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.
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Chicago Trip - Going Home!!!
By Saturday we've pretty much ran out of things to do. We went to visit the tiny Vietnam town on Friday and the kids were exhausted so we went home to let them rest. We had a small feast that night to try and finish up all the food that we bought over the week. Everyone was happy to go home the next day because we are pretty homesick.
Learning from experience on our airport trip here, Hieu reorganized the trip home. Instead of dragging all of our luggage and the kids to the car rental place, then load the entire luggage and the kids on a bus to go to the airport. Hieu decided that they'll drop us and the kids off at the airport first and then go return the car. We headed out to the airport 4 hours earlier than our flight. Hieu and my brother-in-law dropped us and the kids off at check-in. They both then made 2 trips back to the car for our luggage while we wait. After they got the entire luggage then we all checked-in and went through security. They took us to the gate where there is a play area and went to return the car.
We thought 4 hours was plenty of time to go check-in but it was barely enough. We were feeding the kids breakfast when Hieu and my brother-in-law came back from returning the car. It was then almost time to board so a round of bathroom/diaper change then it's rushing time to board the plane. Amidst the rush, Hieu dropped his cell phone and lost it at the airport. We got on the plane and Ky-An fell asleep but Ai-Vy fussed a little before she would. They slept almost the entire ride back, which is a great thing but really bad for our arms.
Overall we survived the trip and the kids had a great time with their cousins. However, they were so excited when they got home and see all their toys that they skipped their nap. What's one more day right?!!
Here are some pictures of our rental home:
This is the courtyard that the balcony overlooked:
There were 3 floors to this house and the stairs were steep! Keeping Ai-Vy from crawling up or down the stairs was a pain all week. This is the main floor:
The kitchen:
The breakfast nook:
The patio:
Learning from experience on our airport trip here, Hieu reorganized the trip home. Instead of dragging all of our luggage and the kids to the car rental place, then load the entire luggage and the kids on a bus to go to the airport. Hieu decided that they'll drop us and the kids off at the airport first and then go return the car. We headed out to the airport 4 hours earlier than our flight. Hieu and my brother-in-law dropped us and the kids off at check-in. They both then made 2 trips back to the car for our luggage while we wait. After they got the entire luggage then we all checked-in and went through security. They took us to the gate where there is a play area and went to return the car.
We thought 4 hours was plenty of time to go check-in but it was barely enough. We were feeding the kids breakfast when Hieu and my brother-in-law came back from returning the car. It was then almost time to board so a round of bathroom/diaper change then it's rushing time to board the plane. Amidst the rush, Hieu dropped his cell phone and lost it at the airport. We got on the plane and Ky-An fell asleep but Ai-Vy fussed a little before she would. They slept almost the entire ride back, which is a great thing but really bad for our arms.
Overall we survived the trip and the kids had a great time with their cousins. However, they were so excited when they got home and see all their toys that they skipped their nap. What's one more day right?!!
Here are some pictures of our rental home:
This is the courtyard that the balcony overlooked:
There were 3 floors to this house and the stairs were steep! Keeping Ai-Vy from crawling up or down the stairs was a pain all week. This is the main floor:
The kitchen:
The breakfast nook:
The patio:
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Chicago Trip - Thursday - Millenium Park & Grant Park
Look how tired Ai-Vy is:
Super dad:
They are so cute:
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Chicago Trip - Wednesday - Children's Museum & Navy's Pier
He's in heaven here, being able to ride Thomas the Train:
Enjoying his ice cream cone:
Ky-An looks like he's about to fall asleep:
Don't you just love her matching socks?
My little daredevil:
Going to the park with dad while big brother napped:
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Chicago Trip - Tuesday - Aquarium
eeding the kids breakfast before I head out to my training class:
Hieu gets some help with the kids today:
Poor thing..so tired. She can't keep up with the older kids.
Snug as a bug:
My little sister bought him a little salamender:
Look at those bags under my niece's eyes!
Crawling around on the dirty floor at our rental house:
Hieu gets some help with the kids today:
Poor thing..so tired. She can't keep up with the older kids.
Snug as a bug:
My little sister bought him a little salamender:
Look at those bags under my niece's eyes!
Crawling around on the dirty floor at our rental house:
Monday, August 25, 2008
Chicago Trip - Monday - Lincoln Park Zoo
Monday is the start of my training. I woke up and feed them breakfast and helped Hieu get them ready. They all get in the car and dropped me off with daddy. Ky-An wanted me to stay with him today and cried when I got out of the car..it was so sad. :( My only comfort is knowing he'll have a blast with his cousins and his dad for the day and I was right.
