· Samuel woke up and when we asked him where we were going today he said, “To Florida!”
· Our flight from Kalamazoo to Detroit was canceled and Delta re-booked us on a flight with the same departure time and earlier arrival time. Delta also re-booked our flight from Detroit to Orlando (even though that flight wasn’t canceled) to a much alter time, arriving in Orlando around 11pm. Daryl quickly called Delta and got us back on the earlier flight we were originally booked on, arriving in Orlando at 8:40pm!
· We left our house at 2pm and said good-bye to snow and cold weather!
· Samuel’s and Hope’s carseats were left behind because they weren’t airline approved. Mental note to check that next time before taking them all the way to the gate. My Mom came back to the airport and picked them up.
· Our flight was delayed out of Kalamazoo by about 45 minutes. And we had to get de-iced. Gotta love flying in the winter!
· Samuel said, “Daddy we’re gonna go driving in the plane. Noooo, not driving. Flying in the plane!”
· Hope and Aliyah both slept all the way (well, all 30 minutes!) to Detroit. Samuel fell asleep as we pulled up to the gate in Detroit. Bad timing, buddy!!
· Samuel was very excited to get on the airplane but then got a little nervous when we took off and whenever the airplane would turn in the air. It must have felt funny to him. He was easily calmed by holding Daryl’s hand. Raisins were also a good distraction!
· Pretty much the exact same time we walked into the Detroit airport, the power all over the airport went out. A group of nice guys helped carry the strollers (with kids in them!) and all of our suitcases up the stairs since the elevators weren’t working.
· It was just after 5pm. Our flight was leaving at 5:50pm. We started walking quickly to catch our flight. We realized we didn’t know which gate we were going to. Couldn’t check screens because power was out. Stopped and asked a Delta attendant. Of course, gate for Orlando was WAY across the airport.
· Walked/ran to our gate. Power came back on during this long walk. Our little entourage got lots of funny looks as we madly made our way through the airport. I had Aliyah in the baby carrier and I was pushing Samuel and Hope in the double stroller (thank goodness for BOB – you can push that thing with one finger! Trust me, I know!) and pulling one of the rolling suitcases. Daryl was pushing the single stroller loaded up with backpacks and pulling the other rolling suitcase. That was a really really long walk. That’s all I’m going to say.
· We got to the gate with 10 minutes to spare. Time enough to change diapers and grab some food. Going great until Samuel (who was getting his diaper changed) pushed Aliyah over (who was sitting next to him) and she hit her head on the floor.
· More crazy looks when boarding plane. Maybe even some eye-rolling from people who were afraid that they would end up sitting next to our circus on the plane.
· Aliyah was a little antsy on the plane but ended up settling down and sleeping for the first half. Samuel and Hope did fantastic. Samuel loved watching the de-icing truck out the window. He could see a lot of what was going on. Hope charmed everyone (as usual) with her cuteness. This plane was bigger so Samuel wasn’t as nervous on it. But when he was he’d just hold Daddy’s hand and it would be better.
· Nobody slept on this plane ride.
· Kids sat GREAT in their big seats. Samuel was pretty excited he didn’t have a carseat!
· Lots of compliments from other passengers and flight attendants on how well behaved our kids were on the flight.
· Arrived in Orlando late (plane ended up leaving Detroit late). Broken single stroller (wheel broke off) on arrival. Delta is giving us a check for $100 to replace it. Thank you, Delta! Even more thankful it wasn’t the BOB double stroller.
· Samuel insisted that he walk through the airport, he refused to ride in the stroller. He also didn’t want to hold any hands. He wanted to walk “all by myself”. He did really well, too! What a grown up boy we have!
· No suitcase. On later flight. Glad we only checked one bag and loaded ourselves up with lots of carry-ons. It paid off in the end! Also thankful we didn’t have to run through the Detroit airport with 2 carseats on top of everything else. Blessing in disguise that they weren’t airline approved?
· Finally made it to the Disney Magical Express Bus around 10pm. Kids getting tired but still doing great. No meltdowns from Samuel. I asked how long of a bus ride. Big mistake. Answer – One hour. Our hotel was the last stop . . . of course.
· Determined to keep Samuel awake on the bus ride. Aliyah fell asleep right away.
· Kept Samuel awake by eating trail mix . The bus ride was dark. He could still pick the M&M’s out of the trail mix. Impressive.
· Watched a DVD on Disney during the ride. Crash course for Samuel and Hope on all the Disney characters. By the end of the ride Samuel could pick out Goofy, Pluto, Donald Duck, and Mickey Mouse. Mission accomplished. This kid is ready for Disney!
· The whole way to Wilderness Lodge Hope kept on saying “we’re coming!” Our thoughts exactly. J
· Got to Wilderness Lodge shortly after 11. Checked in and headed up for our room. Samuel and Hope still awake. Both crashed in their beds shortly after we got settled in. Aliyah wasn’t too far behind them.
· So proud of our kids today!! Hoping for a good night of sleep for everyone!!
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