As the time got closer, my excitement to bring the kids turned into a high level of anxiety. Once we got down here, I knew things would be fine....but it was the thought of getting here that made my blood pressure rise.
My parents were driving, which made packing a lot easier. We sent our big suitcase and a lot of the kids's items with them. So as far as traveling on the airplane, we just had to bring the essentials. Lots of diapers, snacks, and new toys. We flew out of Sioux Falls at noon. We weren't able to get a direct flight, so we had a layover in Dallas before flying into Tampa.
We left Sioux Falls at noon on Christmas Eve. Getting through security with two kiddos who would have rather wandered away from the adults they were with, was a little hairy. Our first flight, which was just under 2 hours, we were on a VERY SMALL PLANE. We were squished in there tight!! We didn't even have room for our carry-ons under our feet. They had to be put up above, which was not the handiest! About half way through our flight, Kenley thought she had had enough. At which point she started screaming and screaming and screaming. There was absolutely nothing we could do to calm her. If you've heard Kenley when she's really mad, she has a cry that could deafen the deaf. And there was no stopping her. As Cody was attempting to stand with her in the aisle, the flight attendant came over with a little motorcycle that was left from the flight before us. This was the one thing that finally distracted her enough to stop the screaming. She then finally fell asleep from pure exhaustion. Kaden on the other hand, slept from shortly after we took off until we pulled up to the gate in Dallas.
We were very thankful for those around us, who calmed my "hysterical mom feeling" with a child who would not stop screaming, as they were very friendly and let us know that her screaming was just fine. I should add, that on Friday before we left, I brought both kids into the Doctor because they had nasty colds and had been very irritable. Kenley was diagnosed with double ear infection. This and flying was a bad mix!!
When we landed in Dallas we had a 2 1/2 hour layover. This was great to be able to let the kids down and run around, have some time to eat, change diapers, and just collect ourselves. The kids were wild! They loved running the halls and kept us on our toes!!
The second flight we had a bigger airplane and it was a huge relief. Again though, just under a two hour flight. We kept the kids distracted with some toys, food, and drinks. But once again, there came the dreaded point where Kenley lost it. I cannot even describe to you the screaming. At one point her and I were both crying. I couldn't handle it. There was nothing I could do for her. She wouldn't take anything I was offering her and was just throwing herself around in pure hysterics. I felt bad for her, I felt bad for me, I felt bad for Cody, I felt bad for everyone around us. It was awful. Out of the blue, she decided she would take her pacifier and she once again fell asleep in pure exhaustion. Boy were we glad when our flights were done!!
We arrived in Tampa about 8pm. Both kids were hungry and extremely crabby. We found a spot where we could change their diapers and I made a big bottle for both of them. Cody gathered two carseats and two strollers from baggage claim and we headed across the street to get our rental car. After 45 minutes, we finally got to the car and were on our way. We had a 1 1/2 hour drive to get to our final destination. The kids were asleep before we even left the parking garage and slept the entire way. We arrived at the house at 11pm where my parents and my sisters family were waiting for us.
We had a long day. We were ready to be done. But we sure were ready for some relaxation and Florida sun.
Let our vacation begin!!
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