Thanksgiving #2

We completed Thanksgiving #2 and it was very yummy and fun. The kids and I went to my Mom's mothers house and there were 21 people there (we were missing four). We spent a lot of time out around the campfire drinking and visiting. The house was a little small and cramped, but it was perfect. There was lots of yummy food although; after most of dinner was gone I realized there was no Green Bean Casserole. That's okay, I will make some soon. It was weird at dessert time. There were seven pies, but no custard pies. Brian and his family really like them and I have started making them on a semi-regular basis, so it seemed weird not to see any. Not that I was too worried, I am more of a huckleberry or pumpkin lover at the holidays. The kids each got their own individual mini pumpkin pie, smothered in whipped cream. They got to run around outside, feed the horses and play in the barn. I think they had a really good time.

Awesome Travels

Yesterday, I was awake for almost 20 hours. Most of which was spent traveling (in one way or another). To most that would not constitute "Awesome Travels," but for us it did. We made it to the airport in Madison on time and okay, only forgetting the little stroller to help in the airports. Once on the plane (at 6:30 AM Central Time) we ended up stuck inside waiting for about 2 1/2 hours to leave (due to one delay or another). That could have been horrible, but the kids were awesome. I think they may have been half asleep still. Due to that delay, we missed our next flight. Therefore, having about a 3 hour layover until the next available one. Again, could have been bad, but the kids were great. We rode the airport tram a couple of times, played at the kids play area, ate lunch and watched part of a movie. On our second flight Connor napped for a good portion of it and then the three of us spent the rest of the flight helping another mom, who was traveling with her two kids, take care of and entertain them. We had a quick layover there and we were onto our last flight. From each flight our planes kept getting smaller and smaller. Our last one was not quite a propeller plane, but pretty close. The kids had another great flight and were happy to be done, once we got into Spokane (at 5:30 PM Pacific Time). Finally we were at the last activity before dinner and bed, picking up our luggage. Unfortunately that did not happen. Do to some unforeseen airtime travel the bags did not end up with us. Therefore we got some loaner car seats and the clothes on our back until hopefully this afternoon. But, like Mom and I said it wasn't that bad because the man there was very helpful, kind and considerate, which made it all bearable. Overall, we had a wonderful trip and travels.

Thanksgiving (YUM)

Today we had a very yummy Thanksgiving. The kids and I will be gone on the day of Thanksgiving and so we decided to do an early one with Brian. We had a turkey (breast), mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, broccoli casserole, potato rolls, chocolate cream pie, pecan pie and an eggnog custard pie. I can not believe that we were able to make all of that in this camper and still eat at a decent time. I believe all of us gained a few pounds. The sad thing is the kids and I will be going through two more Thanksgiving dinners in the next week. I think I am a glutton for punishment, either that or for more exercise on the treadmill.

Cascade 'Mountain' Ski Resort

We live on top of one of the 'mountains' of Wisconsin. We are right next to Cascade Mountain Ski Resort. Actually we are just above the ski hill. Our elevation at the campground is 1320 feet. Downtown Spokane is at 1890'. The summit of Mt. Spokane is at 5889' and its lodge is at 4200'. That should give you a little perspective of how big the ski hill is. They have some black diamond runs, which makes Brian and I laugh. We said that some of our family members that are avid skiers would fly down them like the bunny hills. We have had a few days where there was snow in the area, but nothing has stuck. The ski hill on the other hand, does have snow. They have been working hard over the past week and a half making snow. It looks pretty funny to see one (now two) runs white with snow and then the rest are green still. We wonder if they are trying to get it, so that they can open for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Angela has been very excited for it to open because she would like to take lessons and learn to ski. We are going to look into it when we get back from Washington.

Connor is a Nudist

Well it finally happened, Connor realized he could take his own jammies off. I came home from water aerobics tonight and went to kiss the kids goodnight. I went into their room and found him in just his diaper. So I grabbed his jammies and put him back into them. A few minutes later when Angela came out to go to the bathroom she said he was naked again. The little bugger. He just laughs and thinks it is funny and to be honest, I think it is too.

