I’ve really been wanting to make a trip to Oklahoma to introduce the babies to my dad and step-mom, and we managed it! I decided the most realistic, actually possible way to do it was to try and fly there with just the babies, leaving Matt and the big three behind. To do this, I needed my mom’s help. :) She decided the best time would be the weekend after Labor day (planes tend to be a little emptier right after a holiday), so we planned to leave on Thursday.
If you’ve ever traveled anywhere with me ever, you know I’m an over-packer. If I think I might possibly need it in any version of the future, I pack it. :) I decided that traveling with two babies meant I needed to rethink that strategy. Since we were going to be staying at my sister’s house, I knew I could scale way back on things and just borrow from her as well as wash clothes if needed. So I managed to bring everything the boys and I needed in a big backpack and a tote.
Here’s what I looked like in action. Mom brought a suitcase to check so she’d have hands free to help me. I had Michael on my front, a backpack on my back, a tote on my arm, and I still had hands free to push Thomas or carry a car seat.
We made it in great time for our 7:23am flight on Thursday and got confirmed seats (four!), but there was a delay. We ended up leaving about 8:30. Michael needed a little nap before we boarded.
You can see Thomas chilling with Gran in the background:
He grabbed her pen, and we thought it looked like he was waving a magic wand. “Accio Cheerios!!”
On the plane Mom worked her magic and put Thomas right to sleep!
Michael and I hung out and ate snacks.
Kathryn and Tawna picked us up at the airport and took up back to their adorable house. I had to capture Kathryn vacuuming up for us.
I looooooved their floor plan – I wanted to steal it for myself. I couldn’t figure out how to make that work though.
Mom took us all out to lunch at one of our favorites, Red Lobster.
Terrible back-lit group selfie!
For dinner, Dad and Renee came over as well as some of Tawna’s family. It was lovely!
Here’s Popo with Michael:
The next day Thomas was up for the morning first, so he came out on the back porch with me. I got to drink my tea in one of Kathryn’s pig mugs. :)
Kathryn and Tawna had to work Friday night, so they stayed at their house to sleep most of the day. Mom took me over to Dad’s while she ran around with Kathryn’s car.
Popo and Michael again.
It looks a little like Thomas is beating Nana with a wooden spoon, but I don’t recall that actually being the case.
Sadly, this is the only shot I got of my dad holding Thomas. They were playing a cute tickling/laughing game.
The girls bought the babies these adorable OSU outfits to wear. Dad graduated from there and is a fan. It was pretty cute. :)
We mostly hung out and tried to keep the babies from getting into tooooo much. Dad made a super delicious seafood soup for dinner. It was so so so good.
Then it was time to go before the babies really turned on us.
The boys sure loved meeting their Nana and Popo!!
The drive back to Kathryn’s was just beautiful. The land just goes and goes, and the sky was filled with gorgeous clouds and rays of light.
And then we saw a double rainbow! The second one is to the left of the bright one. It’s very faint in the picture.
When we got back to the house Kathryn and Tawna were at work (They’re NICU nurses.), so we made ourselves at home, put the babies to bed, and did some laundry. It was nice.
Our flight on Saturday wasn’t until early afternoon, so we were able to have a leisurely morning and get to visit with the girls one more time.
We left about 11 and enjoyed a little Braum’s on the way. That is something I miss very much when I come back to Texas. :) My favorite thing is a chocolate heath mix. I may have had two while we were there.
We breezed right through to the gate and waited to board the flight. Well, I made three trips to the bathroom to change diapers. The babies had some snacks.
Again, my mother worked her magic and put Thomas to sleep on the flight.
And again, Michael and I hung out… awake. :)
He was pretty cheerful until the very end, but didn’t cry if I kept up a steady stream of Cheerios going for him.
Then it was just a matter of getting home and hugging all my big loves. I missed them sooooooooo much!!
It was a great trip. I looked forward to getting there on the way, and I looked forward to being at home on the way back. I’m pretty sure that means it was the perfect amount of time.
Thanks for the hospitality Okies!!
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