The inevitable doom has come to pass . . .

I put it off as long as I could, but I knew that, once the third child arrived, it would be inevitable.

Tonight I got an 03 Dodge Grand Caravan with 62k miles on it for 9k. That's right, kid's--I'm a Minivan Mama. Her name is Pennyvan, the way Mel says it, so she'll likely go by Penny. She's silver with grey interior, has the bench in the middle and seats three in the back. Great a/c and rear air.No gizmos--no automatic doors (sniff) no keyless entry (sigh) and no DVD player (thank the Lord Jesus). Just a good, solid van with low mileage and NO PAYMENTS!

So I feel like things are looking up. As of yesterday, we all have health insurance. I was particularly glad about this when I went to look in on the kids while chopping up veggies for fajitas only to find Dixie giving Charlie the last of the almost-new bottle of Triaminic. According to Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) the amount wasn't too much for his 19 lb. body to process and, as long as there was no fever, tremors or aggressive behavior, he was likely fine and didn't need to go to the ER. He was completely, thoroughly decongested to boot.

So other than the 3rd attempt this week on Charlie's young life, things are looking up. I have a new cell phone to replace the lost one, a van to replace the wrecked car, good health insurance for everyone, a really lovely raise for Dowlan, and I can once again breathe out of both nostrils. My a/c and washer/dryer are working.

And I made some incredibly good pork chops for dinner.