Plane ride stories to and from Cali

So I am really crazy. This is something I have always known but I thought I would let everyone else know too. Since being on the East coast I have had the chance to see my family about twice a year. The last time I was out I stayed for a while and I knew it would be one whole year until I would get the chance to see my family again.

When I was looking for plain tickets to go to Sacramento I found a plane ticket that would give us like a 7 hour layover in Salt Lake City. I bought them so happy I could spend a few short hours in SLC. Then just 2 weeks before I was going to leave, I got an email saying my flight had been changed and we would only have a 1 hour time delay. Most people would be happy to have a much shorter delay but I was very frustrated and sad. I really wanted to spend a few hours with my family. I called to talk to the airline and they told me something along the lines of they were getting me to my destination at the same time so there wasn't much they could do to change my flight. They advised me to call back the day of my flight and try to do same day standby. I did and 4 hours of calling and calling back I finally got something worked out. I was able to stay in Utah overnight and spend the day in SLC at no extra charge. Yeah!!! 

P.S. I made this trip by myself with the two kids and for some reason I thought I could do it all without a stroller. CRAZY!!!

Because of all the craziness of changing fights and such a long layover, I thought it was best to bring strictly carry-ons.  I had a carry on bag with wheels plus the diaper bag, Lillie had a pink hello kitty bag with wheels, and Sam had a yellow bag with wheels that looked like a Hummer (big hit in the airport). We also had two connecting straps to make a train with all of them. Sam was pretty much uncooperative the entire flight to SLC. Getting through the gate check I just pushed him with my foot as he refused to get going. He just wanted to take his Hummer bag and run around and thought having to stand in that line was the worst thing ever. Lillie was really great and wanted to help me in every way she could. WHAT WAS I THINKING. Why didn't I bring a stroller? Why? Then he never napped on the plain like I thought he was going to either.

We got into SLC around 7ish, I think, and my sister Rachel and her hubby Jordan picked us up from the airport. We had dinner at my brother Andrew and his wife Tami's house with their 7 kids. My sister Liz, her hubby Aaron and their 3 kids were also there. Though my kids were tired they were so excited to play with cousins and got to bed super late. They didn't sleep great either, but woke up excited anyway and ready to play. Throughout the day I got to see my Mom, Dad, my sister Emily, and my brother Aaron. Then my sister Gretta came with her younger 2 kids. Tami, who is awesome btw, watched all the kids while Gretta treated me to a lunch at the Lion House on Temple Square. Then we rushed back, got the kids in the car and hurried over to the airport. 

I thought we had just enough time. I WAS CRAZY. We would have, but right as we got through the gate check Sammy took off as fast as he could while I was putting on my slip on shoes. That boy is FAST. It was really crazy and very frustrating to have to leave all my stuff at the gate check and have to keep track of Lillie and try to track down my run away baby. I AM CRAZY. WHY did I think I could do all this without a stroller? What was i thinking? After finding Sam then finally getting my stuff together and shoes on everone we booked it over to our gate. We were 2, not 10 or 20 but 2, minutes late to get on. The plain was still just sitting there mocking me. They told us we could wait for the next flight that left in 4 hours. Despite my disappointment, I agreed. I could have gone back to my brother's house, but after that nightmare of losing my 22 month old in an international airport I wasn't brave enough to try and go through the gate check again.  

So the long wait in the airport began. By this point my poor kids were so exhausted. I am so so grateful for the little play area in that airport. It probably saved my sanity that day. I broke down after about 40 minutes in the airport and rented a cart for all our stuff. It made things so much better. Sam never got a nap, btw. Second day of no nap plus little sleep during the night was adding up. By the time we got on the plane Sam had had it. Lillie pretty much curled up in her seat and fell fast asleep the second she sat down. My little boy on the other hand started screaming at the top of his lungs the second we sat down. He screamed and screamed and screamed. After we could get out of our seats I just took him in the bathroom and we sat in there and had a scream fest for another 30 minutes. He finally wore himself out by the time we were descending and fell asleep. The flight attendant asked me if I wanted a vodka or something on the house in a very serious way. I laughed and asked for a juice. Everything was a little peaceful until it was time to get off the plane. My kids both crying and exhausted and all these bags I wasn't sure what I was going to do. Why didn't I bring a stroller? Because I am CRAZY!!! A really nice lady with two kids of her own offered her help. She packed up my luggage on her stroller and we put my crying Lillie in the stroller with her younger child while I held crying Sam. Thank you so much, Stranger!!! We all fell asleep in the car after Grandpa G. picked us up and slept soundly through the night at Grandma G.'s house.

Mike joined us in Sactown a few days later. He had a huge bag he checked-in full of all our presents that we got for the kids.

Our trip back was very uneventful; my kids behaved perfectly to SLC. Our delay was a short 20 min. Then on the plane ride to DC the third person in the row offered to move so we had all three seats to ourselves:) Sam fell asleep and slept almost the whole time. Lillie entertained herself with toys, coloring books, and her leapster she got for her birthday. We got our things and a friend of mine picked me and the kids up from the airport. I made this trip home all on my own again BTW since Mike left for his interview trail out west. I also think I should mention I bought a cheap umbrella stroller at Walmart in Sacramento before leaving. It made for a huge difference. I really think that small stroller made life so much better for me. I will never travel again with a child under the age of 4 without a stroller. NEVER. 

We survived and what a story to tell in the end, eh.