First Day in Utah!!! (and our airplane ride)

Our first day in Utah was Russ's ACTUAL birthday (we had celebrated early) and luckily for him, Grandma  made him a CAR cake and gave him bubbles! He was SO HAPPY! Also, Bridget handed down this I'm Three shirt and he kept pointing to it all day long!

Cutest cake ever! Thank you Grandma!

First morning in Utah. It was FREEZING, but oh so beautiful!

Dad was trying to win her over, because she was a little unsure about him. Sweetest ever.

My baby on a baby.

This photo is from when our trip was still going well.

 So we drove to Miami, got some McD's, then Sterling parked and helped us check our luggage and walked us to the check-in. That was a rough goodbye. Because the airport was so empty, even though we struggled, we made it through security alive and intact. Then we had some time to kill but the kids were so excited it was going okay. I saved a bottle of milk for the airplane ride to give to Grace. She took it when we were taking off (I was hoping it would help her ears) but she didn't fall asleep and thus commenced what felt like sacrament meeting for the next four hours. I had bought this silly putty in four little eggs for like 25 cents after easter on a whim and saved it. It was a lifesaver, truly. Russ was SOO happy with it. But he kept dropping it, etc, and I spent all my time playing clapping songs with Gracie and picking up toys for Russ and trying to keep them all happy and then towards the end, running each of my kids separately to the bathroom and just a LOT of effort to keep everyone from being noisy, putting up and down the tray forever on end and driving everyone in the plane crazy, and all the things like that. Then we got to Denver and had a three hour layover. 

At first, that was spectacular, Russ ran and ran and ran around and the airport was so empty I just let him. We all got pizza and the kids ate a ton and seemed really content. They ran backwards on the walking machine thingy's and got out a ton of energy and nobody seemed to mind because it was so empty---one person did caution me against my kids sitting on them because of fingers, but it was already stressing me out so I knew what the dangers were, it's just that there was really no alternatives?

Their tablets were supposedly charging during that time so when we got on the plane to SLC....they were dead and that was really sad. We sat across from a nice lady who, when I strapped in my last child and finally sat down said "good job mama!" turns out she was traveling with her daughter and three grandkids and they were super impressed I had all five. Gracie had fallen asleep on my back in a carrier at the airport, and so I had to transfer her to her carseat for take-off. She never went back to sleep. The ride was super turbulent. And she screamed---ear splitting terrible, migraine causing shrieks the ENTIRE two hours. It was awful. I felt so bad for EVERYONE. I thought they would all hate me. But true to form, (I tell Sterling EVERYONE on the flights to SLC are ANGELS it's like all those Utah people just bring their best faces to their airplane and I just love them for it), they were still SO kind and SO helpful. During landing, which I had to keep her strapped in for, Grace screamed so hard she started choking and then started puking. Which I luckily caught all in a blanket. Then sat there holding it, in the dark, while we continued to land and she continued to scream. The minute the lights turned on the nice old lady across the aisle asked if she could help. I held up the blanket and said "Do you have bag for throw up?" I thought she looked stunned for half a second, but then she whipped into action, emptied an entire bag of diapers into the bag holding it, and handed me the empty diaper plastic bag. Which I put the blanket into. Then at least ten people offered to help--but really I just wanted everyone off the plane so I could pick up my misery in peace. But a man wouldn't take no for an answer, picked up a carseat, put all the kid backpacks inside it, picked up the other carseat, and headed out. I scrambled to grab my kids and follow, and he took us ALL THE WAY to luggage even though he didn't have any. Bless you forever.

So, we made it to Utah. It was MUCH better than three days of driving. But it was as crazy as everyone thought it would be when I said I was taking five kids alone. But then, Grace would have been like that had I had someone with me, so I guess traveling is just the worst. Getting to Utah? Totally worth it.