Voyage to the great North

Unloading all 15 of our pieces of luggage. Oy.

Some may say we are crazy but only I know that we actually are. We just got back from taking two children under 3 and one handicapped momma on a 3 hour plane ride to a major family event in Minnesota. It was a major undertaking to say the least.

Bee was completely unsure of things

We started off with a 1 1/2 hour drive up to Phoenix to catch our flight. The direct flight out of Tucson was double the price. Not happening. It actually broke up the trip which I think was good for little ones. We caravaned up there, got all the stuff unloaded and the cars parked in record time. Somehow James & Peter lugged, checked and kept track of everything while we parked the cars. We then ventured towards security. An agent immediately flagged us down and herded us into the special needs lane. She could see a train wreck a comin. Do we have special hand check scooter device? Do we have crutches and a stroller that won't fit on the xray machine? Do we have one non walking member that needs a pat down? Do we have breast milk and special vomit meds on ice? Do we have childrens tylenol stuffed down the side of a random bag? Do we have 8 zillion electronic devices? Yes to all of that! Get us our own agent because we are high needs. Making those TSA personnel work for their money. We finally get through and seat ourselves for some lunch before our flight.

We're not on the plane yet and I'm already praying for mercy.

I promptly spill diet coke all over little Fox's swaddle. Le sigh. Everyone stares at us. It's just a given at this point. I hold my chin up high like "You totally are getting stuck next to us on the plane and you'll like it." We get our lunch in relative peace with only a few toys being dropped on the ground. Tiny Fox is relegated to the stroller to attempt to nap. Yeah right he says.

Watching the planes

 We get our gate check tickets for the stroller and the knee scooter. They tell me we can get on the plane first and I'm like get the heck back. Do you really think I want to be trapped in that steel tube with Hurricane Bee and a overtired infant a second longer than needed? No. For the love, no.

Look who falls asleep right before boarding begins?

We blow down the jetway almost last and like lightening James has the stroller disassembled, into its bag and the baby half awake on the plane. Mom sprints down the isle with Bee and slugs her into a seat. Peter is left to follow like a pack mule laden down with supplies. I crutch down the isle to many a pitied looks and silent prayers of thanks we aren't sitting by them.

Bee is ever thrilled to have her Nana's direct and undivided attention so thus began the parade of requests. Her books, her princesses, so on and so forth.

 We were separated by gender of course. James at least got seated next to a very understanding gentleman who had children. Fox was blessedly half awake and not feeling screamy.

These stayed on for 15 minutes and then they were toast

Bee actually toned down for a bit near her normal naptime but only slightly. I didn't even know what to do with myself during those precious 15 minutes. Not like I brought a magazine to read. I decided to pump instead. On a plane. Amazing experience. Then it was right back to high needs as the adrenaline and seer power trip of not having to nap took hold.

Awake and vomiting, as usual.

I feel like I looked at my watch every 5 minutes for the last hour. And nearly crawled down the isle to hid in the lavatory. Bless my mother and her patience for an overtired, overly excited toddler. We finally arrived and retrieved our many, many pieces of luggage. Then I looked outside. It was snowing. In April. Really? That happens? I almost laid down on the floor to quit. Bee was ecstatic and drug Nana out to catch snowflakes on her tongue for the first time. I located a my will to live in a Starbucks with a Venti coconut milk latte.
 

Rolling in the snow in a minivan

We stuffed all of us and our luggage into a very sweet minivan. I mean heated seats and doors that close with a button. I die.

Then this happened. Times two kids. We dropped Mom & Peter at the curb of my aunts house and drove around beautiful St. Paul covered in the big, fat snowflakes. I crawled into the trunk to get my breast pump and pumped in back seat. The things I do for these kids. We finally woke up the kids and arrived at my aunt's beautiful 3 story Victorian home. I absolutely love this house. And so does Bee, especially the stairs, 3 glorious flights of stairs. A toddlers dream to get to choose a set. The stairs provided some challenges for me. I went up and down them on my butt or crab crawled up them. James had the task of walking up the stairs all the dang time. The baby is crying in the closet that we're calling his bedroom. Two stories above you. Please go beg him to go the f to sleep. We need a diaper/paci/shoe/princess/bottle/l2packofbeer- can you go get it? All the way up and all the way down. He now has buns of steel.

 Fox had the privilege of meeting his great grandparents and great aunt and uncle on my Dad's side on this trip as well. He looks a lot like my Dad so it was so special to get to have lunch with them to introduce the next generation.

The Tiny Fox & The Silver Fox

This was the best picture we got as we breezed into the Bar Mitzvah and left in a pile of screaming not 15 minutes later. That's how we roll y'all.

There was a playground right outside the lodge where we got to meet up with Bee's cousins and play, play, play. I rolled right down that hill and settled into a corner of those wood chips to observe and talk with my bestie cousin Megan. Leave the children to the menfolk. I need my cousin.

 Much better received was the Bar Mitzvah party. Bee was in heaven with the lights and the music and the dancing. So much dancing. We opted to leave Fox behind with a sitter to actually get to spend some time at the party.

The lights were amazing.

I ate my weight in sweets and have been bloated ever since. It's just so good. I could live for days in Bread & Chocolate alone. Then move on to Diamico's the next. If I've wandered off you can find me on Grand Avenue.

Mason & Fox

Then on Sunday we got to just spend some time with the Krelitz family. Decompressing from the events and hanging out. Eating leftover party food, watching princess movies and chatting.

Bee picked out her outfit today

Then entirely too fast it was time to go home. Pack up all 18 thousand items that we could not leave at home. Time to get on the plane again. The ride home was worse than the ride up. Fox cried a bit and didn't want to go to sleep. James nearly died in the attempt to get him to sleep. Bee was crawl out the window needy. I just chugged caffeine and stress ate chocolate.

This is a false sense of the actual trial of pain.

But we got there and we got off the plane and we got home. It was lovely, so lovely to see family that we get to see not enough. The children required my presence in the back seat the entire way home. There was crying, there was neediness and dramatics.

My trusty pack mules

We are counting on seeing everyone again soon and maybe my baby won't get up 4-5 times a night so that I might not look like I do drugs I'm so tired. I will be serene and showered and walking and not stress eating.