We finally did it. We bought a minivan.
After all these years of swearing I'd never get one, we did. The timing is right, with two small children (and an every growing amount of their stuff), it was just too hard to try and fit it all into a Civic.
Don't get me wrong, I love(d) my Civic, great gas mileage, handled really well.... but you try and fit a four year old, a six month old, 200 lbs of kid stuff, along with you, your spouse and enough sanity to last a weekend... (Unfortunately the sanity always seems to be the first thing to get left behind...)
I suppose we could have done worse in picking a minivan- we have heated leather seats, stow and go seating, a full media package that includes a 6-disc DVD changer for the long trips...
...and....
Remote open power doors.
This is the reason that I went from begrudgingly liking my minivan to loving it...
The other day we were all getting ready to get in the van and as we were walking to it my wife said to my 4 year old, "Watch this." And gave me a little wink.
She paused about 2 feet from the van, spread her arms open wide, and slowly brought them together to make an "X" while slowly saying, "OPEN SESAME"
As she said this, with our 4 year watching on enraptured, I discretely pushed the remote door open and the side door to the van "magically" opened!
There are very few times that I can remember my 4 year old being speechless. Actually there is only one- this was it.
After a moment her mouth hit the ground, her eyes began to bug out and she started frantically waving her arms, jumping up and down and screaming at the top of her lungs,
"OH MY GOSH MOM! That was soooooo coooool! How did you do that? Can you believe it!?!?!"
It was all we could do to not break down laughing and crying at the same time. So, of course, she had to try it...so I closed the door
She moved and stood in front of the door, spread her arms wide.... slowly brought them together into an "X"... and said.... in as serious a voice as a 4 year old can muster...
"Opened Sessasee!"
Imagine her surprise when nothing happened! She backed up a step, recomposed herself, and said a little louder....
"Opened SESSASSEEEEEE!"
Still nothing.
So me, being the wisecracker, said, "Maybe you should try it with Mom..."
Simultaneously, they both spread their arms, and said the magic words, "Open Sesame!" and magically the door opened again!
At this, my daughter, mouth agape again, looked at my wife, looked at the van, then back again, and said, "I guess I just have to practice more."
We all had a good laugh at this, and someday I'm sure she'll figure it out, but for the time being, it's great that she finds such simple pleasures in these little things.
On a side note, the initial appeal has lost a bit of its luster... we have yet to come to a door where she doesn't wave her arms like mad and scream "OPEN SESSASEEEEEEE!!!!"
(I think we might have to invest in motion sensor doors so she'll stop screaming at the garage... the neighbors are starting to give us funny looks...)
