See ya camper!

Camper life has been over for a while....now its time to survive Russell Owen. http://www.survivingrussellowen.blogspot.com/

Love me a Monday!

I love Mondays! I know I'm not the only one, Ashley loves Mondays too and for allllll the same reasons. I've been thinking of my post for today since yesterday and then this morning when I was reading my Twitter feed, I of course see Ashley loving on her Monday as well....its fate dear friend, I miss you!! It's the start of a brand spankin' new week. I like new. New possibilities, a new menu, new sheets on the bed. Monday is my major chore day. Here's a list of the things that I do every SINGLE Monday, no matter what:

• First thing's first: HIT THE GROCERY STORE
• Change every one's sheets
• Empty all the bathroom trash cans
• Wipe down all the mirrors and glass doors
• Wash all the bathroom, kitchen, and entryway rugs
• Sweep the house
• Mop the floors
• Vacuum the bedrooms

This little list makes the house feel AMAZINGLY refreshed and sets the whole tone for my week.
Monday's mean I am one week closer to hopefully getting pregnant with our final baby. Monday's are also EXHAUSTING, but so rewarding. Love Mondays.

For dinner tonight in case you care, or need an idea, we are having spaghetti with Italian sausage, a homemade loaf of french bread and Mexican Praline Bluebell for dessert! I can't wait to dig in :)

In other news: Wylee is such the little mother. If this is any indication as to what kind of mom she will be, then I'm in for it! SHE MAKES ME DO EVERYTHING! I'm going to be one BUSY grandma if she doesn't change her ways.

She makes me:

• Feed baby
• "Buckle" (that means cover her with a blanket) baby
• Wrap baby (swaddle...and you better not buckle when she says wrap or you get YELLED at)
• Cradle baby while she goes pee
• Feed baby some more
• Cradle baby while she plays with other toys
• Punish baby for going pee pee in the car (?? I have no clue)
• Change baby's diaper

The list goes on. I'm just kidding though, its so sweet to watch her play with her doll. She truly loves that little baby doll and hopefully she'll stay that way for a long, long time. The other day she kept putting baby in a basket and putting a blanket over the top, she told me she was taking baby to maw-mart. Then she gets the baby out of the basket and puts her in a stroller and pushes her around "maw-mart" for a while...randomly snapping at her for different reasons. Interesting, wonder why? Maybe baby is running through "maw-mart" and won't stay by the cart like she was asked to do...or maybe baby is screaming and fighting with her big brother in the middle of maw-mart making everyone stop and stare. Or maybe baby can't keep up with mommy because she insists on stopping and looking/touching EVERYTHING that she sees. OR MAYBE baby is standing in the middle of the isle with her arms folded across her chest refusing to move. Just an idea. :)

And since I haven't posted pictures of the kids in a while, here is one of Jared fishing with daddy a few months ago, our big walking Russell machine! And of course sweet Wylee taking care of baby. Enjoy your Monday's friends!! The new possibilities are endless :)

 This is how Wylee left baby when it was time for her nap....baby had to take a nap too, of course.

My studly hubby at the SHSU Rugby Alumni game this year.

And just because I miss her so much, my sweet Candee bear after a swim in the pond.

Sun Roof

It would be the understatement of the YEAR to say that the camper life isn't going so smoothly right now. The camper was the recent recipient of a NEW SUN ROOF!!! But not because we wanted on :) Jared decided to move the camper under some trees last week (yeah he JUST decided to do it lol) and he had the new PE on the job help him. I don't know exactly how it happened but the rubber roof got snagged on some branches and happened to tear it RIGHT where the condensation from the air conditioner runs....Right over the top bunk in the kids room. It's never dull in that camper, that's for sure.

Hopefully a new air conditioner will be delivered to the camper today and it will actually cool the place off enough for the kids and I to go visit. Key word: VISIT. Russell is officially walking and I highly doubt he will be entertained in the camper for very long. Jared says its about time I come up there and give the camper a good scrub down since he obviously hasn't done much cleaning. Let me say, I can't WAIT to go do that. I'm sure the fridge and pantry need re-stocking as well.

