"Smooth Seas Do Not Make Skillful Sailors." African Proverb

The boys anxiously awaiting our flight

Wow!  I survived.  I did it.  I made it all the way to California and back with both boys.  The trip was so amazing and I have so many stories that I couldn't dare fit them all into this one blog.  So tonight I will blog about Day 1 travel and arrival.  Tomorrow, Day 2 and so on.  

I'll start this story with the preparation it took to travel across the country with 2 toddlers.  I spent about $75 in snacks, books, cars, crayons, coloring books, and suckers.  I am prepared or so I thought.  We get to the airport and check 2 bags plus 2 car seats.  The thought of trying to lug 2 car seats on and off planes with 2 toddlers was overwhelming, so I checked them.  Josh insisted that I didn't need a stroller because we were only going from 1 gate to another in Dallas and the boys should be able to walk with me.  Then when we get to California the boys would walk everywhere or I could just rent one, if need be.  He was wrong.  Very wrong.  The first flight was only an hour.  All $75 worth of entertainment was rummaged through, played with, and eaten.  Great, the next flight is 3 hours.  We arrive in Dallas and have 1 1/2 hours to blow.  Greyson needs to potty.  I take him to the bathroom, holding his hand, carrying a "stuffed to the gills backpack," a purse on my arm, and Cooper on my only available hip.  At the sink I am holding Greyson up to wash his hands, all bags are on the floor and Cooper makes a run for it.  He's at the age of "no fear."  Scary.  I grab my bags and Greyson and step outside of the bathroom and look both ways quickly.  No Cooper, lots of travelers.  Within that 2 seconds, panic hits and I'm not sure even which way to look for him.  Literally, I was 3 seconds behind him and he's gone.  A grandmotherly type must have seen my panic and pointed to a closed off corridor that he was running down.  Bad start to a long flight.  Cooper has now lost all walking privileges and must be held with the other 45 lb's I'm carrying.  

We finally board flight#2 and I'm thinking it should be smooth because its 7:30 pm and the boys go to bed at 8:00 pm.  Wrong again.  This time they weren't so mellow on the flight.  We each had our own seats, all together, with me in the middle.  They are up and down, in the seat, in the floor, climbing over the seat, in the aisle, etc...  It was like they were both going so fast at different directions that I knew I had lost the "sit in your seat with your seat belt on" battle.  The most fascinating thing for them was to open and close the tray table in front of them.  Let me actually rephrase that...drop and slam the tray table in front of them.  The passenger in the seat directly in front of them didn't appreciate that so now we have another new rule on the plane..don't touch the tray table.  Here were our rules for the Dallas to Los Angeles flight:

1) Just because you are sitting in the aisle, doesn't mean you can touch everyone that passes you to go to the bathroom.

2) Do not touch the Attendant Call button, again!

3) Only open and close your own window shade, not other passengers.  

4) Don't ask the nice old lady across the aisle for some of her $6 sandwich.

5) Stay out from under the seat in front of you.

6) Do not take away a pacifier of a screaming toddler sitting behind us and refuse to give it back.

7) The airline safety instructions are not for eating.

8) Don't yell "Mommy, look the plane has smoke outside!"  It was actually a cloud we were going through, but it did cause a minor ruckus in the surrounding rows.  Just a few moments of terror, nothing major.

9) No screaming contests between the 2 of you.  That's fun for everyone on a night flight.

10) And last but certainly not least....Stop asking if we are there yet.  

We arrive in Los Angeles, 9:05 pm (11:05 pm the boys time) with maybe (and I might be pushing this a little) 30 minutes of contortion sleep from both of them.  The boys see Mimes and Pops and they were so excited.  Greyson jumped right into Pops's arms.  It was so nice to see them.  I felt like the cavalry had arrived.  I wasn't alone anymore.  Exhale.  Whew.  

We saw a movie star waiting at baggage claim.  I didn't recognize him but he definitely looked the part and the paparazzi taking his picture solidified the deal.  By the way, the paparazzi look yucky, dirty like.  The drive home was quite exciting too.  We were at a stoplight and all of a sudden we heard lots of police cars.  We stopped and this white Bentley drove by followed by 12 to 15 police cars, TV camera trucks, and a helicopter above.  It was a real LA police chase minus OJ Simpson.  I called Josh b/c he was in LA that night too for work and I knew he was at his hotel.  He turned on the TV and that same police chase was all over the news.  

We made it to Mimes and Pops house and played with their dog, Beasley, then off to bed.  

It was such a great trip and everyday housed its very own adventures.  I'll write about Day 2 tomorrow and I'll post lots of pics.