As you can tell by the title, we have been very busy. First and foremost, Sophia out did herself today during her nap by coloring herself, the bed, the couch, the wall and the playpen with a red marker. Thankfully it was a washable marker so nothing was stained. I wasn't sure quite how to handle this situation. Do I yell at her? Do I laugh? (It was funny). I know, I get Daddy.  Chris was there to witness the mess and he sent her to the bathtub to wait to be washed off while he cleaned the marker off everything else. "Sorry Daddy!" She cried as she made her walk of shame down the red mile towards the bathtub. I have one picture of Sophie but it a side view so it doesn't encompass the enormity of the marker madness.
     Also, we got a trampoline for the kids. We set it up in Grandma Tuy's back yard and the kids (and mom too!) love to jump on it. We run around, chase each other and practice our jumping techniques. Mommy can even do a front flip and land on her feet!
   This evening we ate dinner at Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's house. It was a lot of fun. The kids really enjoyed themselves - Evangeline did a good job of wreaking havoc. Overall it was a very nice evening and we can't wait to see them again next Wednesday.

Yesterday Evangeline got to participate in a "Hair Show". Her Aunt Olivia has a Patent pending on a "combined hair piece and clip". She had a party yesterday to test out and show her idea to friends. Vangie got to try out and model the hair pieces. She looked so cute! - and had lots of hair for once! Unfortunately I did not get any pictures, but Olivia is going to make some pieces for Sophie and Vangie to wear at Aunt Sherry and Uncle Brian's Wedding- I will definitely get some pictures of that!
   Last night we had a great dinner at Aunt Sherry and Uncle Brian's house in Aloma Woods. They have a very beautiful home! They made us a very delicious dinner! Steak, mashed potatoes, grilled shrimp, a terrific salad and even ice cream cones for dessert ( I admit that I had to have two ice cream cones but in my defense they were very small).
     Also yesterday Chris and I went to to spinning class at our gym. It was a great workout! We were both dripping sweat. Our instructor was great, she yelled at those who were slacking off! We will probably do spinning class every Saturday morning while we are here.

Our first week living with Grandma Tuy and Grandpa Bob has flown by! We are glad to be here and glad to getting into our routine. Joey loves attending pre-school at Orlando Tech (where Grandma Tuy works). He got to go on a field trip today and rode the public bus to the Public Library in Downtown Orlando. He has a deaf girl in his class so he is learning some sign language. 
   Sophie is getting used to her pre-school at Conway Methodist Church. He teacher, Mrs. Fisher, is very patient and kind. Sophie cried for a while the 2nd day she went but when I went to pick her up she was all smiles.
    Vangie gets to go to the gym every morning with mommy and daddy- she plays in the child care center. Okay, she always cries when we drop her off but only because she is so used to spending 100% of her day with mom and dad! It is good for her to spread her wings a little bit.
   Lucy spends her days like she always spends her days- lying around on the couch. Only now her  couch is in Orlando and not in Michigan!
  

Living in Florida is a lot warmer than living in Michigan. No longer do we need snow-boots, snowsuits, scarfs, boots, mittens and hats just to go outside. Even when it is a "cool" 59 degrees here it still feels tropical compared to what we are used too. And it is so funny to see all the Floridians bundles up against the "cold" weather.  My theory is that people who live in Florida don't want to be left out of the winter weather apparel experience- so they wear winter coats and hats and gloves down here too!
     Sophie had her first day of preschool yesterday. He teacher said that overall she did very well- she had a few "anxious" moments but recovered quickly and had a good day. Joey also went to his preschool and had a fun day also. Joey's teacher noticed that Joey is very protective of his toys- could that be because he is so used to protecting them from his two crazy sisters?
   Also- HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandma Perkins!!  Uncle Vachel and Uncle Greggie!!! Be looking out for something coming in the mail from the Schmitts.

