Storms

We made it to St. Louis today. It was still pretty windy this afternoon when we left-not quite as bad as yesterday, but still pretty windy. Still, we decided to give it a try figuring that if the wind was too bad we'd just turn around and go back to Chatham. As it turns out, I think I had more trouble with the wind blowing around our ultralight car than Jeremy had with the trailer. We made it to St. Louis well ahead of the rain thankfully.

After Jeremy finished work we had dinner and then, since the rain had still held off, decided to make a quick trip out to Union Station. It's only a few blocks away and the campground owner gave us a coupon for a free hour of parking there, so we gave it a shot. Ian had a great time. We looked at some of the old train memorabilia, and spent awhile outside where they have a really nice setup of a little artificial lake in the old train yard, complete with fish, a bridge, and a seafood restaurant. I took some pictures of the kids on the old train tracks and I think they turned out pretty well.

Unfortunately, before I could get the pictures off the camera, the tornado sirens went off. Poor Rinnah had been asleep and looked completely baffled as to why we'd wake her up only to take her outside in the pouring rain. I had just been reassuring Ian that the constant lighting and loud thunderclaps was almost over and nothing to worry about when the sirens went off. So we packed up the kids, draped their blankets over their heads, and trekked across the lot to the showerhouse. It's not too far and it's a brick building with no windows, so it's a good spot. We actually scouted it out when we arrived since we knew big storms were expected. There was even another couple over there with their dog, which provided a little entertainment for Ian. After about a half hour they canceled the warning and we took the kids back to bed. Of course it's taking some time to get resettled.

Hopefully the worst is over and we won't have to repeat that in the middle of the night. We're looking forward to getting together with friends tomorrow.

Another Wind-nesday

Ian is learning the days of the week, and the first time he asked me what day it was we were walking outside on a windy day and it happened to be Wednesday. So now every time it's windy he says, "It's another Windnesday today!"

Today we were planning on heading down to St. Louis. It's only an hour and a half from where we are now, so it should be an easy drive. But all day today it's been about 35mph sustained winds with gusts around 45-50mph. Not the best weather for driving an almost 14' tall vehicle. So here we stay.

I packed up the kids this morning to head to the zoo. Six minutes down the road, at 9:45am, they were both asleep. I guess hopping out of bed at 6:20 took its toll. It was a bit windy for walking around the zoo anyhow, so we went back to the campground and I sat in the car with them for another half hour watching my photography tutorials. That was a nice relaxing morning.

Neither kid wanted to go outside when it was so windy out (I can't blame them really, I wasn't too excited about it myself) so we stayed home today. The kids were actually surprisingly cooperative. I cleaned out a cabinet, matched a whole basket of socks, put away the last of the laundry, and reorganized some closet things while they played with the trains, read books, and half-watched Toy Story. Of course there was plenty of time for me to play with them too (and do some refereeing) but they actually did really well. We had supper and a nice relaxing bedtime, so hopefully they'll both be out early tonight.

Rinnah is so clever. We have a paper chain countdown to Disney. Today she ripped several of the rings, including the last one, and then happily exclaimed, "See Mickey today!" Poor girl, I felt so bad explaining that it was just for counting and wouldn't magically transport us to Disney World when the ring was broken. They are going to be so excited when we finally get there.

Our other plans are shaping up nicely too. We'll be meeting up with some friends on Saturday in St. Louis, then we've got an uncle and a friend to see in Nashville next week. Plus we found a great place to meet up with Jeremy's parents at the end of June/early July and they'll even be able to be there for Rinnah's birthday. So much to look forward to!

More normal day

Today felt like a much more normal day for us.

First thing this morning Ian asked to open the train tracks. I'd collected some wooden train things on clearance but saved them since I knew Grandma Fox had a huge wooden train collection. So he knew that once we were not at Grandma's house, we could open the trains. I had to persuade him to get dressed first but he was so excited he didn't even want breakfast. We played with the trains for a few hours before we finally left the house.

I'd been planning on taking the kids to the zoo, but they didn't seem too excited about it so we got some errands done instead. Meanwhile, the service guys came out with good news & bad news. The good news is that it looks like the leak is fixed & they didn't charge us any extra since we had paid for them to fix it last month and it wasn't really fixed then. The bad news is that they didn't have the right tools to fix the slideout or the pocket door. Those things are more nuisances than real concerns though, so we'll get them fixed somewhere else.

