I dream in SUV's and Mini-vans

Rod and I both have small cars, we like them because of good gas mileage and no monthly payment. Rod's is a tiny girl car, (that he thinks is not a girl car--but it is) and mine is an old Lexus smallish girl car too.
This was fine when we were just two lovebirds in a nest (circa 2007).
But now that we are these people....
(even though we like to think that we are these people...But our self-awareness prevents us from really going there...)We need a bigger car. Like, NEED.

I think I was in denial the first 16 months of Landon's life. Why, we could fit everything we needed for a weekend trip in one car, even if Landon's car seat was surrounded with huge box suitcases and sharp objects. Unless Heir Rodney decided to bring the golf-clubs...then something important was definitely getting left behind. Once Landon started getting bigger and my back started hurting from having to get in all kinds of crazy positions just to get the kid in his car seat, I quickly came to the decision that the new car needed to happen.

Now most of my day is spent running errands and staring longingly at SUV's and Mini-vans. So pretty soon, it's going to happen.

What do you recommend?

Is it worth the hassle?...Yes, it is.

I decided to take the Little Buddy with me on a jaunt to J.Crew in Los Gatos. One of my besties, who I sometimes call Pineapple Fanta, is getting married and I had to return one of the two bridesmaid dresses I ordered. Along the way, I found a few things to covet.
Jellies!!! These are cute, right? I thought it might be nostalgia taking over. Didn't every girl own at least one pair of jellies? I know the blisters were well worth it to my second grade self. I almost bought some of these ballet-flat jellies, but refrained. I might go back...
We headed over to my other favorite store, Williams-Sonoma, where we didn't stay long because I forgot the stroller. You can see how this particular store could be a disaster waiting to happen with an unusually fast toddler.

A slightly more expensive indulgence. I have a Ruffoni copper saucepan that I got when Rod and I got married a few years ago. Ah, to have a stockpot. This is something I admire every time I go in this store. They never go on sale.
Thank heavens I don't bake! Although this is something rather affordable, I thought these little space cadet cupcake cases were precious.
You can't tell by his face but he was really into the cut-outs.
Its good to get some fresh air. I know I can get lost in the minutia of day to day responsibilities of just keeping the house clean and my child fed. Even though this entire trip lasted about 30 minutes, it was well worth chasing the little guy around. I got to drool over cute clothes and expensive kitchen gear, and he got to pet a few puppies and run wild in a few stores. Both were satisfied.