If you can change a baby,...

...you can change a tire. Or so they say. I am here to tell you that is a bunch of crap (pun definitely intended). Lindsey, Shulamith, and I are all mothers. I have five children. Lindsey has four. Shulamith has one. Among the three of us, we have changed literally thousands of diapers. We are quite proficient at the process. But none of that prepared us for this:

Yep, that's what we were faced with Saturday, just as we exited the highway on our way to Idaho Falls for a fun-filled girls' night out. David had graciously volunteered to stay home with Lindsey's kids. I had left Seth home in Utah, so we had only Baby Swen with us. Visions of shopping malls, delectable food (particularly chocolate), and copious amounts of Diet Coke danced through our heads. (Okay, yes, Lindsey drinks regular Coke; don't hold it against her.) But only seconds after exiting the highway, we found ourselves stranded by the side of the road with a shredded tire and no idea what to do about it, three girls totally clueless about the art of tire changing.

Lindsey called David, who immediately began to seek a solution, but keep in mind he was in Rexburg with four kids and not even a car seat for Baby Olivia because it was in the van with us. I texted Gerald, who told me Shulamith should know how to change a tire because she had to do it to pass Drivers Ed. Nope. Pretty sure I signed off on that requirement without making her do it. I had the same requirement when I took Drivers Ed, and I didn't do it either. Note to self: Make sure Seth actually learns to change a tire when he is old enough for Drivers Ed. 

After a time of sitting in the van not sure what to do, Shulamith and Lindsey decided to get out and try to locate the tire-changing equipment, while I stayed inside with Swen. Have I mentioned it was bitter cold outside? Yeah, that part of the country is seriously F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G! And windy? Oh my goodness! They were brave and valiant as they faced the elements, but after several minutes, they still couldn't figure out how to remove the jack. I'm pretty sure just about anyone could figure out how to remove a messy diaper from a baby. Stupidest analogy ever! After not too long, however, a couple stopped to help us. The guy seemed to have a little better idea what to do than we did, though in reality, not a lot. Still, how nice of them to stop. We felt blessed. He and his girlfriend (wife?) tried to help us for about a half hour. He managed to remove the jack, and we got as far as lowering the spare tire, no small task, from under the car. Here is Lindsey turning the jack handle:

 Shulamith and I sat in the car feeling pretty helpless.

About then, another Good Samaritan pulled up and stopped. I believe in karma. Gerald always stops to help people in need. Always. I don't. Aside from being female, which sadly brings certain safety concerns, I would have absolutely no idea how to help anyone with any car-related issue. Now if you ever find yourself stranded by the side of the road, and your baby needs a new diaper...  Never mind. This particular Samaritan just happened to be employed by Big O Tire. Within minutes, he had the van jacked up, the tire changed, and everything put back in place. Bless you, dear stranger, whom we will likely never meet again.

And we were off. It was clearly more adventure than we anticipated, but it was over. No one was hurt. Imagine if it had happened while we were still on the freeway. We never made it to the mall, but we did enjoy a fabulous dinner at Texas Roadhouse, complete with plenty of Diet Coke. Good times.

If you can change a baby, you can change a tire. TOTAL CRAP.