Okay, so you are absolutely right! I DO want the Toyota Sienna...and decided I am worth the extra cash:) I hate the fact that I have to spend such an outrageous sum on a minivan! It really seems as though if you are going to spend $65,000 on a vehicle it should be sporty, red, flash, and preferably convertible. But alas, it is what it is. So today I drove my shiny new Toyota Sienna home! I am quite excited and now have a huge amount of technology to discover. Back-up cameras, satellite radio, GPS and a million buttons and functions. Who knew just how much things had changed?! And dd4 was thrilled that her Frozen CD could be played at will...lovely:) Thanks everyone for the input and thoughts! I have included a silly picture of the results.

Ha, ha, oh, LOL! When I read that it took me a moment because of the context. I assume you meant that you would rather go without a vehicle...but considering it is a WHEELCHAIR van, I read it through that context:) Yes, I would rather walk than buy a wheelchair van too😄

And just a thought: I LOATHE computerized phone systems and have found that often, even if the option is not listed, if you just continue to press '0' the default is to transfer you to a person.

This is a worry. We recently had a massive Ford Expedition we rented on holiday and it was miserably hot when you got in...and that wasn't in the Texas heat! But our silver van now )interior gray carpet) has really shown the wear on the floor where the chair goes. It is sooo gross:) Still, surely I can put something down if necessary?

Well...according to the stats they are mpg the same. However, there are lots of claims on the web that that is not in fact the case. What says the hive?

That is a good point, and one of the few quantifiable stats I can find on the web about the differences. Lots and lots of opinions, but only slippery tendrils of actual data:(

Yes, everything from just a banister and posts, to a full rail system. Depending on the stairs, as in whether they are 'regular' spaced, you might have to install the stringer set first. Kind of like an upside-down version of what the stairs themselves (the treads) are laid upon. That provides a flat surface to install the rails/banister system on. Do you have a picture? I can help pin down where to go...

I honestly don't know...and am not sure it truly matters! We have a 1997, and it just hit 110,000 miles!

Yes, you can purchase pre-made railings at places like Lowes and Home Depot. Both for the porch and for stairs. They will have metal and wood. We did a wrap around porch and the rail of a long wheelchair ramp up the side with the wooden ones. Depending on how much you need, it can actually be much more cost effective as it is much less labor-intensive.

Princess dresses, tiaras, new lab coats, magnifying glasses, and other clothing items often seen on Halloween are appropriate attire for daily outings to places like grocery stores and other errands. There is no real contradiction to being dressed in poofy frilly dresses and wanting to dissect the newest dead animal 'specimen' that was found in the backyard. One may or may not deign to don an apron.

So we have been going back and forth on decisions regarding the purchase of a new van. We are out of time. This isn't just any van, as it is a fully loaded and side wheel-chair lift van. If you haven't seen them, they are just ridiculously pricy. The conversion alone costs upwards of $30,000, plus the cost of the van itself. With a price tag like this, we will be driving it for QUITE some time! We have one now, a Dodge Grand Caravan, so we are very familiar with that particular model. Here is the question: we have narrowed the choice down to two vans. Both are in the showroom, ready for us to choose. In all the reviews and stats online, the vehicles are extremely similar. Same size engine, conversion is identical, safety, extras, etc. they are even the same color. 1. 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan- we know pretty much what we are getting. Black interior (in Texas!) which will show less dirt from dd4 and the wheelchair. Less 'trunk' space, but it IS a minivan for a family of 3. This vehicle 'feels' cheaper, slightly more plastic-looking features....but with factory incentives ends up with a price tag of nearly $10,000 less. 2. Toyota Sienna- we like this one! But it IS pretty much the same. Gray leather interior, a bit more space, a sun roof, features just look nicer. 1/4 inch more ground clearance (which in these conversion vans that ride loooow to the ground may or may not be negligible). Repair costs in Toyotas tend to run higher, but resale is also a bit higher. Both have extended warranties, but this can often be an issue anyway as the companies often fight that the conversion voids the warranty. New legislation and agreements signed by companies are working on that particular problem, but... So...lay it on me. What do you think? Would you be willing to pay an additional $10,000 for pretty much the same van for primarily minor comfort/luxury/cosmetic issues? It IS our primary vehicle, will probably be or only vehicle as hubby walks to work and we had no need for a second vehicle. We will be driving it for a very long time I would imagine. Any thoughts? Experience with either van with or without the conversions? Thanks for the help, I think we have gone round and round for ever! And just an after thought...the conversion van we have now was partially donated to us years ago when I was just getting out of the military and starting to Uni. Because of this, I was granted with independence and the ability to attend school. We are not really comfortable selling it...if anyone knows of someone in Texas in need of a wheelchair conversion van (warning, it is older and the lift needs some work!) please feel free to send me a pm. We have put out the word locally but other than a few people who just needed a van have not heard anything.

