Leaving Grandma Petersen's did not mean the end of our summer fun. Tyler had already returned to Gainesville when Noah, Naomi, Abram and I boarded our plane bound for Baltimore, Maryland. We were on our way to spend a few weeks with my family touring Washington D.C., visiting grandparnets, and traveling to upstate New York.
Our adventure began at the airport. We were quite a specticle, the kids and I. The show began with our bright blue wagon. It's quite a nifty little thing. It's made of canvas and has a folding frame so that it fits very nicely in your trunk. Here's a picture of it. The top detaches.
I had the wagon, but instead of towing children, I was towing car seats. Two of them. One BIG and one smaller booster. The big one filled up almost the entire wagon. On top the car seats I had bags. Three of them to be exact. My jumbo purse. A tote bag filled with snacks, my scriptures, kids jackets, etc.. and Noah's backpack- filled with kid friendly activities for he and Naomi to do on the plane. In addition to pulling the wagon, I also had Abram strapped to the front of me in one of those child carriers that is combination of an octopus and a strait jacket with straps going up and around, getting buckled here and there. Next in the enterage was Naomi. She was wearing her Abby dog backpack complete with long furry tail (AKA- leash) which Noah was in charge of hanging onto. Noah, being a very dutiful brother was constantly coaxing her along or chasing behind her with me calling out for her to slow down. Walking down the terminal it was as if the The Petersen Family Circus was in town. Everywhere we went people stopped and stared. Grins spread across the faces of all the old timers as memories of travels with their own children came to mind. Other parents with young children observed with obvious expressions of sympathy. Some offered words of encouragement. Still others looked on with annoyance. I'm sure I reaffirmed to a few individuals their decision to never have children.
It got worse once we boarded the plane. I had to leave the wagon at the door to be gate checked. This resulted in me carrying two car seats, a baby and two bags down the narrow airplane walkway. As soon as I came into view ll of the passenger's eyes widened in amazement as they leaned away from the isle to avoid being hit as I scooted along. Luckily, waiting for us three quarters of the way back was Grandma Abby (Grandma's Artinger) and Uncle Isaac! They had boarded the plane in Reno and were ready and waiting for us to join them on the last leg of their flight! There were a few minutes of craziness as we buckled in car seats and children, stowed our bags overhead and underneath the seats in front of us. But before long, we were ready for take off!
Noah was very excited to sit next to Uncle Isaac!
Grandma Abby brought presents for Noah and Naomi.
Flying on the plane to Utah and then to Baltimore were Abrams first big trips in the air. He was a pro!
It was a long plane trip. Caravaning through the airpot was exausting! So I did what every young mother does when they have their mommy around. I handed her Abram, gave her charge of the children, and took a nap!
