Automotive expression

You have a close relationship with your car. You rely on it to get you around; and to a certain extent it represents to the world who you are. In Dave's case, he got tired of having to drive clients around in a car that a) had several warning lights on at all times; b) had a non-functioning hatchback door; and c) had lost a key trim piece that flew off on the freeway one day. So it was time for a new car, and I'll spare you all of the calculations that went into which car we were going to get, but suffice to say that he leased a new Highlander (now the second Highlander in our household) last night. I'm calling the color "cabernet."

Kids are funny with their attachment to cars. The Volvo was the only car Zach has ever known Dave to drive. But he absolutely could not contain his excitement about the 3rd row of seats in the new Highlander - he was doing kind of a happy flip-out dance, much to the amusement of the car salesman, until he finally got a chance to crawl back into the 3rd row. I love this about him; he has this sweet, unbridled joy that he almost certainly gets from his dad.

So we harnessed that enthusiasm and took it right over to the dealership's bouncy house so the kids would have a chance to jump around while Dave took care of the paperwork. Zach headed down the inflatable slide in his terrifying new way that involves not just sliding down it but actually propelling himself off the top of the slide so that he bounces his way down to the bottom. (He tried this trick down the inflatable slide at a friend's house into their pool and he had to be stopped. But in the relative safety of the bouncy house, at least, it's pretty funny to watch this small, happy body flying unencumbered through the air.) It was only after he was sweaty, panting, and asking for a drink of water that we were able to convince him to finally come out.

Luke, on the other hand, is a little more complicated, sensitive, and harder to read. Like his mom, he's the kind of kid who would stay up at night worrying about things. And having a bad cold this week (which turned into an ear infection; he's been up for the last two nights and stayed home from school today) he's been a little down to begin with. But the changing of the cars has really knocked him off-center. He's surprisingly mournful about the thought of losing the Volvo. Yesterday he told me that he was as sad about losing the Volvo as he was about moving last year. Heartstrings. Tugging.

If we had been willing to spring the extra $200 per month to get the fancier Highlander with the DVD player, would he be more excited about it? Dave walked him through the math and they concluded that it would be far more economical to buy a 2nd iPad than to have the built-in entertainment. And that resonated with Luke...sort of. We'll just have to wait until it all settles in his mind a little bit more. And we'll have to make sure that the Volvo goes on to a really good person who will love it as much as it's used to being loved.