How many people does it take to.....

...fill up the Winnebago???

We first decided to test it out with Josiah's birthday party in March. He wanted to have a party at the house and take his friends on a little tour in Winnie... so we thought six six year olds?

grrrrrrrrrr

(insert picture here)

(that is on the disc somewhere either packed or in my scrapbook pile....)

(to blog or not to blog?)

Insert: reality check. Our house is half way packed and we are starting to show to rentors. Right when I thought I was getting totally MORE organized, I thought... now where is that second disc from Costco?

Anyway....
And today it's JJ's turn, we had a BBQ at our house and a quick tour and gifts in Winnie, right after baseball on our backyard "field."

And a couple gifts. When JJ opened this one, he said "look Josiah! It's to use against you!"

(not sure Mom liked that response)Then we broke the record in Winnie. Total sixteen people, she did just fine!

Happy Birthday Kaler boys!!!

Easter, TT style....

Well it is finally Spring here in Seattle!! This means we may see the sun a little more, we're into baseball, and Greg has got to start mowing the lawn. (Every year he thinks the Easter Bunny needs tall grass so won't mow until after Easter.... a little issue I have, but anyway....)

Now that we have Winnie, absolutely anytime we have the chance we're off to "practice." At first we took great joy in driving to Wallmart (don't call us white trash, we didn't know where else to go!! At least its FLAT!) Then we figured out we can go to the park (see Josiah's birthday blog, coming soon.) Well just last week we got our Thousand Trails Membership information (a long process but great deal from e-bay!) and whadaya know... its off to camping we go!! all that long grass at home wasn't gonna hide any eggs for us this year. We went off to check out if the Easter Bunny could still find us if we're camping.
So we went out to a TT park in LaConner, home of the not-yet-since-its-been-freezing-all-winter-tulip festival. Shayna and I did find some daffodil fields, however.
We then got only a little lost (Greg hogs Gladys, you know) trying to find the TT park. Its on the edge of an Indian reservation right out by the water.
Since this was our first time checking out a TT park, and we went full bore with the "full time" option (so we can stay anywhere all year for free), I was a little nervous that it was going to be a dump and we'd be stuck with it.... but... Not bad!!
We had an enjoying evening of campfire roasting marshmellows (Jenny: next year we'll be roasting peeps!)JJ summed it up well when he said "You know, its easy for me to get excited a lot...being here I feel really relaxed!!" The next morning, Mom and Josiah were laid up with a bug, but whadaya know!! EB made it after all.... she brought some devotion books for while we're on the road, and had a big ole egg hunt for all the kids. JJ even got the "golden egg" for his age group, which meant a special prize.Shayna stayed back at home and made another egg hunt just for Josiah, and Greg came back with a full on breakfast. It absolutely dumped rain the remainder of the day, so we stayed inside, watched movies and appreciated the day. Overall it was a great Easter and we look forward to more holidays on the road, maybe with a little more sunshine. Later in the afternoon JJ chose a devotional for the day. We were a little humbled by what it said:

"The grass may be greener on the other side, but it still has to be mowed"

Ok Lord, you're on to us!! Happy Easter. He is Risen, indeed!!

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

3rd Grade Champs

JJ and the Tar Heels take the Championship!

It was really a team effort all year long. The parents really got into it and made tee-shirts and signs!

I don't think JJ has let go of that trophy all day~!

Celebrating at DQ. Shayna had play practice so we were missing the last Kaler. JJ played great in the game and had a great season overall. The team was undefeated and had a fantastic season. Go Tar Heels!!!

Making plans....

To some select few I have confessed my initial reaction to Greg driving up in "Winnie" for the first time. Since I am over it now, I feel I can write about it. So here it is...

We'd been waiting for 2 days. And here he comes.... daddy driving down our street with what will be our home for a full year starting in June. The headlights appear. "There he is!! Goooooo daddy!" and then he pulls closer, and we are able to see the height and width of the thing. "NOOOOO, that can't be him!! That's a truck!!" But it was him.