We left Tennessee on Tuesday Morning and drove 6 hours to Charleston, SC. It was a quick drive compared to the first leg on Monday! We rolled into Foster Creek RV park on Charleston Naval Weapons Station. It is really a great little RV park. The sites are level and big, with a cement slab to park your RV and a paved driveway for your other vehicle. It was the easiest time we have had hooking everything up! We got settled in and then went on a search for the nearest Chick-fila as Chris can't seem to get enough since we have been living without one for so long up in Michigan.
     The next day we explored the base. It is pretty sprawled out as far as bases go- a LOT of empty base housing houses- everything looks pretty empty and vacant- which is fine with me as I prefer to NOT be crowded in with a lot of people. We got our new vehicle decals so we can get on the base, found the post office, visited the RV park office, located the NEX and commissary-- the NEX is really tiny and not ver impressive. I did not visit the commissary yet but it looks pretty big from the outside so hopefully it has a lot of selection.   The base has a movie theater with free movies Thursday to Sunday, a bowling alley and a fitness center with an (outdoor) pool. Another thing that I really like is there are quite a few playgrounds all over the base. Also a 12 mile bike trail that goes all over and around the base(!!!) I love to drag Chris and the kids on super long bike rides so that is awesome! Everything is connected by sidewalk/bike-trail so the kids and I can ride out bikes everywhere. 
    The weather in SC was cool- jackets and hats were needed. Wednesday night it started to rain. I love the sound of rain on the roof of the RV. Especially at night- it is a great way to sleep at night, listening to the rain. We were snug and warm inside the fiver. We woke Thursday morning to MORE rain and had to do all our un-hooking and hitching up in the rain. It was the best hook-up we have had so far- the kids were good and sat in the van while we packed up the fifth wheel.  Then we drove the fifth wheel to a storage parking lot where we are storing our fifth wheel and truck while we are living in Orlando the next two months.  I was quite an adventure parking the fifth wheel at the parking storage lot - the only parking spot available was one between another fifth wheel and a boat- I had to help Chris back up (standing in the pouring rain). It took us about 20 min to manuever  the fifth wheel into place - we got everything into place and unhooked by 9am and then we were on our way with the van and motorcycle to Orlando. 
    On the way to Orlando we drove through Jacksonville, FL- our old home! Our plan was so eat at Barnhills- my favorite restaurant that isn't anywhere up North so I have been living without it for so long- I LOVE their catfish fillets and FRIED OKRA, YUM! So, we got off an exit early and did a drive by our old apartment (it still looks just as horrible and old and dilapidated as when we lived there) We even pointed out to Joey his old bedroom window.  We had a fun time driving down memory lane and remembering all the things we did there. THEN, we drive up to Barnhills and it's CLOSED! As in not open at all anymore!!!! How could this happen??? By this time it was 2pm and we were all so hungry we could eat a horse or gnaw our own arms off.... so we had to eat at Chick-fila. Yes, Chris was very happy.  We left Jacksonville and as I write this we are 70 miles from Grandma Tuy's house with an ETA f 5pm, thus ending our week-long travel spree. The kids are now pretty used to being strapped into their car seats for hours at a time. Once in a while one will start screaming/crying but then I just throw a  box of raisins at them and they quiet down. We know its time to get off the road when our raisin trick no longer works.  

