Our CA adventure - Part One

Taking three small children to So Cal for 9 days and living to tell about it is quite an accomplishment. I know, because I just survived it.

The first step is - the flight.

This step is a doozy. Three kids = three carseats, a double stroller, 6 carry-ons (Nathan's bag, Aria's bag, the diaper bag, the food bag, the camera bag and the laptop bag), 2 stuffed animals, 2 blankets, a Mei Tai (baby carrier) and a kid leash. We had to get all of that through security. Fortunately, we weren't "randomly" selected for a more thorough search. We just had to do the regular thing. You know, empty all your pockets, remove your shoes and belts, take the video camera and laptop out of their bags, put everything (including the double stroller) on a conveyor belt, then go through the metal detector one at a time. Half an hour later (and only short one keychain pocket knife), we were at the gate.

By this point, Aria was hysterical. It took some convincing (and dragging) to get her on the plane, but we did it. Nathan didn't care what was going on because he had his gameboy, and Gabe was just going with the flow.

I gave them their "airplane suckers" to keep their ears from plugging up and we took off. Aria was okay by this point and even having fun. She said "it's not so bad!" Then we landed, took off, landed, took off and landed again. (Same plane, 3 stops). The suckers and snacks kept their mouths busy, and Dave's laptop kept them entertained.

As we landed Dave asked Aria if her ears had popped. She responded by touching her ear and saying "nope. They're still there."

We arrived and started the juggling act again, only this time it was in and out of a shuttle, then into a rental, then to the hotel. (remember all that stuff? Yeah, it took forever)

But we made it and then the fun began!