Where are all the stinky rats?! We need him to come back so my posts aren't so boring!

When you live in a camper, sometimes your roof gets torn up and air conditioner water leaks onto the bed....BUT it could be worse, right?

5 months, really?

I didn't realize 5 months had gone by since I posted!! Partially because nothing very blog worthy has happened....oh yeah and I haven't been in the camper since the end of May!

The worst Texas summer that I have EVER been alive for is upon us and I just can't keep the kids inside a teeny weeny camper all day long, especially when the air conditioner can't seem to keep up with the sun, and the breaker box can't seem to keep up with the air conditioner. The breaker gets tripped all day long so when Jared gets home from work its usually BLAZING in there. HE called me the night before last at 9:45 and he was OUTSIDE cooling off. It was 98 degrees in the camper at 9:45 pm. NO THANK YOU! I feel so bad for him. But not bad enough to go keep him company :) I know, I'm such a loving wife. Think about it though, I'm doing him a favor. He doesn't have to hear the kids and I whining and complaining ALL DAY LONG.

We did, however, get a pool here at the real house. We don't, however, swim in it anymore because the water is almost as hot as the temperature outside. It makes you sick to your stomach to be in the hot weather and then basically be in a warm bath tub. I'm actually getting nauseous just thinking about it. There really doesn't seem to be any relief in site so for now the kids and I are staying cooped up in the house getting on each other's nerves.

When you live in a camper and its at or above 100 degrees for 34+ days in a row....you move back home. Because that's the SMART thing to do :)

Love,
Queen of the trailer park

Wylee has an evil twin...

  Wylee has an evil twin and I'm hoping that she disappears during nap time! Now, I'm not saying that the story I am about to tell you wouldn't have happened if we weren't living in a camper...but you never really know. I took a few moments to go to the unpredictable bathroom after we went to Wal-mart this morning and after about 4 attempts, made by Wylee, to open the door (it has no lock on it, lovely isn't it?) Jared starts saying something about Wylee. So I came out and Wylee is standing right outside the bathroom door with her diaper laying on the floor next to her. That is NEVER a good thing. Then Jared takes me to the bunk house and tells me "Wywee peed on the floor right there"....what? I asked him if he was sure that it wasn't Britches (that's his signature move), and he says, "No, it was Wywee, she taked off her clothes to change them and then taked off her diaper and just peed on the floor!" He's yelling this at me like I'm in a different room or something. I asked Wylee if she peed on the floor, almost positive that she would tell me "no" and then I would know that Britches really had done it. But she said "uh, uh, yeah" and nods her head. Ok. You're probably thinking "well she was trying to get into the bathroom". In my defense, she hasn't gone pee in the toilet ONCE yet. So I'm not letting her off the hook with that excuse.
  After Wylee's evil twin had a new diaper and clothes on, I went to my room to make my bed. Can you believe I don't make my bed as soon as I wake up, how lazy is THAT?! I hear Wylee saying "punch, punch, punch, punch", I come down the steps (oh those steps) and see Wylee's evil twin punching Russell in the face with his own hand!!! I thought it would be YEARS before my kids (I need admit that the first time I typed this I typed "me kids"- what am I Irish?! lol) would know the whole "stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself" trick. I was wrong. She has been a nut today, but it seems as though her evil twin actually takes a nap when she's told, so I'll take it!
  Speaking of those steps...mwuahahahahaha Jared has joined the club! The night before last he came flyin out of the room to go get onto the kids for not going to sleep and he completely missed the stairs. Oh my gosh I am laughing so hard right now as I replay it in my head!! He looked up and smiled at me and said "guess I just joined your club". It was hilarious! Then I told him I was DEFINITELY going to put that in the blog :) It's your shining moment babe! Hahaha, ahhh it was funny.
  Speaking of falling, and Wylee, lol.....imagine that! We wen't to Cavendars the other night after dinner and Wylee was trying on a bunch of boots, she picked out pointy toed pink ones that had silver on the tips, lol, they were HIDEOUS!!! She actually tried on like 3 pairs and then she was trying to put one boot back on the display and all I heard was a bunch of boxes fall down and when I looked up Wylee's two little feet were sticking up in the air and she was sprawled out on a pile of boot boxes. Another graceful moment for Wylee! We were laughing so hard, it was awesome. Great parents right here :)
  That about wraps it up for today, but you should know that as I type this, there is a giant hawk circling the camper and the tree right next to it.....I'm guessing that means there's something dead near by, yippie! It's shadow is the size of a smart car!! Oh yeah, and we saw 4 deer last night during our golf cart ride...and some hog tracks in the mud. Looks like I'm gonna be catching us some dinner in the future ;) Or I could just go steal some from the hawk, if I'm brave enough...

