Regina...I feel rude even saying the name.

Watched the sun rise over the Prairies today. Then we parked in downtown Regina and took up 3 parking meters. Right now, we are enjoying the free wireless throughout downtown and the kids are playing 'rocket-ship rescue mission' on the playground in front of us. Last night we stumbled across this little chapel made for truckers to stop at. It was cute. Annika was the preacher and Kai and Soren were her congregation. We're headed to Calgary to see my sister tonight/tomorrow!

This picture makes me laugh and laugh. One of the hazards of living in an R.V. is the lack of space. I am still figuring out the logistics of shaving my legs in the R.V. shower, but at least my head doesn't have to fit into the skylight and the spray of water doesn't hit me in the belly button. Poor Andy.

Winnipeg

We made it to Winnipeg late last night. Right now, I'm in a Starbucks while Annika does her homeschool work next to me (mostly she's just people watching and stalling). The drive from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay was gorgeous. We actually pulled over a couple times because the scenery was so breathtaking. And pulling over that beast is not really convenient or easy. We have had some great roadside stops along the Trans-Canada so far. We have had provincial parks completely to ourselves. We stopped at a sheep farm and learned all about sheep's wool and the kids got their own mini-sheep skins from the sewing lady. We went to Kakabeka Falls in Thunder Bay. I got to do some mountain biking and have a helicopter land right beside me. And so much more.

We feel a little rushed, because we are booking it across Canada, trying to get to Alaska before the roads close for the winter. But Northern Ontario/Lake Superior region is definitely somewhere that I will come back to again. Possibly without young kids, so we can do long hiking/canoeing trips.

Last night we arrived in Bird's Hill Provincial Park and settled in, but Andy had a horrendous sinus infection, so he unpacked his bike from the trailer, and set out with the GPS in hand to try and find a drugstore that was open late. He gave up eventually, because he was sure he was going to get lost in the dark, and came back to try and fall asleep. However, Sawyer had other plans. She screamed for a large portion of the night, and with all the things I packed for this trip, somehow we set out without any infant tylenol. I just about died in the middle of the night when I couldn't find any. So, in desperation, I gave her a chewable children's motrin. She's 9 months old. Mother of the Year award again. Needless to say, it was one of those nights where you lay in bed and just BEG God to put your child to sleep.

This morning we went for a rollerblade (Annika and I) and then we met the Scott's (Karen and Rob) at the Royal Canadian Mint, which was interesting. I'm sure the people in our tour group were thrilled to be touring with us and our 5 young kids. Then Rob and Karen suggested we hit Assiniboine Park (sp???). They have a nature children's centre that was just amazing. Thanks for the suggestion, guys!

We are going to cross the rest of Manitoba today and head out into the prairies tomorrow.

Wish we could post pictures, but we have so little time.

Chutes and Nickels.

I couldn't say that waking up in a wal-mart parking lot was on my bucket list, but if it was, it would definitely be checked off now. Last night we drove from Petawawa to Sudbury, and arrived in the Wal-Mart parking lot around 11:30 p.m. We joined our other R.V. comrades and went to sleep. Sawyer woke up at 5:30, eager to check out Sudbury, so Andy graciously took her out walking until 7:45 so that the kids and I could keep sleeping. When everyone was awake, dressed and fed, we went into get groceries. It felt strange to walk out our front door and right into a store. The ultimate in convenience.

Then we did a quick stop at the Big Nickel. Unfortunately it ended with a legendary poopy diaper from Soren. The kind that involves poop from the belly button to the ankle.

Shortly after we got on our way, Andy witnessed a horrible car accident happen right in front of us. He pulled over to help rescue the ladies from their car, which was destroyed. Two of the girls were very shaken up and came into the RV to lie down. Thankfully, God protected them all, and after the ambulances and police arrived, we headed back out.

We stopped for lunch at Chutes Provincial Park and ended up staying for hours. After a wonderful picnic in the shade, we put on our bathing suits and played in the waterfall. Annika and I rode down a little rapid, and she loved it. Sawyer just enjoyed eating dirt and driftwood while sitting in the water.

