Life in an RV with 6

 This summer was one of the fastest but best summers on record. 

Our doorbell is constantly ringing; there are grimy foot prints running from the front door to the back; and a cluster of bikes are usually gathered at the bottom of the driveway. 

This summer marked the beginning of a new era: freedom in the neighborhood. 

The kids have branched out, but our house is frequently the gathering spot. This means that most of my summer days have been spent simply monitoring all the "coming" and "going" while putting a trays of food in the center of the kitchen table. 

Their ages, 8 and 10, are such a delight. They are not yet too cool for their family, but they are really independent and enjoying their friends.

We did pull them away from all the neighborhood fun to partake in our annual trip to Illinois. 

James living his best life on the airplane.

Going to the Chicago field museum was definitely a highlight!

The kids were appalled by the taxidermies that were over 100 years old. 

We had to remind them that 100 years ago kids didn't have the internet. 

Stuffed animals at a museum were the only way some kids would see a cheetah or a bear. 

(They were a little creepy...all in the name of science, I guess....)

They really loved the "dinosaurs of the deep"exhibit because they had a dinosaur unit in school.
The megladon is among their favorite. 

And "Sue" the T-rex really was a sight to see. 




Besides the museum, there was the usual ice cream spots. 

Ice cream is always a midwest summer tradition! 

  

....As well as climbing on the army tanks at Cantigny park. 

We meandered through the beautiful gardens, and stopped to take a picture with Grandma and Grandpa. (this one is for the Christmas card!) 



  

We also happened to be in town for my cousin's wedding shower.
Evelyn was in charge of making the ribbon bouquet.
18 years ago that same cousin made my ribbon bouquet at my shower! :)  





We also made our annual trip up to Wisconsin for a few days.
Lake Geneva is such a lovely, peaceful place I look forward to going every year. 


We swam in the hotel pool and enjoyed quality time as a family. 

Sometimes Levi preferred to stay back and watch baseball with Grandpa. 

Those two really bond over the game. 

We also stopped by the Kenosha County Fair on the way home, and it was fantastic! 

The animals were adorable. 

Everybunny gets a Bunny!

...and a chick...

We watched this fantastic magician/stunt man.
 Evelyn was chosen to be the volunteer used in one of the tricks. 

She's floating!

I fell in love with some of the chickens. 

Lovely little ladies

And then, of course, ice cream....(With Aunt Robin)

Our time in midwest was wonderful, but we had more adventures ahead as we boarded an RV to experience Evelyn's dream of life on the road. 

We had five days to drive from Illinois to Florida.
This was Evelyn's "10 year old wish." John made it happen by finding an opportunity to deliver an RV from one hub to another. 

The whole situation stressed me out. 


But ready or not, we loaded up the RV and began our adventure south. 

I'm not a camper.
I hate living in dirt and chaos.
And six people in a class C RV really stretched me.
 

John and I mapped out the trip perfectly, driving in three hour chunks and stopping at various sights along the way. 
We left Thursday afternoon, saying good bye to my parents and grandma at the end of the driveway. 

Good bye Illinois! We love you!

We drove through the cornfields of Indiana until we arrived at the lovely home of one of John's co-workers. They made us a wonderful dinner, and the boys got to run around in their backyard before we drove another three hours to our campsite in Cave City, Kentucky. 

John was a rockstar.
He gassed it, drove it and hooked up pipes and emptied tanks like a pro. 

I think the kids enjoyed their life as RV children. 

After a nights rest in the RV, we spent our first morning touring Mammoth Caves, the largest known cave system in the world with more than 420 miles of surveyed passageways. 

A strange little door led us below the earth to a dark, cold maze of rock. 

The kids were a bit apprehensive at first, but they soon thought that the caves were incredibly cool.

After our morning adventures below the earth, we boarded the RV and drove through Tennessee, stopping in Chattanooga for dinner. However, the place we chose to stop was on top of a hill, and as the sunlight dimmed to end the day, John went in circles trying to find a safe route off the mountain that would accommodate the turning radius of the RV!

Alas, we made our way down, and off we were to Georgia! 

The heat of the South this time of year is truly not for the weak; I admit that after living in the Pacific Northwest for almost two decades, I am a wimp when it comes to humidity. 

Opening the door of the RV felt like someone slapped me in the face.

The heat and humidity truly felt unbearable, but we trudged on to the "Wild Adventure" park where we planned to spend the day. 

The amusement/zoo/water park was a great way to endure the weather. 

One of my favorite moments was feeding the birds in the aviary.

After our fun filled day at the Georgia theme park, we carried on to Florida.

 Crossing the state border, we cheered-we made it!

Our first morning in Florida was miserable. We woke up with our clothing stuck to our bodies with sweat. 

Opening the door, we were blasted by a  tormenting thick heat. 

The only thing we could do is stay nestled inside the RV and utalize the little AC unit. 

The kids loved the lizards!

We decided to drive to a state park that boasted of natural springs to cool off. However, upon driving there, it was over crowded and closed off to anymore people. 

So we drove to another one. 

Same thing. 

We simply didn't know what to do. 

By this time, I was Done with the RV experience and Done with Florida. 

John, the ever wise and rational one, decided we needed a plan. 

We ended  finding an over priced little aquarium we ventured through while enjoying their AC.

And then we planned for the next day, a water park. 

Actually, it was the Sea World waterpark, Aquatica. It was a fantastic place. 

We spent the entire day there and then headed straight to the airport to catch our 8:30 pm flight back home to Portland. 

John would spend one extra night alone in the RV. The airfare flying from Orlando to Portland was a lot more reasonable than Ft. Lauderdale, the location where the RV needed to be dropped off. 

And so, he sent the five of us home, while he cleaned out the RV and spent a lonely night in the trailer park. 

Overall, the trip was an experience I will not forget. 

The kids enjoyed the unique sleeping experiences. 

They enjoyed figuring out what was falling off the shelves as we made turns and twists on the road.

It was thrilling to try to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich standing while going 70 mph. 

I know the RV life is not for me; but I did treasure the sweet little moments with our family together. 

It's always nice to be home after time away, and the kids really missed Lucy. 

We can check the RV trip off our list. 

On to the next thing. :)