HOME

We made it.  The girls and I made it back to Nashville safe and sound.  So did dear old dad.  He arrived at the airport an hour after I did.  It was a long day.  I'll just lay out a couple of events from my day.

Scene 1
Dad (Poppy) made Aubrie "cowboy oatmeal" this morning for breakfast and hung out with her while I got ready and finished packing up our bags.  She also went outside and helped him feed Duke one last time before we left.  Mom gave her a dog biscuit and told her it was for Petey from her dog Lady and they stuck it in the diaper bag.  Mom snuck extra snacks and sandwiches in my bag and I didn't find them until the last hour of our trip.

Scene 2
The male flight attendant on my first flight got on me about how I was holding Emilie and we weren't even backed away from the gate yet.  He said I couldn't let her stand at all.  I was curious as to if he had any children.  My Emilie is a mover.  Not a bump on a log.  She's all over the place and any time the plane isn't doing something that requires me to hold her (like taxing, taking off, landing), I'm going to let her stand on my lap or on the seat and be as wild as she wants.

Scene 3
We land in Austin and I have 25 minutes to get to my next gate and I'm sitting in the back of the plane.  I talk Aubrie into running in the airport and it really sparked something inside of her because she just couldn't stop.  Poor thing.  She had some energy that needed to be released.  Luckily I got to the gate and they were only boarding the A group and there was a kiddie section right next to the gate with two kids her age.  So she started running circles around a kiddie table and the other two kids started following her and they were squealing and running.  Aubrie had a sweat worked up by the time I grabbed her and drug her down the tarmac to load the plane. 

Scene 4
We get on the plane in Austin and it is almost full and as I get halfway down the aisle, I realize that there will be no two seats together.  So I humor everyone and walk all the way to the back of the plane anyways where the flight attendant just looks at me.  I say, "excuse me, I need two seats together."  She looks at me and sighs and rolls her eyes and asks "did you family board?" 

My I-wish-I-can-talk-crazy-to-people-and-I've-about-had-enough-answer would have been "Nah, I thought I would be polite and let everyone board the plane before me so I can get on last and make people re-arrange their seats so I can have one with my children.  I tell you what.  How about I just go plop my two year old between two business men and have them watch her during the flight and we won't have to worry about me getting two seats.  Should I leave them with her diapers just in case???"

But instead I just answered yes and she sighed and got on the intercom and spoke softly and asked for somebody to volunteer to move so a mother and her two children can sit together.  Nobody heard her.  Then she said it a little louder and people turned to look at me, but nobody moved.  What happened?  Everyone spoke to Aubrie and flirted with Emilie as we walked down the aisle, but all of the sudden their kindness disappeared.  So then she got on the intercom one more time and said that if someone moved that their drinks were on her the entire flight.  So a man got up a moved.  Gee, thanks. 

Then SHE gets on me to turn my phone off and stands over me.  For some reason I couldn't do it fast enough so she walked back to the intercom and made a LOUD announcement that we all need to turn our phones off.  Then on her way back to the rear of the plane she stops to tell me my bags weren't far enough in front of me under the seat. 

Where were the sweet flight crews that I had on my way to TX? 

Scene 5
We made it back to Nashville and Adam meets us at the baggage claim just in time to change a dirty diaper and load the shuttle to go get our car.  Whew.

Scene 6
The dog biscuit.  I got it out to give to Aubrie so she could give it to Petey and she thought it was for her and started to climb in her booster seat to eat it.  I obviously didn't let her and she had a major melt down.  (No nap today)  So I gave her some cookies and she gave up the dog biscuit for Petey.

I do want to send a special shout out to the man who DID move and give us his seats, even though he did it for the free drinks.

Another special shout out goes to the man at the Burger King counter who gave me two kids meal toys for my girls to play with even though I didn't order a kids meal.  Bless you.

Shout out goes to the woman who left the bathroom before me and chased Aubrie down who peeled out of there and was headed over to the cupcake billboard screaming "OH CUPCAKES!!!" as I was still putting on my backpack and pushing Emilie in a stroller.  Bless you.

My final shout out goes to the flight attendant in the tarmac who was waiting to get on the plane in Nashville who said I was a wonderful mom and that my girls were beautiful.  Why couldn't YOU be my flight attendant?  Bless you, too.

Now we are all safe at home and have a busy couple of days ahead of us.  We came home to find a giant SOLD sign on our house!  YIPEE!  And we are moving out on the 23rd.  Lots to do.  Keep us in your thoughts.

One more side note.  I saw A LOT of soldiers coming home and meeting their loved ones and I saw a lot of soldiers leaving their loved ones during this trip and I am SO THANKFUL for their sacrifice and their familiy's sacrifices for our freedom and our beautiful country.  Thank you, thank you for all you do!!

Love to all!!! Pin It Now!