Grandma just sent my dd one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FV6A45E/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00FV6A45E&linkCode=as2&redirect=true&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&tag=katatm-20 41 in Olaf Mylar balloon for under $5 with free shipping. They have princesses as well.

Happy Birthday! I tried to paste a picture for you in the spirit of bday, but apparently technology has rebelled this morning. I wanted to give you bacon, but alas, am vegetarian:) Here you are: https://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+bacon&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#hl=en&q=pictures+of+morningstar+bacon Hope you have a lovely, wonderful bday!

I would imagine he was talking about Voltaren, which I use. It is topical Diclofenac, an NSAID. It is by Rx in the US, but funnily enough OTC in the UK where I get it much more inexpensively!And you are right, it definitely depends on location of the aches! ETA: when I was in Hawaii a few weeks ago I bought a small bottle of a Hawaiian topical pain relief product by a company called Noni on the advice of a local. I wouldn't say it was the best thing ever, but I WAS pleasantly suprised. I love that it is all natural and vegetarian:) http://kauaimade.net/listing/hawaiian-health-ohana/

I showed the picture to dd4 and told her it was in Texas, where we also live... She is currently fascinated by snakes and excitedly asked the following: "if she has ophidiophobia, do you think she will bring the snake to live here, in our yard?!" No dear. Not ever, ever. Of course, I am the mom who currently has neighbor's massive pet tarantula visiting our library because dd was sooooo excited to babysit the thing😠I find myself heading in frequently just to make sure the thing is still nestled safely in the terrarium!

I recently helped a friend put one together. Here are a couple more ideas from our efforts:) 1. We made a stuffed giant Olaf puzzle. We made the body parts by quickly stitching a 'ball' of cheap white cotton and stuffing it with shredded paper...but you could stuff with whatever you have, old clothes, blanket, etc. the kids had a blast assembling/reassembling him. We had decorated a little summer themed, beach corner of the room for him from random summer decorations. A huge cardboard sun, beach umbrella, beach ball...even a big pool with sand in the bottom as we had little siblings attending the party as well and were hoping to keep them occupied. 2. We had a mock snowball fight inside with fake snowballs...and the kids had a real one outside. We bought 2 cooler-fuls of 'snowballs' from a local shaved-ice place. I think they were about $20 total? 3. We made a princess castle ice sculpture! This was so cool. I have a 3-D castle cake pan and we simple filled 1/2 with water and froze it. Then the other half. When solid, I used a paintbrush to wet the top (middle) and quickly out the halves together. Freeze again. It took a few tries to get them to stay, but was really fun and cool. This was so fun that I went a bit crazy with the ice...hey, water was cheap, right?' I bought silicon candy molds in a princess theme and made ice cubes for our 'blue' juice. Marshmallows floating on top. 4. One thing I actually just saw at Disneyland two weeks ago...they had done 'candied apples' but dipped in white chocolate and decorated to look like Olafs. That could be a neat party favor. We instead made home-made PlayDough snowmen with things to decorate them in little keepsake jars. We also played a bunch of games such as the toilet paper wrapping game, pin the nose on Olaf, and had a scavenger hunt with Frozen trivia to 'find Olaf's parts'. They played freeze tag and a bunch of other stuff as well.

