Sometimes he plays for me when I’m upset and it helps me to calm down.

After Minnesota we headed to the International Peace Gardens in North Dakota so he could go to the International Music Camp.

He squeezed my foot to say goodbye.

  

 While he was at camp I hung out with mommy.

And daddy.

(This is from my first time in Canada.)

And my big brother.

My big brother carried me in the baby carrier for the first time.

He had been asking to wear me in the carrier for weeks but mommy kept wanting to make sure my head was stable and we were in a safe place to walk.

You know, like in a cactus garden!

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post The Adventures of Thing 3 – Week 13 appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

Mommy and daddy may have been busy planning, working, and writing but they were never to busy to take naps with me on the couch.

Sometimes daddy even holds me for a little bit while he works. I’m so lucky to have my daddy around all the time.

After Madison, we went to Minneapolis so I could meet my Uncle Jordan and my cousin.

Then we headed north to spend some time with our good friends the O’Dells. My family met them before I was born when they were camping in Savannah, Georgia a few years ago. They’ve been good friends since. They even stayed with my family in the RV in Breckenridge, Colorado!

I visited the headwaters of the Mississippi River.

There were rest stops and cuddles.

We stopped in Grand Forks where I heard my first fireworks.

Boy those are loud. I’m glad I was in my “kangaroo pouch” on mommy!

It’s been 12 week since I was born and I’ve already made it to the Geographical Center of North America in Rugby, North Dakota. After this stop I don’t know how anything else will impress me.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Always Time for Thing 3 – Week 12 appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

Real great.

See?

Every baby wants to be squeezed into a scratchy old family Christmas suit in the middle of summer, right?

Riiiiight.

Okay fine, I’ll rock this suit like it’s 1977.

How’s my impression of an elf?

Oh I look mad?

Well maybe Santa should issue suits that fit.

Elf or fish?

Nice hat, huh.

As if squeezing me into a Christmas suit in the middle of summer wasn’t “cute” enough my mom gave me this to suck on.

Awesome.

I’m 11 months going on 55 bald and in need of a shave.

Okay enough with the dress up.

We started traveling again! Yippeee!

I’m at a rest stop here.

I went to the Madison farmers market.

It was hot and crowded so we found a quiet place in the shade where I could people watch.

This is outside of the Madison Zoo.

I love it when my brother holds me.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Christmas in July with Thing 3 – Week 11 appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

I was also initiated into the Father’s Day shirt tradition. Every each I have to make a shirt for my dad. My brothers had their own Father’s Day onsies when they were little too. Someday mama is going to begged Weewah to make a t-shirt quilt out of them. This year Thing 1 picked a mustache theme for everyone. I was glad I didn’t have to think about what I would put on mine.

Kisses from my big brother.

They thought it would be cute to make it look like I was balancing on my brother’s shoulders.

You know how I I feel about “being cute”.

I also got to meet lots of people for the first time.

This is my “TT” who I was named after. His name isn’t “TT” (and neither is mine), it’s a nickname mama gave him years ago. It stands for “Twinkle Toes”.

Mama spent lots of time with TT and GG  in high school and college. During one of their visits together she started calling him “Twinkle Toes” because she thought his slippers were cute.

He is pretty cute. Almost as cute as me.

This is GG. She is married to TT. GG stands for “great grandma”. Mama is lucky she still has all her grandparents and I get to meet them!

I met my great grandma Junebug. She has a lot of names too (Judy, Anna, Sugar Plum) but Junebug is our favorite.

I met my Aunt Christine. She is so sweet.

We celebrated my twin cousins birthday. I didn’t get any cake. No fair!

My Papaw Webb wasn’t feeling well on Father’s Day so I went to his house to meet him. He loves babies and was so happy to meet me.

Here is another of me and Junebug.

When it’s time to go it’s time to go.

A photo of me with my big big brother. I didn’t pee on him this time!

Mama also took pictures of me wearing the outfit my brothers wore when they came home for the hospital.  I didn’t get to wear it to “come home” in since I was born at home!

Mama took so many pictures that I got bored and fell asleep. That didn’t stop mama she took at least 30 more. Geez!

We went to the Indiana Medical Museum where I slept while my brothers looked at brains!

We also visited the Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway and I sat in a car.

I also sat on my big brother’s lap as we rode around the track.

“Hi mama!”

