead. He immediately pulled off the side and helped me get off the road. We were going to push it forward but then realized I was on a slight hill, so I just let it roll backwards and pulled off. I told him Bill was on the way, thanked him for his help, and he headed out. Genevieve chowed down on the leftover treats from the baby shower while we waited and Chloe slept. It got pretty warm, so thankfully Bill and the boys got there pretty quick. He pulled in beside me and jump started the Jeep and we headed on what we hoped was our merry way.
No such luck. We got about a mile down the road when it died again. Thankfully Bill saw it happen and was able to pull into a parking lot with me behind him. We went to jump it again and lo and behold, the van died instead. Woohoo! All six of us stranded with both vehicles dead, half an hour from home! We called probably ten people before finally getting a hold of my dear friend Becky, who has taken us on as her grandkids ever since we moved to South Carolina four years ago. She and husband Ed came and saved the day. They helped us get both batteries over to an auto parts store and tested. We discovered the van's battery was the original to the vehicle, ten years old. It was totally dead. The Jeep's one was good as it's only a few months old. We determined the alternator is shot on the Jeep. We got a new battery for the van, got it going, and then said a quick prayer as we turned the Jeep on with absolutely no systems running, even air, and Bill started home. Becky and Ed followed us and what felt miraculous at the time, the Jeep worked and we got both cars home.
While I'd just as soon not have car problems, Bill and I agreed we are very grateful it all happened at the same time yesterday. He'll be able to replace the alternator himself. It won't cost an arm and a leg. We didn't have any afternoon plans. He'll miss just one morning of work to fix it. Not bad. The kids did great. They got to play around helping "fix" the Jeep and eat at Burger King and play in the Christmas trees at Walmart where we got the replacement battery. It was an unplanned five-hour setback, but we made it through and everyone was happy when we got home. I couldn't ask for a better result.
This sweet girl is five months old and gets cuter and cuter every day. Here's a fun comparison to Genevieve in the same outfit at about the same age. Genevieve is in the flower headband. The resemblance continues to be so strong.
She still loves cloth. Her favorite blanket to sleep with hands down is her white one from Grandma Barbara. She will not sleep for any length of time without it. No substitutions allowed. This is how she sleeps, fingers wrapped through it, legs uncovered. She kicks off any blankets I put on her legs. It's pretty funny actually. She's still in our bedroom as she sleeps really well there, so when we come in at night she stirs a bit, lifts her legs up, and repeatedly womps them down on her mattress. It's like geez parents, can you quiet down a bit?? We chuckle every time.
We went walking a couple times this week and she's hit the stage where she's comfy in the front pack again. Her legs are big enough to stretch out now and it's the best. That means I can front carry her again and free up my hands and she even fell asleep the other night. I love this stage.
