Making Monday Memories part 1

This "Monday Memory" is a little bit different than the rest. It is all about making Monday memories with your family and sharing in their adventures and helping out.

First of all last week Doug and Mac left for New Jersey and a new chapter in their little families life. Doug drove the "Penske" moving van and Mac drove their family van. They left on Sunday and arrived at their destination late Tuesday night [Utah time] , or early Wednesday morning [New Jersey time] depending on how you look at it. It was loooooong drive, but I think there was some bonding going on there. Doug enjoyed it and kept awake by eating unshelled sun flower seeds.....a little trick he taught Mac. I am sure there was a good share of Coke thrown in as well. They had relatively few problems and said that Pennsylvania was the most beautiful state, Nebraska was the longest, the gas got cheaper as they went east and the roads in New Jersey were the WORST! They unloaded on Wednesday with the help of their new Bishop and son. Did I mention that their apartment is on the 3rd floor. By the time Priscila and I got there on Thursday, they were so beat, and sore, and tired!!

Now, before you read the following account take into consideration that this family [Mac and Priscilas] have been thru so much lately with Mac trying to finish up his Masters at BYU. Lili, John, and Samuel have been moved out of their home, into grandmas where they are sleeping in different beds, then back to Provo where they stay in different beds [or on the floor] at their cousins, then back to Eden for yet another night, and then dragged out of their beds at the crack of dawn and taken to an airplane where for 4 and 1/2 hours they are expected to behave like adults and then again sleep in a new environment the next night. All and all, they did pretty good. Better than Grandma I think

Dum da dum dum........
This is where Priscila's and my adventure started. Unless you are deceived by the pictures, this was not an easy trip in the sky......it was a trip....that is for sure. The first time I knew we were in trouble was when we tried to get, Lili, John, Samuel, two car seats two suit cases, two diaper bags, another carry on and purses on just the "shuttle" from "Park & Jet". We got the kids on and then went to get the luggage, and then Lili would try and get off the shuttle, and then we would get her back on and John would try and get off. Remember we had 3 kids 3 and under.

Next challenge: Checking in. Priscila got a baggage cart while I stayed with the kids on the curb. Lili wandered off, but I could not leave John, Lili came back, then John took off. We managed to get both the car seats and Priscila's luggage on the cart, I had Samuel in a front back and wheeled my luggage in. We tried to check in at the kiosk but there was a problem with my seat so we had to drag the kids with us to take care of it. In the mean time John almost went out the door and Lili was hanging on one of the poles that separate the lines. We got John back and then Lili wandered off. Not wanting to leave the luggage, I actually debated on which to save! We finally got our tickets, but there was one little problem.......Priscila's suit case weighed too much. So where were we going to put the stuff? They had already checked my baggage so there was not choice.....we put it in Lili's back back. Now off to the security with the car seats in tow.

Security went pretty good, just had to maneuver shoes off, shoes on, Bags in bags out. Priscila and I have a new appreciation for Carly when she travel with Farrah.

The plane: Priscila figured that she would take John's car seat even though Lili was the ticketed passenger. She knew it would be a nightmare if John did not have a place to sit. But they said the flight was full so they would not let us take Lili's car seat so we had to tag it. I was sitting with Samuel about 6 rows back from Priscila since they bumped me from my original spot. As I went up the isle, Sam was screaming.... I just looked at this guy and said, "Look at it this way, the good news is we aren't sitting by you". He said, Oh there is nothing sweeter than a little baby's cry. [I wonder if he felt that way 4 and a half hours later!] We found our seats and there ended up being an empty seat beside me and they moved some guy so that Priscila could have an empty seat beside her as well. The stewardess shuttled the baby and Lili back and forth between Priscila and me the whole flight. The lady sitting on the isle was a first grade teacher, and very understanding. Even when Lili would slide down in her seat and have the belt hanging around her neck and refuse to get up. I brought lots of things to entertain the kids, but four hours is a long time. So As you look at the slides, don't be deceived, it was a lot of work!!!!! Priscila had the camera and took these photo's. They look really sweet but if I would have had the camera, you would have seen Lili jumping on the seat, looking over the back of the seat, etc. etc. and Sam crying for his mommy to feed him hence...enter stewardess to transport Sam for Lili. You get the picture. Here was the topper, we waited until everyone else was off the plane to get off and Lili had finally fallen asleep and she peed all over the seat in the air plane! [Something she never has done]. Oh my....Priscila is a saint, she cleaned it up and changed Lili's clothes. On the bright side......I did not have time to be afraid of flying. Except for the landing, it did not bother me at all.

Honestly, everyone on the plane was so understanding. The stewardess's, the people sitting by us, the Delta people in Salt lake City......but DON'T EXPECT ANY HELP FROM THE DELTA WORKERS IN NEWARK NEW JERSEY!!!!!! Honestly it was a nightmare. When we got off the plane, we thought there would be a cart that we could grab and put our stuff on....NOT!!!! We asked the people at the counter if we could use an empty wheelchair that was there, but they said they "could not be responsible for what would happen to the chair". What about us humans with those 3 little kids? So I was so mad, I had Sam, and my bag and one of Priscila's bags and I literally had to drag Lili's car seat through the terminal. Not one person who was sitting there, and the place was full, offered to help. Finally, it was another mom, who saw our dilemma, who took Priscila's car seat on her stroller, with her baby in a front pack and took us as far as the TSA counter, where by the way, they were not helpful either. Priscila had John and Lili in tow and when we saw Doug and Mac, Priscila was so mad and in tears, and I was just MAD!!!! Don't make Grandma MAD!!

I just have to add here how amazing that Priscila is. She is such a good mom and can handle the three little ones in stride. Three cheers for Priscila, she deserves a shout out!!!! Priscila has been taking care of the kids without any help from Mac for pretty much the last six weeks while Mac has been writing his thesis. I love her and appreciate her support of Mac. My life has been greatly enriched by having Priscila in it. Thanks Priscila for all you do and for your love and friendship. Thanks for loving Mac and for loving all of us.