Our Home Sweet Home

It just occurred to me that we have lived in the camper for a little over a month now. Before we left some people got to get into it and see it, but not everyone did. So this posting is dedicated to "Our Home Sweet Home." We live in a 2005 36 foot Coachmen Chaparral 5th wheel. There is a master bedroom over the hitch part of the 5th wheel. It has a king size bed and plenty of closet space. There is a shelf for a TV, but we use it for the computer's printer and other 'office' stuff. We have a small bathroom that has a sink in the hallway to our room. Then it has a toilet/shower room just off the hallway. The shower/tub it perfect for giving the kids baths, but it is not a conducive to having Brian and I shower in it. We can do it, we just don't have a huge hot water tank or holding tank. He and I both enjoy longer showers so we go to the show house and enjoy taking our time. Our main room is the kitchen/living room/dinning room. We have love seat sized couch that folds into a hide-a-bed. We do have a TV and a VCR/DVD player. They are not on that much, but they are available. There is also our stereo and an original Nintendo. The kitchen has enough counter space for our dish drainer and the cookie jar (of course Brian needed the cookie jar). Our fridge and freezer are very small so it requires a few more frequent trips to the grocery store. We do have a pretty good size pantry for the dry goods. The table is a typical camper table with the two bench seats and it all makes into a bed. The bench seats are nice for storage purposes, but they are a little awkward for getting people in and out. The kids have their own bedroom, at the very end of the camper. It has two full size bunk beds. Connor's has a bed rail so it is still like a crib for him. They have lots of toys and clothes that their room seems to overflow into the rest of the house. Since the living area is rather small and with four people and a dog, it gets a little trying to keep it clean. Therefore, we live in a little bit of organized chaos. Well, I hope that this is a fairly helpful picture for everyone who would like to know how we are living.

Baking in the Camper

We all used to think that my kitchen in Spokane was small. Moving into the camper completely downsized the space that I have to bake. But that didn't stop us today. We made oatmeal scotchies. It is a bit more of an adventure since I have to use the table for most of it and Connor likes to get up and help. Also the oven bakes a little cooler than I am used to, so we have to compensate for that. After figuring out the few differences and kinks, it all worked out yummily. At least that is what Brian and the kids said.

Commissioned Watercolor Portrait GIVEAWAY!!!!

Commissioned Watercolor Portrait GIVEAWAY!!!!
What a fabulous idea. My good friend Ramie is a very crafty/artsy person and I love her for that. She finds lots of things on the web that inspire her and through her I get to see them. This time it is water color portraits of your children. I would love to win this contest as it would be a wonderful keepsake of the two kids. Thanks to Grosgrain for doing all of these giveaways and to Ruhammie for sharing the site with me.

Veteran's Day

Yesterday was Veteran's Day, as everyone must have figured out. I knew it was Veteran's Day, because the banks were closed. Also, because it is my nieces birthday. The thing I forgot was the fact that it is a school holiday too. This one I did not remember until this morning. Angela had been talking to her cousin last night, to wish her a happy birthday. Then this morning she said, "Kaitlyn didn't have to go to school yesterday. I want a day off." Oops. I told her we will make sure to get some days off around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Gas Prices

It has been pretty amazing for Brian and I as we have traveled back to the mid-west. On our road trip we did not pay too much attention to gas prices, we just tried to find the best deal. Once in Indianola we watched the prices fall. Now here in Portage they are really falling. The cost of unleaded is $2.19. Although Brian had school yesterday a little north of here and he paid $2.15. Then the cost of diesel is $2.91. Not to bad when we were afraid of prices in Washington going over $4.00 this past summer. We are pretty happy with it.

Connor is 2!

Happy Birthday to Connor, Happy Birthday to Connor!

Today my little baby turned 2. Amazing that it was two years ago he joined us in this world. Connor had a fabulous day today, well for the most part. We got really lucky that Brian did not have to work today so he got to be here with us. Our morning started out with singing to Connor as he was waking up and a special birthday breakfast that he did not want to have a thing to do with. He had some presents sent to him and he got to open those up. He got a pair of snow boots, snow gloves, a winter coat, matchbox cars, matchbox tractors, a stegosaurus (that makes noise), candy, some glow sticks, and a play mat for his cars. He immediately wanted to put on his gloves and his snow boots and then sat playing with the dinosaur. He also had a card that made monkey noises and he kept opening it up. We enjoyed this morning, in town, with the family. There is a big train set at the public library that he really likes. He got to stay and play with it for quite a while. This afternoon we played with a lot of the toys. Driving many miles with matchbox cars. Somehow dinner ended up a little bit earlier than we usually eat. Which was okay because we were able to sing to him and give him his birthday cake. He had a fabulous firetruck cake, which is way too much for just the four of us. An early dinner means there is a bunch of time until bed. What do we do to kill time? Play with glow sticks. We turned off all of the lights and both kids got a glow stick. We spent a couple of hours playing in the dark and having a lot of fun. Once bedtime came around he had definitely had a very good 2nd birthday.

P.S. Angela's is the first glow stick design and Connor's is the second.

Beautiful Sun and Warmth

Today is absolutely fabulous. The sun is out, the wind is down to a minimum and it is warm. Our thermometer is slightly in the sun and it said 77. I know that must be a little high, but the weather man predicted a high of 72. I think it is wonderful that it is Nov. 3rd and we are in the 70's still. The kids and I have spent quite a lot of time outside: taking walks, playing at the playground, playing at our site, reading, hanging with the dog and soaking up the sun. Even though it is warm we sure make a funny bunch: Me with my shorts and t-shirt, Angela with her dress and shirt, and Connor with his sweats and jacket (of course with the hood up, that is the only way he likes it now). We are definitely enjoying it while we can because they are predicting snow for this weekend. Weird how one week can go from sunny and 70 to cold and snowy.