The hunt for the perfect trailor

So after 13 years of marriage it looks like we May finally get a trailer. Now the problem is finding one within our very meager budget that we are both happy with. I would be fine with a tent trailer, especially one that has air and heat, but Joseph thinks it would be better to get a hard trailer, even if that means that it has to be older. We have found some amazing deals on craigslist. They have all been gone before we called, even the one that i called within two hours of posting. :(

We have found some OK deals on craigslist. All of them were a 2-3 hour drive and Joseph's day off isn't until next week. They are gone now.

We have found many not great deals, but of course we won't get those. And so I continue to obsess about not missing the next big deal and I have had to limit the number of times I can check craigslist a day to still continue living our lives. I know that this would be a good thing for our family and I just have to trust that the Lord will provide.

Why do I want a trailer?
-Tents are cold, damp, and hard to put up.
-Sleeping on the ground hurts for days after.
-hotels are expensive
-Our family has to get two rooms or a suite- even more expensive (I tried just getting one room, having the kids sleep on the floor etc, but I didn't feel truthful and when I found out that unless I lie about how many we are bringing they won't let me do that. . .)
-Driving at night is not an option for us eyelid heavy Lopezes
-driving long distances without stopping is therefore not possible(see above about hotels)
-Family that hasn't been on vacation because of cost could use it
-Family that can't vacation together because half can't afford hotels and the other half can't sleep in tents could vacation together
-Friends who would like to get away but have a similar situation to ours with family size could use it.
-I would feel so so happy and blessed to be the cause of happiness in friends and family
-nostalgia :) I had a tent trailer growing up and loved it
-I want to maximize the amount of time our family can spend together
-Temple trips would become easier- drive up- go to temple- spend night-drive back

I think that's it. Let me know if you think of any other great ideas. (: If anyone reading this knows of an inexpensive good condition older trailer camper for sale. . .Please let me know!

Sleep, wherefore art thou?

I am trying to not be at my wits end. I want to just take everything as its comes and go with the flow. It is really hard. I finally decided that getting up between 1-4 AM to pump was no longer necessary. For a couple of nights I glorified in being able to sleep through. When my milk supply dropped by half I thought, well she is getting older we will just have to fill in with more other foods, but at least I can sleep.
Now it seems even that consolation is gone. I don't know if it is the combination of foods that I am giving her, or allergies, or bites, or constipation or illness or hormones or what! I feel certain for about ten minutes that it must be this only to see something that makes me think no it's probably something else. The problem is that she is so so sensitive that if she is too hot, too cold, itchy, uncomfortable or a hundred other things then she won't stay asleep. Add to that that she has some known hormone problems and I am constantly second guessing myself. If only the girl could talk!
The saddest part is that while she is awake she isn't happy she's tossing, turning and crying sometimes this sad "I'm so tired why can't I sleep" sort of whine and sometimes loud sobs. I look back at everything We've figured out and I'm glad, I just wish that I could figure things out a bit faster. Like now.
It would be different if she took a couple of hours to go to sleep. She is going All Night with only no sleep. Not every night, and sometimes she'll nap for an hour, but when 6 am rolls around and she's still not asleep. . . I start to despair.

Share and share alike

Well I'm glad to see that my children have learned to share. I just wish that they wouldn't apply it to germs. It's really difficult when you have a larger family and you want them to all be friends when you have sick children. They normally spend all day at the least in the same room and many times within a foot or two of each other. I feel like a terrible mom as I say to the sick one, 'Don't get to close to anyone, sit over on the other couch while we read' or 'Why don't you read your book in the other room, or take a nap on your bed?' or even 'Sweetie, could you sit on the bean bag by yourself so that the rest of us can have room on the couch?'. I am also always reminding them to wash their hands and not to play with the baby. I stop them from doing helpful things like setting the table or dishing up food for their siblings.
I try to balance all of this out by giving them special privileges and cuddling with them one on one (and then changing my shirt and washing my hands before picking up the baby). But somehow it seems that it doesn't all balance out and I know the sick one feels like a pariah. This is why they will lay in the middle of the hall so I have to step over them to get anywhere. They want to be a part of everything in any way they can.
I'm extremely grateful when we get a quick recovery and pray for no one to be incubating.