My dd4 can get absolutely crazy without both strenuous physical activity and lots of mental challenge. We DO have one of those trampolines, but here is something similar that we have had great success with that your hubby might be more comfortable with: Jump roping...but when we started at two, I just slowly twirled the rope in a circle so that she could time it/jump the rope. Something about the physical jumping and the rhythm was very strenuous and calming. Eventually she graduated to regular jump roping. Also, spinning. One of those swings that are in a disc, or a tire swing are both great. We have them hung on our porch and in the climbing wall/jungle gym/garage. And a hammock as well:). But it IS still rough. She goes to gymnastics 2 days week, swimming 2 days per week, and rock climbs 2 days week, and she never seems to run out of energy!

We ended up going elsewhere, but when I was looking for someone in Texas to do dd''s neuropsych/educational testing I found a listing on the Hoagie's page. Reviews are really quite favorable and I have a friend who was very pleased there. Dr. Daniel Thompson and Dr. Frank Emmett http://mindwisenow.org/ South Texas Medical Center If you need ideas a bit further away in Texas, or just plan to get up north when you are here, send me a pm:)

We used this and enjoyed it, although definitely supplemented with loads of library books. The problem is is not enough really for a whole semester. You could stretch it like we did, but Intellego has a nice earth science unit that we used concurrently as a nice tie-in. http://www.intellegounitstudies.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_9_10&products_id=15

Ah, so yet another reason to homeschool...maybe number 19, 728? Dd4 has NO filter. This is painfully obvious:) Today she was reading to herself, but she still sometimes would rather read loudly, replete with voices and hand gestures. I mentioned casually, "you remember you can read silently like mom and dad, like at quiet time, right?" Her response: "sure mommy, I know. I guess I am just one of those people like (insert neighbor's name) who REALLY likes the sound of their own voice!" Oh boy. Time to be much more careful what *I* say.

Definitely, Happy Birthday! Hope you are having a wonderful day and get to do something fun...maybe climbing?!

He may well have already read them, but if not they just might be a fun springboard. The Penrose the Mathematical Cat books by Theoni Pappas. On each 2-page spread is a fun math topic or concept, more often than not off the typical path. For that age, maybe he could find the topics that pique his interest and you can help him go deeper. It could be child-led, so might bring back some of the enjoyment and love.

We were just on Oahu for an extended vacation. We stayed at the Disney Aulani, and were so impressed by the sheer number of pleasant young people employed there. We chatted with several of them and many were there working for the summer and spoke very highly o the experience. A huge range of jobs, even working in the Auntie's Beach House Keiki club. Very clean, HAPPY family resort. http://aulani.jobs/ The other thing that springs to mind other than the obvious tourist service industry would be at the Polynesian Culture Center. The purpose of the place is to hire as many full-time BYU students as possible, but they do have SOME jobs for young people outside of those. Unfortunately, you can't apply until you are there... http://www.polynesia.com/employment-faq.html#.U68Fdre9Kc0 I was going to suggest the national park system, but honestly, with migraines she will probably want to stay away from Big Island and the air from the volcanoes:(

What a great list! My dd is actually reading at a very high level, to the point where leveled readers are long a thing of the past...she seems to get frustrated with many of them as far as fiction goes. However, I have found that they are just about perfect for history/civics. She CAN read more advanced materials, but the leveled readers tend to be more age-appropriate for content. They also present the material more at her level...and the pictures, can't underestimate the value of pictures:) We recently visited Pearl Harbor and I was struggling to find an appropriate book. The bookstore there actually had a leveled reader and it was perfect. Thanks for the list!

We load tons of audiobooks on dd4's IPod. She listens to them at night after regular reading time, in the morning if she wakes up before time to actually get up, in the car, etc. We keep the volume on low so she actually has to be still and listen to hear the story:)