Supper dad:
Someone is looking a little tired:
I think she liked her lunch:
His favorite..FISH!
Squatting Asian-style!
Miss Ai-Vy trying to blow at dad:
Eating a snack before bed:
Supper dad:
Someone is looking a little tired:
I think she liked her lunch:
His favorite..FISH!
Squatting Asian-style!
Miss Ai-Vy trying to blow at dad:
Eating a snack before bed:
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Out-of-State Training trip
I am in charge of the web content management system at work and we've switched to a new one since the beginning of this year. I came back from my maternity leave in January and was suppose to go to the training soon afterward so I am knowledgeable in maintaining this software.
I've been dreading it and my boss has been super understanding and let me decide on when I want to go. We both know that I need to go soon but she is so great at not pushing me because she understands how hard it is for me to go out-of-state with two young ones. If they are more independent then it wouldn't have been a problem but can't even put Ai-Vy down to sleep. In addition, Ky-An cries every night if he wakes up and I am not there.
I've been debating on what to do with this training and weighed all my options. We tried to ask our babysitter to come along but she can't. We tried to ask to ask her daughter to come along to help but she has school. Then Hieu thought maybe he can stay home with the kids and her daughter can come over to help him in the evening. I thought about this for a couple of days but soon realize it's not going to work because Hieu can't hear neither of the kids when they wake up at night. He is not going to make it if both kids wake up crying at the same time.
I even contacted the training center to see if I can just get the training book or if they have in-state training. It's a no on both so I am back on square one.
My little sister had a little break this summer before starting her new job so I decide it would be the best time. Hieu is still uncertain of taking the kids to Chicago for a whole week. I talked it over with my boss to see what she thinks and she pushed me to go ahead. She told me she did the same thing when her kids are young so there's no going back. Amazingly I found out that we've accumulated enough miles over the years for 5 round-trip tickets to Chicago! I persuaded my oldest sister and her family to come along and hang out with Hieu and the kids. Fortunately they agreed when I offered to paid for 2 of their tickets with my free miles. Then my sister's friend also wants to come so I got tickets for everyone.
Everything is going into place and I can't be happier. I finally get this training over with, Hieu will have some help with the kids, and the kids get to hang out with their cousins and have lots of fun. We rented a townhouse for the week because I wanted the kids to be as comfortable as they can when we are away from home. I don't think they will last in a cramped hotel where one can't make any noise as the other one naps. We have lots of things to pack and get ready for the trip but I am excited. I think Ky-An will have so much fun riding on "Big Jet" and visiting a new city.
I've been dreading it and my boss has been super understanding and let me decide on when I want to go. We both know that I need to go soon but she is so great at not pushing me because she understands how hard it is for me to go out-of-state with two young ones. If they are more independent then it wouldn't have been a problem but can't even put Ai-Vy down to sleep. In addition, Ky-An cries every night if he wakes up and I am not there.
I've been debating on what to do with this training and weighed all my options. We tried to ask our babysitter to come along but she can't. We tried to ask to ask her daughter to come along to help but she has school. Then Hieu thought maybe he can stay home with the kids and her daughter can come over to help him in the evening. I thought about this for a couple of days but soon realize it's not going to work because Hieu can't hear neither of the kids when they wake up at night. He is not going to make it if both kids wake up crying at the same time.
I even contacted the training center to see if I can just get the training book or if they have in-state training. It's a no on both so I am back on square one.
My little sister had a little break this summer before starting her new job so I decide it would be the best time. Hieu is still uncertain of taking the kids to Chicago for a whole week. I talked it over with my boss to see what she thinks and she pushed me to go ahead. She told me she did the same thing when her kids are young so there's no going back. Amazingly I found out that we've accumulated enough miles over the years for 5 round-trip tickets to Chicago! I persuaded my oldest sister and her family to come along and hang out with Hieu and the kids. Fortunately they agreed when I offered to paid for 2 of their tickets with my free miles. Then my sister's friend also wants to come so I got tickets for everyone.
Everything is going into place and I can't be happier. I finally get this training over with, Hieu will have some help with the kids, and the kids get to hang out with their cousins and have lots of fun. We rented a townhouse for the week because I wanted the kids to be as comfortable as they can when we are away from home. I don't think they will last in a cramped hotel where one can't make any noise as the other one naps. We have lots of things to pack and get ready for the trip but I am excited. I think Ky-An will have so much fun riding on "Big Jet" and visiting a new city.
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