It Was The Best Of Times, It Was The Worst Of Times

excited to fly to Utah

If I'm being honest, I must admit to you that I take great pride in how well my boys travel.  After our many flights to and from Japan I was forced to figure the whole travel thing out.  I'm not sure why it matters to me so much.  I guess because I hate flying with or without kids so I need everything to go smoothly so I can get off the plane as if the whole experience was a walk in the park. 
Well, our flight out to Utah was NOT a walk in the park.  It's my fault and I have been painfully stripped of my pride.   I blame it on my lack of preparation.  Since Randy was flying with me and we were only flying across the country, not an ocean, I figured the trip was a no-brainer.   I was wrong.  Parker threw toys up and over seats like a blender with the lid off, Landon kicked seats and threw a temper tantrum and refused to hold still long enough to sleep until the wheels touched down on the runway {we landed at 1am Eastern Time), and I was too embarrassed to look the surrounding passengers in the eye as we walked off the plane.  I knew they were glaring at me and wondering why children were allowed on airplanes.  Afterwards people asked me how the flight went I practically yelled at them, "It was horrible!  Absolutely awful and I am terrified of what will happen when I fly back by myself!"
That was the worst.
I am happy to report our flight back went smoothly.  I borrowed my in-laws DVD player, pulled out my trusty travel-size Kleenex package to help the headphones fit, and sat back and read a book for a few minutes while Elmo entertained the little boys.  Marcus helped Landon every time he needed to go to the bathroom, Ethan carried more than his share of bags without complaint, and Parker only threw one toy over the seat.  The flight attendant told me I was a genius when she saw Parker with his headphones on, the people on our rows slept undisturbed while my boys played quietly next to them, and instead of rude glares from fellow passengers, I got compliments and questions as to how my boys were such good travelers.
And now my pride has been restored.  I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

Stay tuned for pics from the trip.  It was a ton of fun and way too short.

Bean talking on his fake dollar store cell phone

Enjoying in-flight entertainment