Jenna

For the past several months a great debate has been going on in our house concerning our next car.  Thankfully I married a researcher who created spreadsheets devoted to our contenders for quick reference comparing features and specs.  We had all our facts, but we were having a hard time prioritizing them.

You obviously read the blog, so you know how often we travel.  Every three day weekend, holiday, and a few additional random times throughout the year we are going on a road trip.  Another factor we considered is that we have a lot of visitors and a third row had a strong appeal to us, especially if this car was going to last us the next decade when we would be well into the era of chauffeuring our kid's friend around too.  The dream of extra seats narrowed our search down, but led to SUV's much bigger than we wanted or, if they were smaller, we liked them until we saw how nonexistent trunk space was once the third row was up.

Round and round the debate went, until it was clear there was really only one option that made sense, no matter how much I originally dismissed it.  And so... I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family:

Jenna the Sienna

I have officially embraced my thirties, my Mom status, and admit that not only is my van crazy practical, but I also love it.  She gets me.  She gets that I'm a busy Mom who struggled every day to shut or open my doors at the daycare with a baby on my hip, a toddler holding my other hand, juggling a backpack full of clothes for Kate, Luke's diapers, and a lunch box... so they automatically slide open or shut for me with the press of a button.  The sliding doors were actually one of the biggest reasons we went with a van.  I love how easy it is now to get everyone in and out of the car.  No more issues opening doors in crowded parking lots or a tight garage.  The sliding doors mean that I can open a door with a button from the kitchen while packing up my things and tell Kate to go ahead and go in the garage and get in the car.  It means I'm not squished behind a barely open door trying to tighten car seat straps on a kid because someone parked way too close to me in a parking lot.  Why don't more cars have sliding doors?  They are great.

Lots of space for these two to grow

She gets that I can't ever find my keys at the bottom of my purse that is over stuffed with wipes, snacks, and a variety of used up chapsticks... so she has keyless entry and opens when I get close.  She gets that I need to keep an eye on my kiddos... so there is a "mom mirror" (that's what is called) to let me see them.  She gets that I'm sleep deprived... so she has blind spot monitoring to keep me safe.  She gets that kids get whiny on road trips... so she has a dual Bluray player with wireless headsets so when the kids are older and both facing forward they can watch different movies at the same time without us having to hear them.  There's even an HDMI outlet so they could play video games someday.  She gets that I don't want to yell at my kids... so there's a button that projects my voice through the speakers so I can still get my point across.  She gets that the only time I can talk uninterrupted on the phone is when I'm alone in my car... so she has Bluetooth and voice command.  Lots of vehicles have all those features I just mentioned, but for someone who had an eight year old car, they are all new to me and I'm loving all the fun tech features.

More features- Back up camera, climate control for rear and passenger

There are a lot of other details that I'm enjoying, like the built in sun shades for the kids, tons of hooks for grocery bags in the trunk, heated seats, navigation, the sunroof, and the leather interior.  

I didn't want a minivan, but now that I have one I get why there are so many on the road.  I'm excited for the many adventures she will take our family (and up to four more passengers, maybe even you, dear reader) on in the future.