Spring Break in an RV

Soooo, in case you didn't know, we rented an RV for Spring Break! YeeHaw! Seriously. We loved it! We have been talking about buying a motorhome (the RV that is driveable) for about 7 or 8 months now. We think we would really enjoy RV-ing, but there was no way to know for sure until we tried it out. But I mean, can you imagine, actually driving this thing!?

See how Shawn did...

And yes, it does go faster than 3mph. Shawn was just being v-e-r-y careful in the neighborhood (which I appreciated).

Shawn stepping out of the Winny...anxious campers climbing in.

What we rented: a Winnebago Vista, 2009. It is the 32K model= 32ft long with bunkbeds in the floorplan. If you need to know anything about this model just ask...I have down exhaustive research on many different motorhomes.

We packed everything up a day or so beforehand. I tried to organize our stuff in big bins, by "room" or "need". We packed linens. Kitchen items. Food. You name it, we had it. Oh, except underwear or socks for N. Oopsy. You know, he didn't even mind.

We chose to stay at Roman Nose State Park in Watonga, OK. It was about 80mi away so the trip fit nicely into the prepaid miles on the rental. The campsites at RNSP are first come, first serve- so we hustled to get packed and on the road as fast as we could. Which really isn't that fast, actually. Just fast enough though to snag the very last Full RV hook-up. Which means, we had electric, water, and sewer right at our site. (Yes, we were excited to be able to dump our holding tanks at our site. That is a plus when RV-ing, people.)

What is not a plus, though, is when your propane gauge reads full, but is really broken because you don't have enough propane to finish cooking dinner. And therefore have run out of hot water and heat for the night. Oh, and it was going to be in the 20s that night! But it was alright, the campground attendant told me exactly where to buy propane- in the morning! Cuz at 6:00pm this town shuts down. But he was very kind to put an Occupied sign on our site (remember it was the last one?). So ok. First crisis in the RV. We were lucky that we had already met a couple other campers because they helped diagnose the problem and helped block our site until we returned in the a.m. They also lent me a camping stove to finish dinner. And the raw chicken strips in the oven finished cooking by leaving the oven door shut. No cell phone service out there either, so Shawn had to walk to the lodge and make a reservation for us. So, after dinner, we packed up, pulled in our slides, unhooked, and headed to the park lodge-which was very, very nice. Modern. Eco-friendly. Newly remodeled. Oh the irony of us parking a 32ft RV in the parking lot of the lodge. Ahahahahaha!

Here's a few picture I took on my phone when we were on the road. This is why we would love to own one of these.

The big kids sat at this table for the whole trip- eating, playing My Little Ponies and Star Wars, and even napping. I know!

And here's the captain that made sure we didn't run into any moving vehicles or various stationary objects.

More tomorrow....

--Kate

The Real B-day Celebration!

In case you were wondering, we have made good on Stella's 4th birthday celebration! She wanted a Strawberry Shortcake party. And, well, although it wasn't a real party, it was still a party with Mom, Dad, and Brothers. She didn't seem to mind. There was cake!

And yes, I made the cake. And I am not a cake decorator. The cake was good. The homemade buttercream frosting was oh so good. Then I messed up a couple things. I tinted some can frosting pink to be the frosting between the two cake layers. Yuck. It probably would have tasted just fine by itself, but matched up with homemade buttercream, it tasted like plastic-coated cardboard. Ok, maybe I am being a bit dramatic. But it was a cake-fail. The other big cake-fail was adding all of the sugar sprinkles around the sides. Not to mention, I ran out of the pink sugar and had to patch up with purple, making the cake appear bruised. The sugar was crunchy and detracted from the buttercream.

But, does this look like a face of disappointment?

Happy 4th Birthday, Stella Bella!

--Kate

We had to postpone Stella's Birthday

We were all looking forward to somebody's 4th birthday...and then...vomit got in the way. Well, vomit, and diarrhea, and sickness. And lots of it. In fact, all three kids were sick. At.the.same.time! I often wondered what would happen if all three were throwing up at the same time. Something that would put my mom skills to the test. And would I pass? Would there be vomit all over my house? How does one "manage" all the outflows and limp bodies, I would wonder.

Well, I have lived it. I survived. And our house stunk for a few days. Honestly, it might still stink and I just don't know because I am used to it. Floors were fine, but beds were made and washed and remade and washed many, many times. (To our future home buyers: no one threw up on our carpets, promise!) I won't get into the details, because they were really gross. All I can say is poor Stella. She got it the worst.

