Preparation And Aticipation

Making a small car trip with three boys in car seats, say, to the grocery store, takes enough preparation as it is. But taking a trip 2500 miles away, in a plane, in the middle of the night, is on a whole other level. I had to pack enough for five people, for ten days, including diapers and pull-ups, and keep it within a set number of suitcases so that we were not charged for any extra checked luggage. With having purchased four plane tickets, that gives us four checked bags acceptable. But you have to remember that we had three car seats to bring along as well. Luckily, with having an lap infant, we were able to check one stroller and one car seat at the gate for no charge. That left us with two car seats to check, and allowed us two suitcases. So ten days worth of supplies for five people had to be crammed in two suitcases and not exceed 50 pounds. I would say that my organizational skills were put to the test, and I am happy to say that I passed. The other thing I had to consider was the carry-ons. We, again, were allowed up to four. However, I did not want to be carrying around three kids, four carry-ons, a stroller, and a car seat through the airport. Since Nick and I each had a child next to us, in different rows, I packed one small bag for each of us with items to keep the kids occupied. I also allowed one extra carry-on that remained mostly empty, until I filled it with coats and shoes to pass through security. It was good thinking on my part to allow a fairly empty bag, as the amount of spoils sent home with us could not fit in our already stuffed, almost overweight suitcases. Here are some pictures from the first stage in our trip.

Here are the three boys, each in their pajamas, standing (or sitting) next to the big bear. Notice the stroller has two of our carry-ons, and my purse, loaded into it.
Here is the luggage cart we used, piled high with three car seats, two suitcases, one carry-on, and a partridge in a pear tree. The plastic bags on the seat were for the car seats.

I was very excited to begin our trip. It had been 2 1/2 years since I had been home. Little Nick was only two weeks old when we left, so for both he and Ethan, they would be meeting most of the family for the first time. I had to get a picture of each boy showing how they shared my enthusiasm.

It's enough to make you excited too, isn't it?! These pictures make me laugh! You must remember that we had dragged the kids out of bed after only a couple hours' sleep. That, I think, is reflected most in these pictures.