The sun was heavenly. The kids requested a home day at the trailer for our last day. It felt like a bit of a waste to me but I lost. My list of trails, waterfalls and places of interest were not interesting I guess.
We had to move a few times to stay in the sun.
3 ducks done with lots of disruptions from the kids, the phone, issues at home, Isabel had a rough night, meals and snacks. It was pretty relaxing though. How cute is the graduation duck?!
We went inside to eat dinner and after spending all day outside we opted to stay in with movies versus fire in the cooler evening. Eric and Luk tore down camp while I did dishes then we settled in to watch silly movies. Good for a laugh.
This morning was a breeze to get going since most of it was done already.
The trailer did ok for us overall. The power was great. We never went below 2/3. We put it to the test with tons of lights, using the inverter and constant charging of things.
There is no way we're set up to deal with Chihuahuas in there. We have ideas. Projects for the next couple weeks.
The kitchen has issues, the stove is the wrong direction in our opinion. Eric is going to pull it out and see if there is a way to move it. The plastic knobs are melting on it. The toilet leaked on the last day at the base which is weird and needs looking at. Trying to wash and do teeth in the ridiculously tiny kitchen while someone is cooking or cleaning is nuts especially with Kai who brushes and spews in a wide radious versus spitting politely down the drain. So I think we need to add a wee corner sink to the shower. Plus find a creative way to put shelves and storage into the silly bathroom. The bathroom door is clear glass. ? We put a cloth tablecloth over the door and that worked but I'm ordering window cling today. One night Kai fell out of his floor level bed and he wouldn't wake up so I was trying to shove him back in his cubby, he was blocking the bathroom door. We bought a suv pet mesh barrier to keep the Chihuahuas out of his bed but it might do double duty to keep him in. Lastly, there is only one heater vent. One! Weird and it blows onto my side of the bed. This must be able to be redirected.
I'm reminding myself this is allowing us way more freedom to travel farther and get into more places but this is NOT the luxory of the motorhome.
Kai is like a 400lb gorilla in there. It's an ultra light and so everything is cheap and thin. He stomps and bashes everything which is loud and frankly sounds like he's going to go through things. Any ideas on how to make him a gentle giant? It was nice keeping him outside and having him use the outhouse most of the time.
Oh, and, tmi, this was the weekend that Kai decided to try out standing to pee. Oy. He doesn't have the anatomy for this. Or the where withall to manage it or see where things are spraying. We're all on top of him now and attempting to watch him even closer than usual. Almost 13 and still not potty trained. This is hard. I don't believe Kai cares.
I was happy to get Kai home where the routine is easier and we can all get a break. He was a lot. I know, new trailer, new bed, 1st trip out, new table, new routine. When we came in the driveway he tore out of the van and I reminded him there is no one at the door to let him in. We've spent 8 years trying to get him to stop charging the door. He races up and pushes others out of the way to get his nose right on the door and then we have to get him to move to unlock the door and then try to control the shoving and as he pushes inside. Today, Eric reminded him there was no one at the door and he lied and said he didn't hear that. But he did when I told him. So I made him go back outside for five minutes for lying to Dad and still pushing his way past Eric, Luk and Jia. He's crying about it with me reminding him tears aren't going to work and to go find something to do that isn't a screen so he promptly ran to the shelf and grabbed Luk's game that hasn't even been opened yet, oy, so I gave him a puzzle and he's been staring at it and sobbing the whole while I've been on the blog. Too many years of parenting for me to feel bad for any of them in these moments. I'm hardened.
Keeping it real.
Fei worked last night so she's sleeping today. She stayed awake, up, to do Lili's makeup this morning because she's off to VIU to have her grad photos taken. The dogs were all super excited we're back. Luk showered already. Eric has parked the Falcon and is bringing in laundry and food. I'm planning to sit with Finn until he stops shaking and then hit my desk and shower before dinner.
Back to it.
When we left this morning I said "bye beautiful river site, I'll miss you" and surprisingly Jia said she'd come back happily if I booked closer to the end where the data works. She asked to go home early a few times. She seemed happy enough overall but still felt compelled to complain here and there. And pick on the brothers. And fight the meals. She did however keep to our hours! Yesterday she spent the entire day in the trailer drawing. I can't even complain now that her curriculum is ALL art based.
Luk is feeling better after a shower and came to thank me for planning the trip to Elk Falls. A win!