But, I will say that having all three sick in that way, at once is much better (dare I say "easier" too) than stringing it over weeks. There was no worry of keeping sick ones away from well ones. Or making food for one while denying others because they can't even hold down water. It was something that I dreaded, but now I have survived it. And, yes, I realize I am not the only one with sick kids..blah, blah, blah... But when you are not a supermom, you never know if these events are going to break you.

So having shared that, you can understand why Stella's birthday was postponed and where I have been all week. Despite her feeling so bad, she insisted on opening presents that night. I don't know why- she didn't really enjoy it.

Woo hoo! Presents Time!

Grrreeeaaat...a Sttraaaawberrrry Shoooorrtcaaaake dooollll...juuuussst whhhaat Iiiii wwaaantted...thhaannkssss.

Yes, she is really making that face of pure disgust after opening a box full of headbands and hairclips. (that sick)

Isn't this the saddest face you have ever seen. She looks like a hostage.

Nick couldn't keep up.

A quick wardrobe change after an "accident" in her pants (yes, that sick).

This is what I got when I asked her to give me a smile. I was sorry I put her through the trouble!


And finally...


Happy 4th birthday, my dear, Stella!
We'll do this right when everyone is better.
--Kate

Who's who?

I do this a lot. Compare pictures of Henry to pictures of Nick. They look a lot alike so I love to search for their subtle differences. They are there. It is fun because Henry wears Nick's hand-me-downs too. But yesterday's post reminded me of another little someone's first "real" haircut.



They are almost the exact same age, too.


Nick is 19 months, 11 days.
Henry is 19 months, 21 days.
Almost exact!!
I didn't plan this...must be the same time when I figure they don't need to have a crooked haircut by their mom.

Almost exact reaction!


And, the sucker...


--Kate

Henry's First Real Haircut

I finally caved and took Henry to Snipitz (a kids hair salon) on Friday. He and Stella needed a new haircut and I just didn't feel like wrestling him in the bathroom this time. I wasn't sure how he would react, but he seemed just fine.



A little unsure, but that is to be expected.


Doing GREAT! Better than I imagined.



Even watched the Snipitz cartoon!


Uh-oh. Is that a look of uncertainty...


Oh, yep, there it is!



Poor guy


Nothing that a sucker can't fix though!



And big sis was there for moral support...and a haircut.


Can you believe she turns 4 on Tuesday? FOUR?!?!?

--Kate

Seriously, I am a PTO mom.

Technically, it is not a "PTO" because the kids are at a Lutheran school and they call it PALS (Parents and Lutheran Schools). Why does that just sound gay to me?! Anyway, I am not just a PALS parent, I am the Secretary of the whole thing! What!?

I knOW! But the school has been having some trouble this year. I don't even have enough time to discuss it with you! But let's just say we are applying at another school for next year. The applications were sent out to wait list families on Monday...still nothing today. Trying to be patient. Even though I sprinted sauntered to the mailbox as soon as I heard that diesel jeep pull away. But I want to get our info in as soon as we can. This school will set the standard, I believe, for the rest of their educational years. N and S don't know about it yet. And we just hope there is room for us and the kids pass their interviews (assuming they get one)...anyways.

Back to their current school. Currently they do not have a parent/teacher organization and have not had functioning in the past three years we have been there! (I know right!) So I am so glad to help their current school set up a parent/teacher organization and get it running and ready for next year. It is the least I can do to support the teachers whom we just adore and utterly appreciate! So at least for the next few months, I will be able to help raise funds and ensure they go back to the teachers and classrooms where we parents believe the money should be. Lotsa work ahead of us and I will be able to learn a lot. Our new president has a high-schooler (oooh) so she like, practically knows like, everything about PTOs. : )

But that's what I have been tied up at the computer working on for the past few weeks. It is just a lot of work upfront- writing bylaws and budgets, but it will be at a more normal pace now.

--Kate

Testing a 50mm lens on a cold day

These are some cute pictures I took one day (December 5th, to be exact!). I was just playing around with my 50mm lens outside. It was cold, but I had some great light and the kids were running around outside having fun so I got lots of (cold) smiles. I probably cropped many of these pictures, but they are unedited pictures...they'll do. Not great.



I do not know what they were thinking with these safari hats!!


These next two are just cropped out of the the one above.


Did you see her grey tooth? She banged it on a pogo stick. The dentist gave us three options with it and the only one that didn't involve surgery was to leave it alone, so we chose that one. And you know what? It looks normal again! Which is amazing, since that was not what her pediatric dentist-who-you-have-to-wait-four-months-to-get-an-appointment-with told me.

There is H in his "beater". Bought this sweet car at the Just Between Friends Consignment sale for $10. I will probably sell it for $10 one day, too.











OH she is ALWAYS singing! I need to sneak and record some of her "original" songs! They are great!!!





--Kate