Tonight we were playing at the playground and a nice couple came over to introduce their dogs to us. Ian thought they were fun, but Rinnah was just elated to see them and play with them. I think Ian was mostly grumpy because he got his first skinned knee today when he tripped running across the gravel.

From Springfield, IL

From Springfield, IL

From Springfield, IL

From Springfield, IL

From Springfield, IL

On the road!

At long last, we managed to get back on the road!

Jeremy was working kind of on and off all day today, which will work out okay because he needs to do some work late at night this week anyhow. We had an early lunch in Jacksonville and then made it up to Springfield. We took the truck over and found out some bad news about our brakes-not only were the rear brakes bad, but the front brakes that we had just repaired a few months ago also needed to be replaced. New rotors and pads on both the front and back-ouch, that one hurt. At least it will be ready for the road tomorrow.

We also had the rv repair guys over at the campground, so *hopefully* the water leak in our storage compartment is finally fixed. I want to look at it closer tomorrow since they told us it was fixed when we brought it in in March, but I hope it's really done this time. There are a few minor things we're hoping they can fix tomorrow too and then maybe by Thursday we'll be ready to head down to St. Louis.

I think the kids and I are going to the zoo tomorrow. That will be a nice way to be entertained.

It's amazing the difference in Ian's temperament since we left Jacksonville. He's like a whole new kid. He's been more polite than we've heard him ever. He picked up his toys with no complaints and helped vacuum. He's funny, talkative, and creative. He's so happy today! I really think that a big part is being happy to be back on the road. I know he was getting bored in Jacksonville. It was fun to visit with Grandma, but she left on Saturday so the last few days he was really itching to get out of there. I hope this bodes well for improved behavior in the long-term.

Not quite ready yet

Today was supposed to be the day we got to Springfield. We've been working really hard. I spent all day today running errands, packing, sorting, doing laundry, etc. But 7pm rolled around and we had to admit defeat. Our service appointments are for tomorrow so hopefully we can get that sorted out and still get things fixed. I think Jeremy's going to take a break in the morning so we can drive up around noon.

Ian's last day of preschool was today. He got to bring cupcakes to school (he was SO excited when we went to the grocery store to pick what kind he wanted, and then came back to find they had made them just the way he asked-with blue and green frosting and Thomas the Train rings stuck in the frosting). We chatted with his teachers for a bit, which was nice. They were really encouraged that he loves school so much and talked about it so much at home, and I was really encouraged that they said he actually listens really well and is very sharp at school.

On Saturday we had a brief break from all the packing and took a trip back to the children's museum. It was the day our membership expired so we renewed that and made one last stop at the calzone restaurant. The kids had a blast, especially since there were some new exhibits on the 3rd floor they hadn't seen. Their favorite was a glass wall that they could paint on. I got some neat pictures-hopefully I can get those uploaded soon.

Maybe tomorrow we'll make it out of here. We are really looking forward to making it to St. Louis and going to the zoo on Saturday with some friends.

Getting ready to go

We had our garage sale for a second time last weekend, and it went pretty well. Not as well as the first weekend of course, but that was to be expected. Overall it was a huge success-we earned enough money to pay for the Disney tickets and an early camera upgrade, plus (even better!) we got rid of boxes and boxes of things that we'll no longer have to move when we're ready to settle down. We sold several larger items, like furniture, so that will especially help.

Since then we've been plugging away at our list of things that we wanted to finish before we left. We had our car serviced. We cleaned out both vehicles. I've washed the covers for 2 of the 4 car seats. I painted the kids' bunk beds. We boxed up the unsold garage sale items and put them in a separate spot. We packed up a few boxes of toys, dishes, and other items that we no longer want in the RV. And we are plugging away at selecting what we want to bring with us and what to leave behind, as well as rounding up all of the things that the kids have left all over my mom's house. I even managed to make room to squeeze in my food processor-oh how I've missed it!

At this point our plan is to leave whenever we have everything together, probably early next week. We'll take a break on Saturday to make one last visit to the children's museum in Bloomington, about an hour and a half from here. That serves a few purposes-first, we can have these delicious calzones from the restaurant down the street one more time, second, the kids get a museum visit after a long few weeks without one, and third, we can renew our membership since Saturday happens to be the day our membership expires.

When we leave we'll spend a few days in Springfield, getting a few bugs worked out of the RV and getting the brakes on the truck serviced. Then we're off to St. Louis to see the science museum and zoo. It's been wonderful to visit with my mom, but we're looking forward to getting back on the road again!

