HEY, IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN
The family reunion started breaking up as people had to return home. My parents started their drive home early Tuesday morning. My plane would leave Tuesday afternoon. As I went to bed my last night there, I realized that I was sleeping on my parents' air mattress. Oops! So I set my cell phone alarm to wake me up early so I could get off their bed and let them take it home.
I got to Phoenix just fine, where I had a strategic layover to pick up Jared and Zach, who had been staying with Grandma. When I tried to check the boys' luggage, though, it said I couldn't because they appeared to be unaccompanied minors. UGH! It's because I had already checked in back in Texas, so two preschoolers checking in without an adult definitely sounds scary. We jumped through the hoops and started out to find the play area.
We got all sorts of wrong directions and ended up walking the entire circumference of Sky Harbor Airport. And it's big! The first time getting onto a moving walkway, Zach didn't do so well and bailed. I was half on, half off, with bags draped all over me. I set them all down to grab a crying Zach. Some made it onto the walkway with us, but some got left behind. I almost had it all together again when I saw a man in a suit running toward me to help. He carried Zach's car seat until he got to his wing of the airport. Thank you, man in a suit!
We got really good at moving walkways after that. We had lots and lots of practice! We found the so-called play area. It just had some gym mats and wedges, but it was SUPER fun because amazingly, there were FOUR 4-year old boys there! And Zach kept up just fine, too.
Then we got some overpriced Whoppers for dinner. We timed everything JUST RIGHT to get to our gate just a few minutes before pre-boarding. I was so proud of myself! But when we got there, there was no plane! Our flight was delayed by an hour. We got on board at 9:15. I thought the boys would fall asleep immediately, but it took them quite a while. Maybe I should have kept them up!
Because they didn't wake up when we landed (at midnight). Or when the lights came on. Or when most of the passengers had deplaned. Or when I shook them. Or when I set them on their feet. They stayed asleep while standing up!
And then they started screaming. And crying. And I needed their help to carry our stuff. There was no way I could carry them even if I didn't have anything else to hold!
Finally, the pilots carried some of our things while I carried Zach and half-dragged a screaming Jared. I figured they'd calm down. They usually don't carry on like that.
In the concourse, a security guard followed us out because we were the last people in the airport. He was doing a security sweep so they could close! One pilot spotted a wheelchair and said we could use it for the boys. Zach immediately stopped crying and loved the ride. Jared screamed NO and when I tried to put him in, he kicked until I was afraid he'd hurt Zach. So he lagged behind me, sobbing. The security guard tried to talk him into getting a ride in a different wheelchair, or walking with him, but Jared screamed at him. He started screaming, "THIS IS STUPID! I HATE THIS!" I was shocked. He just doesn't talk like that. But when I said, "Yeah, this IS stupid!" He totally calmed down. I knew he was so tired and really felt awful. I guess he just needed a little sympathy.
We had taken so long getting off the plane that I couldn't find our luggage on the carousel. We rented a SmarteCart and with some help found our stuff. Ryan had arranged for a taxi to meet us, but they were long-gone, too. So we just headed outside and miraculously, there was a minivan taxi waiting at the curb. The very nice driver loaded our stuff in while I installed car seats. Zach immediately noticed the logo on the taxi's window--a cartoon VW bug. "HERBIE!" he exclaimed. "Herbie the love bug!" When it was dark, he couldn't see the logo anymore, but when we passed a street light, he could see it again. Each time he said, "Another one Herbie!" It was pretty cute.
We made it to our house and unloaded our pile on the driveway. Jared said, "I haven't seen this house in twenty years!" The boys helped take things inside, but only one trip because they were so excited to see their toys again. I can't believe they fought me to go to bed. It was 1:20 am! But we finally all got in bed at 1:45.
But the stinkers didn't sleep in nearly long enough! Zach was up at 9. I was pulling for noon.