What a Great Day!!  Well, you can probably conclude since you are reading this that we didn't blow up from a Propane leak last night. I slept very fitfully, my mind was racing all night. I kept getting up to check on the kids and turn the heat up or down, to sniff for propane......  I called Gillettes (our RV dealer) this morning and was told that a tiny smell of propane around is normal, and unless it is a very noticeable smell then it is fine. Whew. I feel much better. We also found the problem with our brakes... so they DO work now which is great news. 
   This morning was COLD (not Michigan cold, but chilly none the less). The kids got up EARLY around 6am, and I don't blame them as it is pretty exciting sleeping in the 5th wheel and traveling etc. etc.  We got all our 5th wheel issues taken care of and Left to have some fun around 11am. We went on a Dinosaur ride (like a ride at Disney World) it was pretty scary for the kids but they liked it once it was all over. You can definitely tell this place is a bustling tourist trap in the summer as there are a million things to do or places to go. Since it is January nobody is really here so we never had to wait in line all day! We ate Lunch at a really great restaurant and sat right by the fireplace. I think we were the only patrons in the whole restaurant! Then we walked down the main drag of Gatlinburg  before we hit the Aquarium. The Aquarium was awesome! The best one I have ever been too- the kids had a GREAT time and behaved perfectly. We got back to our home around 3:30 and Evangeline crashed on the way home and is still napping. The big kids are having quiet time in their room, though I use the term "quiet" loosely.
    We plan on heading out of here tomorrow morning around 9am and driving the 6 or so hours to Goose Creek where our 5th wheel will stay for the next year and a half.

Today was a loooooonnnnnnnggggggg day, I am exhausted as I write this so please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors. 
         We woke at 4am and planned on being on the road by 5am. We all got loaded and then.... the 5th wheel was stuck on the icy driveway. Grandma Perkins helped us chip away the ice around the tires and we sprinkled cat liter done for traction. After around 30 min we finally got the 5th wheel loose and we were on our way. The weather in Edmore this morning was HORRIBLE! It was snowing pretty heavily, the roads were covered with snow and ice. The first 30 miles of our trip were driven at 30mph or slower! Finally we got out of the bad weather and things were looking up. We stopped for lunch at Mcdonalds so the kids could run around the playplace. Then more drive, drive, drive. Stopped for gas. Drive, Drive, Drive. It took us around 13 hours to get from Edmore to here- just outside Knoxville, TN. The last 2 hours of the drive Evangeline screamed bloody Murder because she dropped her blankie and was just not happy.
    We got to the campground at 6pm- and yup, it was dark. So we had to set everything up in the dark. We also had to "dewinterize" the Rig, which just means flush all the antifreeze out of the lines. This is probably a very simple procedure, but Chris and I had never done it so we were unsure and bickering about it. It involves a switch called "WATER HEATER BYPASS"  this is in the ON position when it is winterized because you do not want antifreeze in your water heater. You only turn it OFF when the lines are completely flushed. Well, I am not sure ours were flushed the very best. We got it done, though how close to exactly how it is SUPPOSED to be done is unknown at this point. Oh, and we also realized when we got here out trailer brakes are not working.... Not a good thing, especially driving through the Mountains!!  ALSO, I can smell a bit of propane when I stick my head in by the propane tank. Is a little bit of a smell normal? Or do we have a tiny leak? There are different opinions on this subject, i.e. I think we have a tiny leak and Chris thinks I am paranoid. I WILL admit I have a deadly-gas phobia. And isn't propane a deadly gas??? Maybe I AM paranoid but I have a good reason to be_ I don't want to die in my sleep or blow up. I have concluded There is probably a tiny leak, but the tank is outside so our probability of death is probably quite low. HOWEVER, I am getting to the bottom of this TOMORROW. (If I am still here). The temperature here in now in thew mid 40's, so we will be snuggling close tonight to keep warm.

A lot has happened since my last post. Chris and I went on our Vacation up at Boyne Mountain. It was a lot of fun.  See pictures on our NEW PICS page. We skied, swam in a heated pool and slept in and had no responsibilities for 3 days.
     We have also packed out our apartment. All of our belongings are now either packed away or in our 5th Wheel! It feels very freeing to not be tied down anywhere. We have the 5th wheel packed and ready to go, also our Van is towing the motorcycle trailer. We plan on leaving tomorrow morning at 5am! In less than 12 hours we will be on our way! We are driving to Pigeon Forge, TN where we will be staying 2 nights- I will update more when we get there!