Babies, Birthdays, Caverns, and Aliens

We're officially on the road again and couldn't be happier about it! We had a wonderful four months at home and enjoyed some great quality time with family and friends. We also found out while we were home that I'm pregnant, and just last week we found out that it's a girl! We left on Monday, March 2nd headed toward Kerrville, TX, where Jonathan and the kids got to spend a couple of days with Jonathan's grandparents. Unfortunately, I was sick in bed the entire time we were in Kerrville and never got to leave the bed. But I was very fortunate to have Jonathan and his mom there to take the kids with them visiting family while I slept off the flu in peace and quiet.

We left Kerrville Wednesday morning and drove to El Paso where we got to spend more time with some of Jonathan's family who live in the area. There isn't a lot of sight seeing to be done in the El Paso area, but the kids were pretty amazed that you can drive down the freeway and see into Mexico! They were enthralled by the giant border fences, and kept trying to think of sneaky ways to get past them. Haha They saw a fun water park across the fence in Mexico, and from then on, in their minds Mexico was some sort of Mecca. A place worth climbing that electric fence for, surely! 

After a couple of days in El Paso, we headed toward New Mexico to visit Carlsbad Caverns and Roswell. The drive from Texas to New Mexico definitely could have gone more smoothly, to say the very least. It was an absolutely gorgeous drive through the desert, with a million photo ops along the way. We took these "million" photos ops every one of the million times our truck tried to break down while climbing thru the mountains and deserts of New Mexico. Now to preface, our truck had already been in the shop TWICE in our home town in the past couple of months, then once again after we puttered weakly into Kerrville, and now we knew for sure the problem we were assured had been fixed the last three times it was in the shop was DEFINITELY still a problem, and that our truck wasn't going to make it any further than Roswell – at least not pulling our 42' fifth wheel. Jonathan made a few frantic calls to dealerships in the area and found one in town that could see us that evening, so we very quickly (or as quickly as our dying, sputtering  truck would allow) got ourselves to Roswell, dropped off our RV at the local RV park, and booked it to the local Ford dealership just minutes before they closed for the night. They arranged for us to have a loaner car for the next few days, and we were set. After the drama of the truck, we ended up having a wonderful time in the Roswell area! We celebrated Jack's 8th birthday this past Saturday with a pancake breakfast at IHOP, then an incredible tour of Carlsbad Caverns (which if you haven't been to, is definitely worth a visit...absolutely breathtaking!) and some fun climbing and hiking in the canyon on the way home. An 8 year old boy couldn't have asked for a better birthday!

This past Sunday we visited a small church there in town, and were pleased to learn that the pastor and his family are originally from a town close to our hometown in Texas, and are actually friends with several of my family members! It really is a small world. 

On Monday we had a free day to explore the area, and the weather was perfect, so we grabbed a quick lunch and then headed to the Roswell UFO Museum and Research Center. The kids had a blast, and in spite of nearly fainting about 20 times (one of the common downsides of pregnancy for me), I absolutely loved it! From there we headed to the Roswell Zoo and park. If you're ever in the area on a day with nice weather, I highly recommend stopping by there! The admission is free to the zoo and park, and they have a lot of interesting animals (but to be fair, their enclosures could use some work and more shade). In the summertime they have a train that runs and concessions stands, as well as a very nice park and play area. We were some of the only people at the zoo and park, so we had wonderful time.

Early Tuesday morning we got the call that our truck was finished at the dealership and we could come pick it up. The part and service was almost $3,000, but it was covered under warranty and we didn't have to pay a penny! Jonathan headed to town to take care of that while I got the RV packed up and ready to move to our next destination. After numerous times getting the RV ready to go (the inside of it anyway) by myself and all of the slide-outs pulled in, I can do it pretty quickly and efficiently now. Don't ask me to do ANYTHING on the outside though. That's a different story and I let Jonathan have all of that fun by himself.

We arrived in Albuquerque, NM that evening. The weather has been really beautiful the whole time we've been here, and after four months of cold and rain in Texas, I couldn't be more excited to be headed toward sunshine and warmth! We had a lot of fun in Roswell, but I was happy to leave the ever present smell of cattle lots that speckle the town far behind us! So long cow poo, hello fresh desert air! ; )

- Molly