The Van

Since finding out we would be a family of 6 we have been contemplating getting a van. We really should have gotten a van last time when we bought our smaller SUV but I wasn't ready to be a van mom yet. Now the conveniences of a van outweigh my need to be cool, and let's face it I am soon to be a mom of 4, my coolness has been gone for awhile now.
Robb and I aren't really car people so we just wanted a reliable van that would fit all the kids. On my must have list was leather seats (not for the coolness factor but so I could wipe old milk off of them), power doors, stow and go seating and it wasn't a must but a bonus was the DVD player. We found what we were looking for, it was in our price range and had a great car fax complete with the service records so we went ahead with buying it.
 The kids LOVE LOVE LOVE the van! They think it is the best thing ever to watch movies in the car (even though they already did this on their kindles). They also like the power doors and the ease of getting in and out. No more crawling over people to get in.
Robb and I liked the van OK, for a van but about a week into having it the engine started to make an odd noise so we took it into the service center where we bought it. Much to our disappointment we found out that the transmission was going out. Robb was upset but I was livid! It was a certified pre-owned vehicle so they should have caught a BIG problem like that not to mention it isn't very old. We were so disappointed to find out the vehicle we just spent A LOT of money on already had a major issue. Robb worked with the dealer and came to an agreement that they would pay the bill for a rebuilt transmission. If you know us, you know that Robb is the good guy when it comes to things like this and I on the other hand am not above throwing a GIANT fit to get what I want. So, luckily Robb was able to get what we wanted the nice way so they didn't have to see the really pregnant woman throw a really big fit. Hopefully this was an isolated problem and this car doesn't turn out to be a lemon forever.