thursday
i was nervous about the next two days. flying with young children is always challenging. airports and their high level of security, and the tight quarters of airplanes themselves, are in no way intended for young children. but, i'd be out of my mind to let that stop me and my family from a winter break in hawaii.
there's a certain degree of sympathy i feel for those poor travelers who have to put up with my kids' loudness - but it doesn't go much beyond my half-hearted apology. i mean, they just have to sit back and listen - or put in a squishy pair of earplugs. no amount of their energy is spent patting restless babies to sleep, or carrying an astonishing amount of carry on luggage while balancing babies beneath your arms, or waking groggy children to finally exit the confines of airplane prison - only to have to comfort their cries, too.
but all of this was going to be so very worth the trouble. still, i was nervous.
we headed out bright and early to minneapolis, we did not want to miss this flight.
the drive was quick and uneventful.
today's flight plan was unusual. sam and i had to split up. he was flying with the girls and i was flying with the boys. the boys and i had a straight flight to phoenix where we'd meet up with my parents.
sam, on the other hand, had two layovers with the girls.
when mimzy wasn't racing around like a curious monkey, she'd stop to catch up on the news.
thank goodness for movies.
there's no such thing as sleeping on a plane when you have babies to watch.
at least they slept.
the overnight stop in phoenix was a lifesaver. we had had our limit of traveling for the day and the kids (and us) really needed to stretch our legs, have a proper meal, and rest up for the next day of traveling. it was great to meet up with my parents and we were grateful to have some extra hands for tomorrow's airplane rides.
sam's aunt and uncle stopped by our hotel room to say hello. it was a fun catch up.
friday
the next morning did not disappoint. we came prepared with leashes and movies and games for the kids. the toughest part is getting through security.
there are always those who give us dirty looks for putting our kid on a leash. those looks from high pedestals that seems to say, "you're doing a crappy job of handling your kids."
i love how people think they can juggle our four children better than we can. it's easy to think it, it's another to get your hands dirty and keep everyone leash-free, calm, cool, and collected.
but, we figured after a couple of disdainful looks from security, we'd let our two year old go leash-free.
they quickly decided the leash was the better option.
so did we.
thankfully, mosiah was still pretty immobile.
after a layover in L.A., and 6 hours of movies, snacks, and naps, we arrived in Kona.
we were thrilled to have survived the plane ride, and even more thrilled to be in Hawaii.
it was 10pm, Big Island time. Who knows what that translated to in Wisconsin.
the island air was warm and breezy, and smelled of flowers and sea.
the grass was squishy and soft.
the minivan rental was heaven sent.
after a 20 minute drive to our resort, we fell into sweet, deep sleep.
it was all so surreal.
Big Island, get ready for the crowfoots!
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