Russian Roulette with the TOILET

 Let me start by sharing this little tidbit of info from an RV website: "Black water, as you might have guessed, comes from the toilet after it is flushed." Go ahead and click the link if you would like to learn more about the black water, or its holding tank.

 Okay good, now you know what black water is. So I will go ahead and assume that you can guess what the "black water holding tank" is. Vital information to this story. Tanks fill up, and then they get dumped. Luckily the guy that does the port-a-potties at the job site said he would come empty our black water tank for us when we need it. That is AWESOME news because if he didn't do it, then we Jared would be the one doing it!

 Last Friday the guy came for the first time to dump (no pun intended, har har) our tank. We have a little indicator box in the "kitchen" that tells us the levels of all of our tanks, fresh, grey, and black. Black got to full so black got dumped. I heard it happening. Thank goodness I didn't SMELL it happening (this was a huge concern of mine). It was a quick process, he got in he got out he was done and gone in 5 minutes. Hardly seemed like enough time but I'll take his word for it. So just to be doubly sure, I checked the little indicator box. STILL FULL. What? Impossible....

 I told Jared that the lights were still all lit when I left to go home so when he got home he checked and it now said 2/3 full. Huh? So he called me and told me and I said "okay, fine, but it DID say full when I left". Got back to Paris and I checked the indicator to see for myself. FULL. So I tell Jared, he gets around to checking it and tells me "2/3 full". WHAT?! I'm not making this up, all the lights are lighting up when I press it, but not when Jared does. So anyways, Jared calls the poo guy Monday morning and they say they will come that afternoon to check things out. Keep in mind this is the ONLY place to go to the bathroom unless I go squat outside. The nearest gas station is a few miles down the road, oh yeah and I have 3 small CHILDREN. So waiting for this guy to come check it out is TORTURE. I am terrified to go to the bathroom because, pardon me, but when the lights say that the black tank is full....I'm gonna BELIEVE THE LIGHTS! I get through it, life goes on, the guy comes out pumps it again but says its fine. I check the lights. Full....no wait 2/3 full now. Well at least I have 1/3 to gamble with.
  We go through the owners manual and this is its reason for our indicator light malfunction "something is stuck on the sensor". Okay....so whats the solution? THERE ISN'T ONE. They suggest we flush with more water. Jared suggests I start rationing myself to one square of toilet paper per session. So now its a terrifying game of toilet roulette every time I use the bathroom. What is going to happen if this tank is, in fact, FULL? Because in MY head I see a geyser of you-know-what shooting up out of the toilet hole when I go to flush. I get anxiety over this. I am CONSTANTLY checking the indicator lights to see if they have straightened themselves out yet. Full, no wait 2/3, no wait full. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, I am afraid to use the camper toilet, but there are no other options for me, none that are sanitary anyways. I flush with probably a GALLON of water every time, praying that it'll do the trick. I ask that when your knees hit the floor tonight you include this problem in your prayers....I'd do it for you.
  Oh yeah, and here are pictures of the camper :)

I can't rotate this, so tilt your head sideways :) This is what I call the Living Room

The Master Suite

The Kitchen

The view from right in front of the "bunk house"

