Arizona Christmas: The Flight

Our much-anticipated trip to Arizona started on December 7th when a friend picked up the kids and me and drove us to the airport. I had a total of 5 suitcases along with a ton of carry-on luggage, so I knew driving myself would prove to be very difficult. How would I get all my bags checked-in?! Then my mom told me about a little thing called Sky Cap. We were able to have my friend drop us off on the curb, where Sky Cap checked me in and checked all of my luggage on. By the time I actually walked inside the airport, it was just me and the boys with our carry-ons. 

Leading up to the trip I felt it increasingly necessary to purchase a double stroller. I am so glad I did that. This thing saved us! Look at all it carried!

I had some excited boys on my hands to get on the airplane and see their Grandma and Papa.

We got to the airport way too early, so we found the kids play area and spent some time there. It was sponsored by the Please Touch Museum and it was actually really cool!

I came across so many nice, sympathetic people at the airport. It was also our first time flying Southwest, so it was kind of nice (and weird) being able to pick our own seats! In retrospect, I didn't pick the best of flights. The first leg of our trip was only an hour flight from Philly to Raleigh/Durham. It kind of got the boys all excited and then restless once we hopped on the plane from Raleigh/Durham to Las Vegas. But the first flight actually went really well! I had some very kind people sitting next to me. It was amazing to see the amount of pity and sympathy in most people's eyes when they saw that I was alone with these two crazies... ;) And I mean that in the most loving way!

Our layover in Raleigh wasn't bad. We had lunch and then pretty much re-boarded. The next flight was a whopping 5 hour flight in the middle of the day. The boys were grouchy, hungry, and tired... but I still think they did really well! It helped that I broke out the technology.

I didn't get to do much besides sit and try and entertain the kids. But I wasn't expecting much more than that. We had a good time together, for the most part.

Apart from the angry old man who was sitting in front of Aaron, we had a great flight. It was hard, don't get me wrong... but I couldn't have expected or wished for any better behavior from my kids. Aaron never fell asleep, but Matthew did. I had to snap a picture of this sweet moment when Matthew was holding my hand. Iron Man was his pillow, it was dark, and he was exhausted. He held my hand and then fell asleep. It's moments like this one that I will keep in my heart forever!

It was great flying into Las Vegas. Oh, how I miss the lights of that city. I love Vegas. I miss it so very much!

My parents were waiting for us at the baggage claim when we arrived and helped us get our things to the car. My kids were ecstatic, I was exhausted, and my parents were so happy to see the 3 of us. It was quite an adventure for us, but we made it!

On a side note... I forgot to mention why Chris wasn't with us. After much deliberation, I decided to take the kids the weekend before finals so that 1) Chris could have some quiet time in the apartment by himself to study and not worry about us; 2) I wouldn't have to be around the stress that finals brings; 3) I had finals myself and knew that if I was here in Philly, I would be 100% on my own with the boys. If I were in Kingman, I would be able to have some help! So the decision was made and we left early. Chris joined us 8 days later. :) And don't worry, I left lots of little notes around the house to make sure Chris knew he was loved. While I was gone he had a special card and a gift to open each day. I made sure there was a dinner menu and some of the meals were made ahead of time. He can absolutely take care of himself, but I wanted him to have pieces of us at home throughout the week. I think he was pretty happy about that.