Andy got sleepy on the next leg of the drive, so I took over driving for an hour or so. It was hard to drive this monster. Turns out, Andy's got a weaker stomach than me, and was pretty green by the time we reached our campsite. We are in Sault Ste. Marie for the night and are actually at a real campsite for the first night. After dinner the kids and Andy went for a quick swim in the pool and now they are having movie and popcorn before bed. All in all, a most wonderful day. Tomorrow we are going to try and push hard to get to Thunder Bay. It is more than 9 hours away, so it will be our longest stretch so far. Time to drug myself with herbal gravol.

Flying Toasters

Last night we did our first big drive in the R.V. I noticed a potential problem. I get extremely nauseous on the R.V. I thought being able to move around and change diapers, fill sippy cups, and fix snacks while driving would be wonderful, but not if you feel like vomiting. Other than that, the first day has been great. We did a 6 hour drive, the kids went to sleep wonderfully in their little bunks, and we slept our first night in the driveway of our friend's place in Petawawa.
So far only a couple mishaps. We couldn't figure out how to get the dvd player/t.v. working last night while we were driving...that will have to be fixed. ASAP. And we had a cupboard open at 12:30 in the night and the toaster came flying out and crashed on the floor. Luckily the kids didn't wake up. But there were crumbs everywhere. Probably the worst thing that could have fallen out of the cupboards. Soren also stuck his head out the window while we were flying down the 401. We had to have a big talk about not opening the windows while driving. Today, Soren climbed to the top of the RV when Dad wasn't looking. So we've also had to have a talk about not climbing the ladder at the back of the RV. And now, we're enjoying the Petawawa scenery and dinner with our friends before we head off to Sudbury tonight. Tomorrow, I am going to see the big nickel for the first time.

And we're off...

The day has finally arrived. We are setting out tonight on our first day of the trip. We're trying to upload a video of Annika giving a tour of the R.V., but it's a big file, so it's dicey. We'd appreciate your prayers for safety and sanity while we travel. Thank you to everyone who helped us plan and pack-up!
First stop: luxurious Petawawa, ON.

And the gear pile continues to grow...

We have the R.V. It's way bigger than I pictured, and currently taking up half the width of our street, outside. The kids have been playing around in it, choosing which bed they want to sleep in and exploring all the little cupboards. Three out of four of them can't say the letter 'v'...so instead we are headed out on an 'R.B.' trip. It will be interesting to see if they will be all grown-up by the time we get back and able to say it properly. We went on our first family R.V. ride yesterday and they were all loving it. That must feel like some insane freedom after being strapped down in car seats all your life. Seeing all 3 of the big kids sitting at the 'kitchen table' with seat belts on, giddy smiles on their faces; I caught Andy's eye in the rear-view mirror and saw the same giddy smile on his face, too. This is going to be fun.

The Thai Coconut

Two weeks from today, our family of six is heading out on an adventure. Andy and I are both travelers at heart, and one of the topics we've exhausted since we started dating is: "how do you travel when you have young kids?" Our conclusion thus far is, you travel by R.V. So, we've sold our home (to the little Asian man who owns the Thai Coconut restaurant) and are becoming trailer 'people'.

We're not familiar with recreational vehicling. In fact, I've never ridden in an R.V. in my life, and I'm quite sure Andy's never driven one. So, in order to prep for the trip, I borrowed the "Complete Idiot's Guide to RVing" from the library. One of the first things we read from the chapter "R.V.ing with Children" said,

"...the very first family RV trip should be short and sweet. An extended weekend is a good start, somewhere within a few hours from home. "

OH.... We're planning on going for the rest of the year. Will we last? Will we go crazy with a 6 year old, 4 year old, 2 year old, and a 9 month old all crammed into a couple hundred feet of space? Probably. But will we have fun and make lots of memories? Definitely.

Our hope for this trip, and every trip we take with our kids, is that the memories they form, and the experiences they have together will be talked about until they're roommates again in the Senior Citizen's Home.

We want to instill a love of adventure and traveling in our kids. We want them to realize that they need very little to get by and can make their own fun, wherever they go. We want to have some amazing family time and build stronger relationships with each of our kids. We want them to grow up knowing that they have built-in best friends in their siblings. Lofty goals? Maybe. Maybe the first time we are all sick and fighting over the tiny R.V. toilet will make us want to give up and just head home.

Either way, we are going to keep this blog updated so that our friends, family, and complete strangers can follow us on our little adventure. Hope you enjoy it.... (oh, and the more you comment, the more likely we will be motivated to keep writing. Just a thought...).