Give Me A Ticket For An Aeroplane

Ain't got time to take a fast train.

Although I think a fast train might have gotten us home a little sooner on Tuesday.

Here's the recap of our travel day. Bullet point style but without the bullets.

5 AM wake up
Sick mommy
Rush to airport
Final boarding call for ______(insert our last name here)
Scramble to get two kids and two adults and stuff through security
Yes, toddler must take off shoes to go through security
Aaaaargh
Row 19
Very back of the plane
Taxi to runway
Sit for twenty minutes
Huge thunderstorm in Houston (our connecting city)
Hasn't rained in Houston for months
IAH closes down for over an hour
Wait in plane for hour
Begins to rain
Toddler starts singing, "Rain, rain go away come again another day"
Repeats 50 times to the delight of all passengers I'm sure
Sick 5 year old child
Crying child
Sick child needs to p00p
Sick child doesn't want to go in airplane bathroom
Sick child and Dad have conversation in airplane bathroom that the entire plane can hear
No success
Man from row 3 comes to use bathroom
Walks out and tells sick child, "I don't blame you -- that bathroom is pretty gross"
More delays in Houston
Deplane
More waiting in tiny terminal
Everyone comments on how cute toddler is
Sick child is now running fever and crying
Complaining that his head hurts
Toddler starts crying too because he is tired of waiting and snacks are all eaten
Not so cute now
Kind lady offers aspirin
Not sure if it is chewable kind
Sick child chews aspirin
Says loudly, "I think I am going to throw up"
100 people shift uncomfortably in their seats in tiny waiting area
Mommy searches for nearest trashcan
While shoving pretzels in child's mouth to remove icky taste
No throw up
Kind woman comes over and puts hand on sick child and prays for him
Some might be offended
I was thankful for her faith and boldness
Child falls asleep in one of those pay-for-massage recliners
Reboard plane
Short flight to IAH
Both kids sleep for the 30 minute flight
Dad checks status of our flight on his Blackberry
Our original flight home is "now taxi-ing down runway"
Oops
Utter chaos because everyone's flights are messed up from earlier storm delays
Stressed travelers
Wait in line
Plane leaving for our hometown with a few open seats
Yay!
Final boarding NOW
Uh-oh
No time to get lunch for hungry toddler
Must run through terminal
With two children
Did I mention one was sick?
Thank the Lord Daddy was with us
Barely make it on plane
Who knows what will happen to our checked luggage
Praise God for "snack" lunch of tiny sandwich, carrots and M&Ms
Sick child finds $20 bill in between seats
No telling whose it is or how long it had been there
Toddler is entertained by DVD movies and M&Ms
Toddler does not nap
Sick mommy gets nap
Land at 4 pm
Originally supposed to land at 11:58 am
Toddler starts crying when strapped in stroller
He is done for the day
People stare at screaming toddler
Baggage claim
Miraculously our checked bags are there
Shuttle bus to parking
Toddler still crying
Cries the entire 40 minute ride home
Sick mommy doesn't know what to do
Sick child and toddler in bed by 7 pm
Sick mommy soon follows
Still have sick child
But both slept until 7am on Wednesday
And both took almost 4 hour naps

But our trip was still totally worth every hassle of the return trip home. We had such a great time with my family.