Leaving on a Jet Plane... to San Antonio, Texas

"Mommy, when are we going to get to the airport?"

"Mommy, can I sit next to Alynna?"

"Mommy, will Papi be there to pick us up?"

Mommy? Mommy. Mommy!

Three excited children is quite an ear full! The mommy questions continued all the way to the Long Beach Airport. Brad parked the car, helped us check in our two suitcases and two car seats, and he walked us all the way to security. He gave the four children a stern warning to be good listeners and big helps. Then they all received love-filled kisses. After Brad and I said our good-byes the five of us walked into the security line. As usual, when in certain venues like airports, or Chinatown, a lone mother of four children gets a lot of stares and a few smiles. I think there might have been a few smiles from people impressed at their good looks and lovely manners. The stars probably came from, "A mother flying alone with four children? I hope I'm not on their airplane!"

Security required a lot of multitasking as shoes, backpacks, jackets, and dirty stuffed animals went into bins. Nathan was convinced they needed him to stand there pushing the bins through the X-ray machines. Once proven not to be of any physical threat to the community shoes, backpacks, jackets, etc all went back on. Dirty stuffed animals were found and given to the rightful owners. There was making sure no possessions get left behind and I had to make sure no one was sitting in the middle of the aisle blocking hurried guests.

Nathan wanted to make sure to take a picture of Daddy so he wouldn't forget what his daddy looked like.

I have flown with all four children before. The flight was longer and a red-eye, which had it's own challenges, but this two and a half-hour flight to visit my parents in Texas was right after a full night's sleep. Totally a different feel! An active and inquisitive toddler with a very chatty six year old. I'm now sold on red-eyes.

Through Jet Blue's assigned seating I was only able to procure two seats together, then one seat behind those, and two more seats together behind that. I prayed for people willing to switch so we could all sit together, but the LORD is sovereign so I also prayed for grandmother-types to sit next to the lone children. Who knows, maybe one of these lovely grandmother types would volunteer to sit next to Simon and I could kick my feet up and take a nap! Well, one can dream, right?

Time to board.

That' when it got comical.

"Nathan, that's not our seat. Please keep walking. I'll let you know when to sit down. Nathan, what did I just say? That's not our seat either! ... Kaeley, you're going to sit with Alynna. ... Simon, that's not your bag, please stop touching that."

At one point I really did begin laughing at the absurdity of it all. I was trying to keep a two year old out of our neighbor's bag, throw toys to the girls two aisles back, buckle in little boys... I felt a little silly.

Nathan sat in the seat behind me. Before he left I looked him right in the eyes, held his chin in my hands, and explained people on airplanes do NOT want to have their ears talked off. "Don't talk too much!" I said. He answered with an obedient and understanding, "Yes, Ma'am!"

He then proceeded to introduce himself to the lovely young woman sitting beside him and explained why we were heading to Texas and what he had in his backpack. This lovely woman helped him with everything from TV buttons to letting him play Fruit Ninja on her iPad! She oohed and awed over his Lego set. When Nathan got to playing with the TV channel buttons she politely asked me if I wanted him watching the news feed on the Oklahoma tornado. I loved her and wanted to bring her home with me!

The girls sat near a young woman who helped set up TVs and open bags of chips.

So while I didn't get the answer to prayer in the form of little white-haired old women, I certainly had my prayers answered through caring young women.

About an hour into the flight the novelty was gone. That's when I began throwing toy after toy at Simon in hopes of finding something... anything... that would capture his attention. He would have been happy continually opening and closing the airplane window he was sitting next to, but I didn't think that would make neighbors very happy. Stupid window. That's seriously all he wanted to do.

He began to get incredibly hyper. In a moment of desperation I grabbed him, thrust him on my lap, and told him it was nap time. I wrapped him in my sweater around him and while I rocked him I prayed, "God, if something doesn't change this hour is going to be awful! Please do something! Either let him fall asleep or allow the hour to pass very quickly." Within five minutes Simon was sleeping. He didn't wake up until the doors of the plane opened.

The relief and thankfulness were palpable.

We said good-bye and thank you to the young women who were our answers to prayer.

The kids and I were all very happy to get off the plane. Shortly we saw Grannie and Papi waiting for us at the bottom of the escalator! The inexplicable feeling of being with your own mommy and daddy again.

Blame Blogger for mixing up my photos. I would try to fix it, but I've learned the hard way it's just not worth it as I accidentally delete other photos from the post. Here Brad is saying good-bye to his big girl while the little girl is photo bombing.