Next we are going to Wisconsin and Minnesota! My mama writes about in on the Go RVing blog.

Much too soon it was time to say goodbye to my family in Indiana and we hit the road again!

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post The People I Meet – Thing 3 – Week 10 appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

Time flies when you are having fun.

See how much fun I’m having with my big brother.
Oh what’s that?
You wanted me to look at that big black thing you always have in my face?

Fine, I’ll look.

But just for a minute because that blank sky is much more interesting than you.

What do you think of these spit bubbles?
Of course, you think they are cute.
You think anything I do is cute!

How cute is this!
I brought my hands near my cheeks.

And this!
I’m lifting my head even though it’s weighs almost as much as the rest of my body.

You thought you were being cute when you sat me in the driver’s seat, didn’t you?
Well, I didn’t.

You think I’m so cute you stare at me even when I’m sleeping.
Wait until 3 a.m.!

You thought it was cute when I met my uncle for the first time.

Apparently, my mom and aunt thought it would be cute to do a selfie with me.
How about these cheeks?
Are these cute enough for you?

And this?
Well…this is pretty cute I must admit.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Thing 3 on “Being Cute” – Week 9 appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

We’ve been traveling a lot lately.

I’ve started to like my baby carrier. Mommy has been looking for a new one because this one isn’t super comfortable. Boy, you should see how much time she spends “researching”. No wonder she’s behind on my posts. I can’t even imagine what goes into research when she buys a car.

Sometimes I take naps next to my mommy when she writes. It’s easier to fall asleep when I can look at her.

We took family selfie at Stone Mountain Georgia.

Another selfie!

I smile a lot but I can also be very serious.

Everybody took turns holding me at my first campfire at Stone Mountain.

I’m dreaming about the places I’ll go when I get out of this thing!

Kisses from daddy at an ice cream shop in Chattanooga, TN.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Smiling at Stone Mountain – Thing 3 – Week 8 appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

Once in a while and every so often you may hear a mysterious whisper. A whisper that speaks more to your heart than to your mind. A whisper so soft yet so loud. The other night in the wee morning hours as I held your little body close to mine, I heard such a whisper and this is what it said.

“He is the answer to prayers you didn’t know you had.”

Then I squeezed you gently, gave you a little kiss on the head, and said a prayer of thanks for your life to the One who whispers.

Romans 8:26-28

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Midnight Whispers, Thing 3 Week 7 appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

We stayed right on the beach and I would get rocked to the sound of the Gulf of Mexico.

We went to the beach in Key West too.

I went to the Southernmost Point and waited in a long line in the hot sun to get my picture taken next to a big hunk of painted cement. I can tell life on earth is going to be weird.

I saw my first ocean sunset. That was cool!

I went on lots of walks.

I also lay around a lot too.

I even cuddled with Meow Cow. I think he is getting used to me.

I hung out with my big big brother on his bed. I accidentally peed on him again. Oooops!

My big brother likes to show me the world.

I’m not sure how I feel about all this “selfies”.

 I guess they are okay.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Thing 3 in the Keys – Week 6 appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

Buying a new RV was a big decision for us. A really big decision. Our old RV was already paid for and it had become our home so we were reluctant to part with it. However, our family was in the midst of some changes. Last summer, we found out we were expecting another child. Around the same time we decided to stay on the road indefinately but felt like our preteen and teen needed more personal space so we began our search for a new RV.

After looking at more models of RVs than we could count we found one with a floor plan we loved, the Heartland Gateway 3650BH. Our only hesitation was that it was a brand new model and we had planned to buy used. It would be another year or so before used RVs of this model would start to hit the market. Back and forth we went on whether to buy new or used.

After looking at nearly every bunkhouse fifth wheel on the market, we felt like if we were going to buy used we would basically be getting the same floor plan we already had. The Heartland Gateway was the only RV that had nearly every feature we wanted. Finally, we decided the new RV would give us the extra comfort and space we craved. (You can read more about the features, why we decided to finance it, and watch a video here.)

So our search for an RV took a new direction as we started shopping for the Heartland Gateway 3650BH with the features we wanted at a price we could afford. Our search led us to Dixie RV Superstore. One early morning, I couldn’t sleep so I got out of bed and went online again to search for more dealerships carrying the Heartland Gateway line. I came across Dixie RV and they had a lot of Gateway bunkhouses in stock. They also had quite a few with the optional features we wanted. So I sent them an email with an offer. Later that day, we received a phone call from Dixie RV and began the purchasing process.

