The Trip home

I write this week's blog while sitting in my old bedroom, still adorned with yellow painted walls and a "Mickey Mouse in the movies" wallpaper border. A very faded Mickey Mouse comforter covers the bed, and the headboard is complete with photos, books and frames that have been there for 12 years or more. Down the hall, my baby sleeps through my little girl's coughing fit as she jumps on the bed. I think the heater is finally working up in this drafty old attic. That, or I'm getting used to 48 degrees while I sleep, sharing a bed with a kicking 3 year old who uses my neck as a foot rest...

The trip home began on Wednesday evening. After confirmation and choir rehearsal, Al and I strapped the kids in their seats and we headed to Denver, to crash at my cousin Lea's new apartment. We were her first visitors, as she had moved in only a day earlier.

On the ride down, we stopped to get supper at a drive thru window. It took 25 mintues to get our food.

After another hour on the road, Eden had a coughing fit that wouldn't end. Then, she puked on her Pooh blankie.

We arrived and found a parking spot in downtown Denver. Just as we were about to trudge everything up to the 8th floor apartment, Al noticed that we had a flat tire. REALLY flat. "Didn't you notice that while you were driving?" Al asked me. "Um, no not really." I replied. It was nearing 11p and the kids were exhausted. Lea, having only lived there 24 hours, really didn't know where a service station was that had air. So, we left the kids with her and headed out to look for air. Thankfully, we didn't have to go far before we located one, we just had to double check we were going in the right direction on all those one way streets.

Lars wailed until well after 1230 a.m.

Alarm went off at 0600. Grab some yogurt and granola bars. Out to the car for a clean diaper. While Lars has his clean shirt and socks on, he pees on his shirt, soaking it, then poops on Lea's new carpet. She rushes him to the bathroom sink and wets some toilet paper to clean him up. As she runs the water over his only pair of socks, I yell, 'socks!' but it's too late. His top and bottom are wet, but I have no time, or clothes, to change the situation. Lea is left to clean the carpet as we run out the door and she walks us out.

Back in the blazer. Full tank of gas. Full tires. Grab the map. Fight the traffic. Arrive at the airport at 0745. Kiss and hug daddy. Explain to Eden that daddy was not flying with us.

Sarah, backpack on back, suitcase in tow, pushing Lars in stroller with bag of food, Eden leashed to stroller with her blankie (wet from last night's sink washing off the puke) and off to stand in line. Check in. Lars is not registered to fly. "Need to see some ID, please." Get the boarding passes and head for the elevator.

Security check point. Picture Mom with screaming baby, sleepy toddler who is still wondering where daddy is, trying to wrestle shoes off, fold down stroller, separate bag of 3oz 'stuff' and baby food and milk for kids from backback, trying to get though in one piece without putting Lars on the nasty floor (I only had to put him on the floor once, thankfully).

Back in the elevator. Down to the train. Ride to Concorse A. Off the train. Back in the elevator. Onto the terminals. Slow as a 3 year old can walk, we make it with 45 minutes to spare.

In the air, Eden waits until they are serving drinks to announce that she needs the potty. Put the drinks on the seats, fold up the tables, off we go down the aisle. Can't get by the cart. Stewardess goes all the way down to the end of the plane so we can get by, spilling her cart over frontwards when she gets to the toilets. Lemons go flying, cups sprawling, and the guy in the last row gets a cold shower of ice water as the lady reaches for the hot pot of coffee. In to the bathroom we go. "I don't have to go now, Mommy." Out of the bathroom, back down the aisle. On the way past the second cart, Lars reaches down and grabs a fresh hot chocolate chip cookie (Midwest, every flight, fresh backed on board!!), screams b/c the chocolate burnt him, and squishes it between his fingers as he smashes it into his mouth. The wet wipes are not even remotely available at this moment and we sit down back at our seats, where we are sequestered for the remainder of the flight.

Milwaukee airport, three hour lay over. Playground area with a family bathroom, yeah!!!! Eden rushes in to the bathroom several times of the next three hours. Her tummy hurts. Lars has pooped down his jeans to his now-almost-dry socks. Everybody falls asleep minutes before we board the next plane. What a relief. Then, I hear my name over the loudspeaker. An item is lost and will be at the information center outside of the security checkpoint. I decide that nothing I have is worth going back through security for. That's when I discover that our boarding passes are missing. Plus, I have two sleeping bodies. This day is getting longer. After much panic and running around, we board plane #2. We all sleep.

Getting off in Flint, Lars is sitting on the seat while I stand up. He tips over and hits his head on the arm rest. Screaming, he clings to me and I can't get the bag out from under the seat. Our neighbor man helps me get it out and wheels it up the jetway. Eden, still sleepy, rides in teh stroller as I pull the backpack behind it, going uphill on the jetway, Lars still yelling in my ear. At the airport, Eden gets out of the stroller so I can put Lars in it, and walks directly into a support beam, smashing her nose and crying for about 10 minutes.

Finally, Grandma and Papa are at the end of the security exit and greet us warmly. Well, as warmly as you can when it's 41 degrees and raining outside. We head to Lapeer for a supper at The Villa (my favorite). After supper, Eden goes to the bathroom and throws up two pieces of pizza all over. Lovely. We get home, there's no heat upstairs. Huh. Think it's broken. Eden continues to throw up the rest of the night and again after breakfast.

Mom wants to know when I'll fly home again. I told her I'd get back to her on that one.

The rest of the week has been wonderful and relaxing. I'm watching the Red Wings pre-season games and working on cleaning out my mom's gardens. Eden has been playing with her cousins. We went to Pastor and Carol Kaiser's house this afternoon for a boat ride to see the fall colors on the water. The kids were in snowsuits and lifejackets, it was so funny and we had a splendid time. Eden stayed at Meegan's today and when she got tired, she crawled in the playpen and fell asleep. We've been to Grandma Great's house and cut bittersweet from the greenhouse. We drove out to the amish store in the country and bought six bushel of apples to make applesauce, and a box of spices to take back to Nebraska. It's colder here compared to the west, only made it to 50 today after church.

Don't know what tomorrow brings, just hope it's as relaxing as the weekend was!