 And now blogger won't let me upload more pictures so I'm going to punch the computer and go to bed.
 Oh wait, the laundry mat.....UGH. It wasn't so bad until I killed the baby roach that ran across the floor and then the little gem of a woman that lit up her cigarette RIGHT by the dryers! This woman had pig tail braids, half her teeth (literally, each tooth was only half there) and was PARANOID. Jared was playing with my phone, running around like a crazy person and this woman leans over while I'm getting my clothes out of the dryer and says in her thick hick accent: "I thank he just took a picture of me" I said "What?". She repeated herself. And I said, "Oh, no, I don't think he did (yeahhh probably a lie)" and she said, "Yes huh, because he just ran over her and then ran back to his little sister over there and said hey look what I did ha ha" and I said "Ugh, okay well if he did then I will delete it".
  She leaned over again and said "Did your clothes get dry?" and I said (as I was stuffing them back into my laundry bag without folding them) "DRY ENOUGH! See ya!" I let them dry for a total of 16 minutes before I hi-tailed it out of there :)

Black hole of a camper

  I still haven't given you all the grand tour of the camper, I know, but the pictures are on Jared's computer and we came home this weekend so I am on my own computer! So you'll just have to be patient, I apologize for the 'pins and needles' feeling that you may be experiencing. You'll be okay.
  There is a small problem with the camper, other than Stinkyrat and the owl and now the coyote that Jared spotted Friday night. It is a BLACK HOLE for all things small and somewhat important! Geeze. It hasn't even restricted its powers to just the camper....oh no. It has spread itself to pretty much anywhere in Paris. So maybe PARIS is to blame and not the camper but stuff didn't start disappearing until we moved into our home on wheels. Here is a list of things missing so far....some have been found, some are still a mystery:

1. Purple water gun (finally found after a day and a half)
2. Jared's brand new phone clip (still missing, going on like 2 weeks now)
3. Jared's blue tooth (still missing, only for about 2 days so far)
4. Yellow water gun (still missing, one week)
5. Pacifiers.....(seems like one pops up right when the spare missing, I actually think that's just Wylee and not the black hole. She takes them when no one is looking, except Russell, and no one knows what she does with them)
6. Here's a big one. The KEYS TO THE CAMPER! (Still missing, since about 2 days after we moved into the camper....might be in the lost & found box at Wal-mart but I honestly don't remember what they looked like)

  I think that is it so far, I feel like I'm forgetting something so I'll probably bring this subject up again later on.
  This week I think I'm gonna take my sewing machine back with me. I really don't know how that will work though. But its worth a shot. I have 6 blankets and a comforter to get finished! And Jared has like 4 pairs of jeans that I'm supposed to be doing something or other to. I dunno if there's enough room in the camper for both the sewing machine AND the popcorn maker. I'll probably choose the popcorn maker if it comes down to it. I don't even have a desire to go to the movie theater anymore thanks to that little gem. Oh, except for when Breaking Dawn comes out.
  I was gonna save this for the camper tour post, but it cracks me up so I'm gonna end with this thought for the night. We have these 3 steps that go from the "living room" to the "master bedroom". These stinking steps. I can't even call them stairs. Poor Wylee is so clumsy, even without these evil steps getting in her way. That poor girl has fallen down those steps so many times that I have lost count. She's fallen forwards, backwards, up the steps, down the steps....sideways once. I tried to keep track the other day and in about 2 hours she had fallen off the bench seat at the table twice, ran into the table once, tripped over her own feet once, and then tripped over Russell's bouncy seat. I quit counting after that. The first few nights when Russell would wake up and I went to feed him a bottle I would COMPLETELY forget that they were there. I'd be half asleep thinking I was going down one small step and forget that there were 3 there and BAM....It was like those dreams where your just falling and you have no idea when you'll hit the ground. I only did that about 3 times till I started taking it nice and slow, hanging on to the wall the entire way down. Sometimes I would even think that maybe a 4th step might have snuck in there so I would feel around for a minute just to make sure I was finally at the bottom. Baby Jared has fallen down them a handful of times himself. Big Jared says he hasn't done it yet, but come on....everyone else has, I think he's just embarrassed to admit it :).
  That's all I've got in me for today but stay tuned because along with the tour post I will include details of our first Laundry-Mat trip!!! OH BOY! It's colorful :)

Tooooooo be continued...