Traveling with kids...

So, we had our first big trip as a family of four over Thanksgiving. We went up to Sea Ranch, a family favorite, to spend the week. This was Leslie (Ryan's mom) and Bill's third anniversary, and their tradition is to spend it at The Sea Ranch, in the home of a family friend. This year, we tagged along. What this meant was waking the kids early on the Monday before Thanksgiving to drag them to the airport with (dun dun DUN...) the luggage. Have you ever traveled for a week-long trip with two under three? Our luggage consisted of 6 check-ins - a bag for me, for Ry, and for the kids, a pack-n-play and two carseats. And, our carry-ons (which, keep in mind, we had to carry along with us to each gate, through the airports....) a diaper bag, my purse, Ryan's laptop briefcase bag, his sleep apnea machine, and a bag of entertainment (dollar store toys, snacks, etc.). And, let's not forget the kids! Remember, one of them must also be carried. Once we got to Oakland, I stayed with Mickey and a skycap, one-handedly directing and collecting luggage, while Ryan and Brooklynn went to pick up the rent-a-car. By the time they got back with the car, it had occurred to Brooklynn that she hadn't had a full night of sleep and she was... less than pleasant. Needless to say, I was a little apprehensive about the trip. The hour and a half plane trip and car pickup was followed by a three hour (or so) car ride up to the Sea Ranch. It all ended up going pretty well. I was very proud of my kids. (The trip home was a tad more difficult. We didn't get to Mom and Dad's until 1:30 am. Awesome!) Anyway, I'll write more about the trip itself later. For now, here are some pictures from the beginning of our little adventure.

Oh, and I don't want to forget to mention my favorite part of the flight over...
Most of you know I'm not the hugest fan of flying. I used to be. I LOVED to fly, thought it was such an exciting feeling and looked forward to it, until a flight to Spain changed my mind. I've been somewhat terrified ever since. Still, flying with my kids has actually made things easier. In ACTING unafraid, for their well-being, I was distracted enough to do okay. This was pretty much true on this trip too. The only 'blip' came when we faced some unexpected turbulence just before landing in Oakland. When it got just a bit rough for a few seconds, Brooklynn bursts out with, "We're fallin'?!?!" (*my thought* 'Ah! You're right! We're all gonna DIE!!) (my response, *nervous laughter* "hahaha, no, Honey, we're not fallin! It's just a little "turbulence". It makes the flight fun, like a ride! *blatant lie*)