Garage sale success!

After much preparation, Saturday was our long-awaited garage sale. The weather was absolutely gorgeous-I couldn't have ordered it any better. Beautiful, sunny, about 70 degrees, just a slight breeze-it was ideal. And the sale was a huge success. We sold most of our big items, and a ton of baby clothes. It went so well that we have plenty for our Disney tickets plus we were able to order a new camera. We wanted to have a camera that can do video before our Disney trip, but my photography budget wasn't going to have enough until July. This way we had enough to make up the shortfall and we'll be able to take good videos at the park-I'm very excited about that!

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

Sunday the gorgeous weather continued so we took the opportunity to make washing the RV a family affair. David was nice enough to snap a few pictures for us while we scrubbed away, and the kids had a ball playing in the water and spraying the house. In fact, when we came home later Ian said the house was dirty and we should wash it again. :)

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

We also had plenty of chances to get out to the parks over the weekend, which was great for the kids. Between lousy weather and garage sale preparations, they've been inside more the last few weeks than they had since we moved into the RV and it was getting to them. Everybody's mood improved after we spent some time outside playing.

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

Ian ready to catch Rinnah

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

Family photos

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous. I took the kids out to the park and we took a few pictures while we were there.

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

After naptime, we all went back out there with some nicer clothes for more pictures.

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

And my favorite of the day. Ian and Rinnah decided to dance together all the way across the park. It was the most adorable thing ever and they were so sweet! (click for a larger version)

From Family photos-Jacksonville, IL

Wedding!

Hooray, I finally can sit down and write an update!

Last weekend we went up to Chicago for my brother Jon's wedding. On Friday, my brother Michael rode with me and the kids up to the hotel since Jeremy was still in Ohio. On the way there we stopped at the children's museum in Bloomington. I was excited to take Ian back there since almost every time we tell him we're going to a new museum, he asks if it's "the one with the green balls". That's referring to a farm exhibit they have in Bloomington where green balls go through tubes all over the room to illustrate the distribution of goods to/from farms. He was happy to see that exhibit again. :)

Rinnah was so excited to discover these small wooden dolls and dollhouse

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

Meanwhile, Ian and Uncle Mike played with the trucks

From Jon's wedding weekend

Then it was off to play at the water exhibit

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

Rinnah and Uncle Mike driving a pizza delivery truck

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

Playing with the infamous green ball exhibit

From Jon's wedding weekend

Taking a break to do some drawing

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

Ian driving the tractor

From Jon's wedding weekend

After the museum, we headed up to Glen Ellyn IL where Jon and Katie would be getting married. During the rehearsal, the kids pushed their little strollers around the hotel, Ian with his bear and Rinnah with her doll.

From Jon's wedding weekend

We had a nice dinner at Portillo's after the rehearsal.

From Jon's wedding weekend

Then Saturday was the big day! In the morning, I got to meet up with a high school friend I hadn't seen for years, while Jeremy took the kids to a children's museum across the street. Then in the afternoon Laura, a good friend from college, came along for a whirlwind trip to get Ian a haircut an hour before the wedding. Then we got the kids all dressed up-they were SO excited to get to wear the clothes that they've known for weeks were special for the wedding.

Rinnah with Grandma Fox

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

Rinnah with her Uncle Jon (the groom)

From Jon's wedding weekend

Rinnah and Jeremy

From Jon's wedding weekend

Ian insisted on bringing his teddy bear everywhere that day-including the formal pictures

From Jon's wedding weekend

Katie walking down the aisle with her dad

From Jon's wedding weekend

Pouring their unity sand

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

The newlyweds arriving at the reception

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

Coming to cut the cake

From Jon's wedding weekend

Rinnah getting her groove on

From Jon's wedding weekend

Jeremy and his boss Doug

From Jon's wedding weekend

Ian, Rinnah, and Ryann (the flower girl) playing ring around the rosy

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

All fall down

From Jon's wedding weekend

Ian leading Rinnah somewhere by the hand

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

Jon and Katie dancing

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

Katie dancing with her dad

From Jon's wedding weekend

Jon dancing with mom

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

Jon, Katie, and friends having a blast on the dance floor

From Jon's wedding weekend

From Jon's wedding weekend

Overall, a very nice weekend. And the kids are excited to have a new aunt!

Now we're back in Jacksonville, working hard to get things ready for a yard sale next week. I think it will go well!