The kids woke up late today and our flight was at 9:30 in the morning. We had to quickly get them dressed, pack up their blankets, and get them into the car. Ai-Vy was a little sick so she woke up extremely cranky and refused to cooperate. She threw a tantrum while I was changing her and cried hysterically when I put her in her car seat. She wouldn't sit on it so I can belt her in and there's nothing I can do but use my size and belt her in her seat then try to calm her down with promises of doughnuts and kolache.
I ran in and got them 2 kolaches and it was quiet on the way to the airport. Hieu and I were stressed because Ai-Vy's tantrum set us back 30 minutes and we will barely have enough time to check in and make it to the gate.
We finally got to the airport with 30 minutes to check-in and get to the gate. To avoid the tantrums from our Chicago trip, I told them before we parked that they were to stay in the car and wait for mommy and daddy to get them. They nodded that they understood and Hieu & I launched into action. We used curbside check-in to speed things up and not having to lug the entire luggage in the line. After that is done, Hieu went to park the cars while I get both kids and a stroller to the gate.
We learned from our Chicago trip and not pack any milk due to the painful process at the security line. I managed to get all our shoes off and we walked past the metal detector without a hitch. We got both of them their little carry-on luggage and Miss Ai-Vy would not sit in the stroller but rather walk by herself pulling her luggage. Cute as she was doing it, we were the last one on the airplane.
I also learned from the Chicago trip to not try and get us all to sit in one row. It was hard to manage both kids while Hieu is helpless across the aisle by himself. This time I assigned for us to sit 2x2 in front of each other. This worked out better than I thought because Ai-Vy can play with the tray and kick the chair without me having to worry that she bothers anyone.
The plan was to not pack milk and just get it once we were inside the gate; unfortunately since we were in such a rush to catch the plane, that didn't happen. Miss Ai-Vy was still cranky and screamed for her milk. I had to ring and ask the stewardess for some before we take off. She drifted off to sleep for a while and I got some peace. She was laying on the chair sleeping so peacefully that I really didn't want to disturb her as the plane was descending. The flight attendant came by and scolded me for not sitting her up and put her belt on.
When we landed in San Francisco, it's about lunch time. We had to ride the train for a while before we got to where the car rental place was. I was hoping for a restaurant in the airport so I can get them some food but did not see anything on the way. Fortunately I packed them lots of snacks and they had goldfishes for lunch. Hieu left the entire luggage and the kids with me while he went to get our car. It was a long hour as I try to entertain the kids and keep them safe in the parking lot.
The plan was to get the car, drop the kids and me off so we can rest and Hieu go back to the airport to pick up his mom. His mom was flying in from Kansas and landed 2 hours after us. Of course nothing would go according to plan because not only was the rental car process taken so long, we hit some traffic on the way to the rental house. His poor mom has to wait over an hour before she gets picked up.
The rental house was nice but there was only one bedroom and one bathroom. (We somehow survived the week with that. I guess my kids are tougher than I thought.) I had the foresight to pack some processed food so I made the kids macaroni and cheese to eat. I felt a little better after they've eaten and seem happier.
We started noticing how big a 2-hour time difference impact our young kids. By the time his mom got to the rental house, it's almost 4 p.m. That would make it 6 p.m. our time and the kid's dinner time. The kicker is that no restaurant around there is open for dinner until 6 p.m. That's just crazy!!!
I determined for the kids to have a good dinner because they haven't eat well all day. We went to a little diner in Mill Valley for okay meal. We still had to stop by the grocery store to get milk and some grocery so off we went after dinner. Poor kids were exhausted and fell asleep on the way home. That's how our first long day in San Francisco ended.
No comments:
Post a Comment