Ever had one of those moments where you're ready to see your children to the next random stranger going by? We're currently in "have-to-buy-a-new-vehicle" hell. Our old truck is ready to die, and will take a significant amount of effort to become road-worthy (read: lots of money). So, we either sink a whole lot of cash into a vehicle that's pretty old and who knows what's going to go wrong with it next, or we can get a more reliable, "younger" used truck. Randy is stuck on getting a truck. To be completely honest, I don't really think we need a truck, per se, but hey... who's to argue with a man who wants a truck, right? We're on a budget, too. So finding a decent truck without a ridiculous amount of mileage on it for the right price has proven difficult. We thought we had found one, but upon close inspection by our mechanic were told to stay far, far away from it, unless we were getting it at a ridiculously low price.

Last night, we embarked upon a family adventure that consisted of driving around the used car lots in Ottawa with the children in the back of the van, looking for a truck. how. much. fun. is. that. First of all, the children were hungry, and the cries of "I'm hungry" from the back seat over and OVER AGAIN, PLEASE STOP!!!!! ...ahem... finally ended up with us running to the good old Golden Arches. ick. I was totally flustered with trying to keep the kids quiet in the back seat, with numbers and figures and facts about trucks running through my head, and my husband telling me where to drive, and trying to avoid pylons on the road from ALL OF THE FREAKING CONSTRUCTION IN OTTAWA......breathe, Vanessa.... that I drove right through an intersection on a red light. ugh. Luckily, I didn't cause an accident, nor did I get caught, thank goodness! It really wasn't that bad, I ended up in a left-turn lane that I didn't realize was a left-turn lane until it was too late to get out of the left-turn lane, so just drive on throught he bloody intersection crazy woman driver!

We eventually ended up driving to a dealership just outside of Ottawa, and thank.God. we didn't have to deal with anymore construction. Grace has started this charming effect of using "funny" voices when she's playing. Now, when she's playing at home, with her Ariel and other dolls, and uses different voices and such, it's actually kind of cute! When I'm exhausted and driving down a multi-lane highway, and she keeps repeating the same thing over and over again in a high-pitched-squeaky-nails-on-a-chalkboard voice from the back seat? Not. so. charming.
So discussion ensues like this:

Grace: "Going to see the truck Mummy? Going to see the truck Mummy? Going to see the truck Mummy?" (in squeaky falsetto voice)

Me: "Yes, baby, we're going to see another truck. Please don't use that voice."

Grace: "Going to see the nudder truck Mummy? Anudder truck? Where the nudder truck? (still squeaking..)

Me: "Yes, Gracie. PLEASE don't use that voice. Use a normal voice, like mummy."

Grace: "Okay... I use nudder voice, ok mummy?" (still squeaking)

Me: "Gracie, PLEASE. STOP. NOW" (voice of doom, with evil eye reflecting off the rear-view mirror)

Grace: "Okay, mummy. We go see the truck, now? The truck the truck, the truck, the truck, the truck, the truck" (increasing in decibels and pitch, ever higher, you would think only Satan's hounds could hear her now... but NO!)

Me and Dad: "Grace! Enough! NO MORE SILLY VOICE!" (I think the van was dangerously veering toward the ditch by this time)

Grace: "I like my silly voice, Mummy!" (you got it... still squeaking)

Dad: "Gracie, no more. You're giving me a headache."

Grace "Okay Daddy" (in a regular, adorable voice. Why will she only listen to Dad? Who has changed most of her diapers, cuddled with her when she's sick, endured 9 months of gestational diabetes hell??????)

Me: "Thank you."

Grace: "You're welcome" (squeaking, yet again....)

Thank God we got to the dealership at that moment, otherwise...who knows what might have happened.