The Beast

"You don't understand what I'm up against. This is a force more powerful than anything you can imagine. Even Superman would be helpless against this kind of stench."

- Jerry, describing the smell in his car, in "The Smelly Car"

Remember that episode of Seinfeld? That's what we felt like with our Intrepid about a week after a trip to the zoo. It was a Friends of the Zoo breakfast and they loaded us up with doughnuts and way more bottles of milk than we could drink. So after leaving, we threw the unopened bottles into the trunk where they remained for a week. Even without opening the trunk, I had started to notice a weird smell, but it wasn't that strong. After opening the trunk one day to use the stroller, we were hit with the nastiest smell ever. The milk bottles had leaked and molded all over everything - the stroller seats, the trunk... gag. We washed and scrubbed but still couldn't get rid of it. So now our car was "THE BEAST."

But that's not the only reason we traded it in for a van. The kids were really just outgrowing the Intrepid. They would just pick at each other, steal toys, Sophie would go spread eagle and stick a foot in Sam and Jules' face. Then Julia would bite her foot... it just wasn't fun. So off to CarMax! We had a really good experience buying from them and we are now the proud owners of a Kia Sedona. Just a starter van till we can save up for a really tricked out one. For now, we just wanted the space.

And while we were at it, we got a new stroller! I wanted it a while back but it wouldn't fit into the trunk. So we converted the Triple Decker into a toddler stroller and it served us well. I really did love that stroller but again, the kids are just outgrowing it. They kick each other and have no leg room. It's sad to see it go because we've used it since they were newborns! This one is really heavy and cumbersome but I think it'll be a good fit for us. (One kid sits sort of under the push handle bar).