It was January and Indiana, where we were staying, was being hit by heavy winter storms. We weren’t able to get down to Dixie RV which has locations in Florida and Louisiana for a few weeks so we took care of the paper work to get financing over the phone and by E-mail. Everyone was so nice and helpful. I was particularly nervous that’s my role in the marriage) because we had never purchased a large item brand new. Dixie was able to get us a great rate and our payments ended up being lower than we had budgeted for! I was shocked by how smoothly everything went.

The Gateway with the features we wanted was located in Louisiana so we made plans to go there to pick up our new RV. A few days before we were scheduled to pick it up, Dixie contacted me and said they had found a crack in the bathtub and wanted to make sure it was okay if they switched us to another stock number with the same features. Brent and I were  grateful that they had found the crack in the tub before we got there to pick it up. While the crack would have been covered under warranty, it would have been a hassle to get it fixed. Their thorough inspection saved us time I’m sure.

The day we picked up our RV was exciting. We got there early so we would have plenty of time for the remaining paperwork and to take pictures and video for our blog.

First, we met with the finance department to sign our final loan documents. Regina in finance offered us a few different extended warranty packages but there was never any pressure to buy. We decided to pass and stick with the factory warranty and the Lifetime Warranty that covers a few other major components as long as you keep up on the yearly maintenance.  It is my understanding that the maintenence can be done at different participating dealerships throughout the country. We haven’t used the Lifetime Warranty so we can’t speak of its service but it’s nice knowing we have it.

There was a bit of an unexpected wait to pick up our RV because Dixie had noticed a small chip in the front cap paint and wanted to fix it. A rock had probably hit it while it was being transported from the Heartland factory in Indiana to Louisiana. It didn’t really matter much to us but Dixie wanted to make sure everything was perfect. While we waited we explored the facilities.

Of course, the boys wanted to look inside some more RVs. It was nice that we felt welcomed to explore the RVs at leisure inside the large indoor showroom.

The outdoor lot is GIGANTIC. If you can’t find an RV to meet your needs here you won’t find one anywhere. It’s always interesting to see the different floor plans and features even if they aren’t what you are looking for.

We spent some time hanging out in the customer lounge.

The customer lounge is attached to a Camping World. Dixie is really a one stop shop for all your RV needs! We made a few purchases for the new rig.

Outside there are many service bays and RV pads with electricity for customers to take possession and stay in their new RVs. Dixie even let us stay an extra night so we could drive into New Orleans for a day!

Dixie asked us if we would mind giving a customer testimonial for their YouTube channel while we waited. Dixie has their own video team who produce videos of their inventory and customer testimonials. It was fun way to pass some time by reenacting the buying experience and sharing our story of full time RVing with a family with them.

Finally that afternoon, we took possession of our new RV, our dream “home”.  Anthony from service led us on walk-through inside and out and taught us Brent how everything worked. After weeks of discussions and searching for a new RV, it was surreal to finally be in it. That night as we went to bed I knew that we had made the right decision and I was thankful that Dixie had helped make the process so smooth.

Special thanks to our little photographer who helped take pictures!

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Buying our New Fifth Wheel at Dixie RV appeared first on Newschool Nomads.

My parents were looking for a particular restaurant but didn’t  realize it was in the mall. Everyone was too tired and cranky to find something else so we went in. The funny thing was the restaurant had closed. Guess that’s what happens when you trust those little rectangle boxes that my parents seem to think contain the voice of God or something. Ridiculous.

Anyway I wasn’t fond the shopping mall. I couldn’t sleep.

I already have a hard time settling down in the evening and this place just made it worse.

It’s nothing like the peace and quiet of mommy’s arms.

I also had a doctor’s appointment. Not crazy about those either but I’m growing a lot.

I also got my passport card although I don’t remember it at all.

Every morning my big brother comes out to cuddle me. We all lay around with mommy for about 30 minutes. It’s one of my favorite parts of the day.

Last but not least, I began my road-warrior training. I have some pretty cool mentors. Our first trip went really well. I’ll have to tell you about it next week.

Love and Laughter,
Jenn

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The post Thing 3, Road-Warrior Training Begins – Week 5 appeared first on Newschool Nomads.