Still, things are going well. I am taking a break to blog, since Maya is asleep, Nikos is relaxing here on the couch and, well, my feet are throbbing from being on them nonstop. But let me back up, since it's been a few days!
On Wednesday morning, we loaded into our rented minivan at about 10am, and made the drive from my parents' house to the San Diego airport. That part was completely uneventful, though the kids really enjoyed the van itself.
Once we got there and had to unload all our stuff, it was crazy! My mom's job was to stand on the sidewalk with the kids while my dad and I unloaded things. He took care of the luggage while I unhooked and removed the carseats in record time. Then, my dad went to return the car while I wrestled the carseats into their travel bags (that was an adventure in and of itself!). Once we got that squared away, I rented a cart and got as much stuff on there as possible. I still ended up carrying my backpack, camera bag, and one carseat while pushing the precariously top-heavy cart with my other hand. My mom's official job was Kid Wrangler, so she held their hands and followed me as we (slowly) made our way to the baggage counter. Miraculously, we made it there without losing any luggage or children! I got our stuff all checked in, and we waited for my dad to come back. We made it through security with no problems whatsoever, and then had plenty of time to eat a nice lunch before the plane took off. Really, after we got rid of the luggage, life was good!
Anyway... the kids were SO excited as we were waiting in the terminal. Their seats were right up against the window, so they watched the planes come and go the entire time. Nikos was even making up songs about JetBlue, one of which I recorded (I'll upload it later!). They couldn't wait to get on the plane!
We got on board without incident, and it even worked out that my dad was able to switch seats with someone so we weren't all split up. The kids absolutely LOVED it when we took off-- they both cheered and clapped and had the biggest grins on their faces! After that, though, it was less fun. I had to take Nikos to the bathroom several times, which was an adventure. And he kept asking if we were there yet. And then there was Maya, who was wiggly and wild and would NOT stay seated. I think this was probably the only time she looked like a nice little passenger. The rest of the time she was a monkey!
To his credit, Nikos was a pretty awesome little traveler. He snuggled and colored and played with stickers and ate snacks. And used the yucky airplane bathroom (*shudder!*). Still, he looked like this most of the time:
Neither kid slept at all the entire flight. Maya, in particular, was WIRED. She was SO excited to see her Daddy again, and was incredibly silly the whole time. Even when we got off the plane in Boston, she was running through the airport and yelling, "Daaaaaddyyyyyy, where aaaaaare you??? Daaaaaddyyy, I'm heeeeeeere!" It was cute, if not exhausting! We collected our luggage fairly quickly, got it out to the curb, and both kids flung themselves into Gus' arms! And then promptly fell asleep in the car. Silly kids! We tried to wake them up a bit so they could see the new house, but they were OUT.
They both slept like logs all night, but I did not. New house = new sounds, and I kept thinking that every little sound I heard was Nikos getting out of bed. I was so worried he wouldn't be able to find us, and would panic! As it turned out, he slept in late and the adults were all up before he was (now there's a first!). He just stood at the top of the stairs (behind the gate) and said, "Hey guys? Could someone come get me please?" haha! Maya slept even longer. As soon as they were up and dressed, we drove a few blocks down the road to Dunkin Donuts for some breakfast (since the fridge was basically empty). Maya was a big fan!
After that, I showed my parents around the town, and then we went back to the house. The kids got to go and run around in the back yard for the first time, which they seemed to love! It was cold, though, so they weren't out for very long.
They came back in and proceeded to unpack all their toys in the playroom with my dad, while my mom and I went on a massive fridge-stocking grocery shopping trip. And the rest of the day was consumed with getting things more livable. I unpacked a lot of the kitchen, got the dining room functional, and made sure the bathrooms and bedrooms were somewhat organized, at least. My dad helped me hook up the TV and all that, so we have a way to relax now. And this morning, my focus has been mainly on getting the Christmas decorations up in the front room. Even if the rest of the house is still in boxes, we can feel festive!
So, that's it for now. The bookcases are calling me. Time to get back to work!
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