And then, the joy of stepping inside!! Its clean! Its new!! Its....
...what the ^%#$@&^>>!? are we doing?? This thing is wayyyy too small. There is no way we can live in here... The walls started closing in on me, and I was finding it hard to breathe. I watched the kids find their bears with joy.... even enjoyed the apple pie... all while on the inside, I thought I was going to puke.....

I later decided to call it "cold wheels", and though it resurfaces its doubtful little head every now and then, for the most part, it has passed.

It is cozy, comfortable, cute, and most importantly... it is MOBILE!!

Since then we have managed a few successful test runs, bought a camp membership, and are making plans. The fear has subsided and excitement and reality are setting in. I am also learning new planning skills that I never knew existed!! (or ever thought would need.) For now, lord willing, the plans are like this:

June 16 departure. Easy, non-panic cruise thru Washington and Idaho.
June 18-20 Glacier National Park, Montana
June 21-22 Rolla, North Dakota
June 23 Makinaw Island, Michigan
June 24-25 St. Clair, Michigan
June 26-27 Cedar Point and Kenisee Lake, Ohio
June 28 Pittsburgh Pirates, 1:35
June 29-Aug.7 Gallaudet (DC)
Aug 7-9 Chestnut Lake, New Jersey
Aug 11-18 Portland, Maine
Aug 19-26 Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland
Aug 27-Sept 13 Portland/Baxter State Park/ Bar Harbor, Maine
Sept 14-21 Boston, MA
Sept 22-24 New Hampshire/Vermont/Adirondack Mts (NY)
Sept 24-28 Montreal/Toronto/Niagara
Sept 29-Oct 6 Virginia Landing/Chincoteague, VA
Oct 7-14 Virginia Beach, VA
Oct 18-31 Myrtle Beach, SC
Nov 2-10 Orlando, FL
Nov 11-24 Tampa, FL
Nov 28-Dec. 21 Ft. Lauderdale, FL with a Bahamas cruise somewhere in there....

And don't forget that you are invited to tag along on any part of the trip. Winnie has a guest bed that folds down, or bring along a tent!!

May the Lord be the wind beneath our wings and the air within our tires!! HUGS

Winnie's first big trip....

Well, let us tell you, traveling in Winnie is a whole.... new.... luxury!!








We can stretch on the couch and play all our travel games, like mini-scrabble, gameboy, or read our favorite books!!

Our first official trip was out to the Washington coast, in a little town called Ilwaco. Mom and Shayna were a little woozy by the time we got there, we were more than happy to see the ocean.

At first we didn't know what we were doing and parked backwards up with the big boys.

Then we got smart and camped the way we like to camp, in the woods.

The kids had fun exploring and we enjoyed marshmellows by the campfire... then came in, showered and slept great.

The next day we headed out to the water and put some kites together. It was warm with a gentle breeze, a perfect day for rookie kite fliers!!

Oops, Uncle Ron left his super frisbee in Washington and it has a permanent spot in Winnie. If he reads this blog, he might try to claim it back!! Oh no!!
We had a great time, to say the least.

We even got brave and drove her out on the water. GOOOO, WINNIE!!!!!
There's nothing like hot cheesy bread straight from the oven right at the beach. I'm telling you.... LUXURY!!! Amen!!

We did learn a lot this weekend. Being our first official run, we were expecting this. A few things we learned are:

1) mama needs dramamine ? (never got car sick before!! hope this'll change!)

2) JJ's bunkbed needs a rail

3) We need a better mattress

4) It's not about staying perfectly new...

It's about using what you have and learning to maintain.

Carpe Diem!!

...To Surf!!

Now all that snow and sledding is fun, but here is my idea of a good time....70 degree weather in December. It got old growing up, but sure is nice to go back to now!!

We had a great time playing with our cousins...
And warm weather means even Jo can join in the fun. He's not one for snow!!!

From Snow....

Here are those sledding pics I promised from last Christmas. This is the first snow: there was barely enough on the ground to be sleddable but our kids made it work! (The ice helped)


We went to our favorite spot: Jakes Hill. It's a one way with very little traffic and has a serious incline. The kids bobsledded down that baby with a vengeance!! I had to convince them to come in so we could pack. The forecast was snow for the rest of the week, and we started banking on school getting cancelled. That meant an early departure down to LA for the holidays.

(enough, really.....)