Station Wagon.

(Imagine, if you will, a picture in this spot.  Then come back in a day or so and it will be there!)

You'd think with 7 kids I'd have something a bit bigger, like a passenger van or a small bus.  My dad, when he heard our family was about to grow (again) was fortunate enough to find a 1990 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser with only one owner who garaged it and kept it under 100,000 miles.  In 2006, this car was pretty rare, and seeing another is a little exciting, even today.  It's a great car, with enough belts for 8, though we double buckle one in the back if needed.  By the back, I mean the rear facing seat in the cargo area.  You know, the seat that kids from large families loathe, but all their friends think is sooo cool?

(Pretend with me there is a picture of a sporty little red compact car here.  I promise I'll put it up later.)

Anyhow, this car replaced my little red Mitsubishi Mirage (circa 2000), because, let's face it, there was no way all those kids were going to fit in there, because it was already too small!  I've been driving the beastly wagon every day to work, and to wherever the whole family needs to go for 5 years now, and with the way gas prices have been, it has been difficult to afford.  So, my kind step father got my little 4 door red compact car back on the road.  I love the little thing.  It's a great gas saver.

The station wagon has since been sitting, driven once a week or less, in the far part of my driveway. The big reason, of course, is the price of fuel, but other reasons are easy.  It's older, no air conditioning (too expensive to fix), and some of the doors and windows are kinda wonky.   Today, since hubby had the red car, I had to pull out the beast to go pick up my girls and their friends from church.  My oldest sat in the middle seat, and the rest piled into the back.  Funny how, when it's just family, all I hear are moans and groans about sitting back in the hot, no leg room, squishy part of the car. When there are three teenage girls back there, all you hear is giggling, the tick tick of nails on a cell phone keyboard, and people behind me honking at the outrageously silly show these girls put on.

(Again, another imaginary picture, this time of at least one of my girls cleaning fingerprints from the back window of the car.  Or doing blowfishes on the glass.  Or just making funny faces.  It'll be here soon.)

The fun doesn't end with the ride, though.  Dropping them off is also a show.  One decides to climb over the middle seat and exit through the middle door. She ends up practically upside down on the middle seat trying to get the door open.  When it finally opens, doesn't she almost fall out on her head! As we yell goodbye, the other girls giggle in the backseat as I pull away.  Then we pull up to the other girls house, who more gracefully  manages to climb over the middle seat to get out the side door, and proclaims herself the winner as she walks into her house. My two are pretty quiet the rest of the way home.

Station wagons are fun. All you Suburban and mini van owners are missing out.  No expensive entertainment system can outdo the fun of a rear facing seat at eye level with most of the cars on the road.  If you have any doubt, I'll take the station wagon out for another spin for you.  You can sit in the back.