Wishing. Hoping. Thinking. Praying.

You know when you pray for  something for a long time and you just really have a peace that it's all gonna work out, even if you're not sure how?  Or when you're hoping for something so specific that it almost seems silly to think you might get it?  Well, our van is one of those things.

I called it my birthday present because even though we need it for Jaron, we got it now because of me.  And Brian is putting in a lion's share of hard work to get it all ready for me to love and use!  I have a bad back and since our chiropractor showed Brian the x-ray of the 47 degree curvature of my spine, I think he's working overtime to make this happen right.  Technically, Jaron could probably stay in a rear-facing car-seat for at least another year.  But it is really hard to transport him into and out of the car-seat, his wheelchair, and back in the house.  I've avoided several outings just because I dreaded the chore of it.

Imagine carrying a 22 pound newborn (he has low muscle tone so he has zero neck control/strength) who is really strong (don't worry, I still can't quite comprehend how one can have low muscle tone and yet strong muscles, but if you hold my boy, you know) and gets stiff and arches his whole body when you carry him out into the cold.  And then when you try to tuck all 32 inches of his limp yet very stiff body into a seated position, he stretches and twists and cries all the more.  Not to mention carting along his bag of formula that he is attached to by a long tube (which I've completely yanked out of his stomach wall, while trying to transfer him from car-seat to stroller one morning.  Milk everywhere!).  Getting him buckled up is sometimes a 5 minute battle, and then he's in... but I have to take him out, put him in his wheelchair, fasten the harness, load all his equipment and then come back and do it all again.  It's exhausting for me and makes him very agitated, so I try to avoid the process all together!  I'd rather people just come visit us at home!

So, Brian has been searching the internet for a few months for a vehicle that is wheelchair accessible or can be modified.  We have to fit our other 3 kids who are all still in booster seats, as well as having a lift or ramp, and a way to strap down Jaron's wheelchair.  It is a very difficult vehicle to find.  Brian started this hunting process by applying for a car loan.  That was unsuccessful, so we had to really adjust our expectations and believed we would have to settle for something less than ideal.  There were a few really old, really big, really ugly wheelchair vans to choose from.  We decided to just wait.

Ok, rewind to about 11 years ago.  Over the summer that Brian and I met, I was nannying for a local caterer in NE Portland.  She had a beautiful, blonde, 10 month old baby girl and a bright red VW Eurovan!  For some reason, I thought that was coolest car a caterer could own.  It was just cool!

So when Bri and I started talking about the possibility of needing a wheelchair accessible vehicle, the first picture in my head was that bright red VW Eurovan!  It would be perfect AND cool!  We looked at everything!  We considered driving to Minnesota for a red Dodge Sprinter.  It was too tall to fit in our garage and it would have required a hefty loan... Or an old Ford van with carpeted interior...  Or there was the white and blue bus/van that had the front passenger seat removed and steps put in like a bus.  It had lots of extra rows of seating though, I guess I could've sat behind Brian...  But when a loan wasn't available we even gave up on that.

Brian's grandparents had left a trust fund for children with special needs, so we were given a generous check and it was decided to be used for an accessible vehicle.  We were so thankful for the funds to put towards our van!  The search continued...

In a casual conversation between my sister and uncle at a family Christmas gathering, we found out that a cousin had a van with a lift that she was trying to sell.  It felt too good to be true!  We had no idea what it was or how much she would be asking for.  Two weeks later, on Christmas Eve, Kori called us and said she had a RED VW EUROVAN!  WHAT?!  Not only that, it had a newer engine, new wheels and tires and a fully automated Braun Lift!  WHAT?!  And then Kori said, "The van was purchased by donated money, so we want to donate it to you."  I still can't even believe it...

Brian and his dad drove to pick it up two weeks later.  Happy Birthday to ME!  It is a 1993 so it needed a little TLC.  Fixing up the van has been a family labor of love!  Brian, his brother-in-law Jeremy, his dad and my little brother Ben, worked all day to wax, buff, paint, vacuum, scrub, repair every inch of our sweet van.  We've had it one week and already Brian has installed a new battery, air filter, oil filter, spark plugs and wires, fuel filter, catalytic converter, muffler, tinted the windows, changed the oil, painted the bumpers and the VW sign and rotated the tires.  It SHINES!  He's not done.  We have scheduled an appointment to get all the straps installed so that we can safely tie down his wheelchair to the van.  Today, Hannah helped Brian install speakers in the van since they are all blown.  This is simply a miracle!  We didn't have to spend any money to purchase the van so we have a budget to fix it up!  It looks beautiful!  How silly of me to wish for something so specific, huh?!

"Thanks for my new wheels, Daddy!"

Jaron's maiden voyage.  On our way to church.  

We strapped him into his wheelchair in our cozy living room and didn't have to take him out or unload any equipment till we were back at home again, AMAZING!

And everybody fits with plenty of space!