Our trip home

5:00 AM ( 3:00 PST). Melody banged on the camper door." We need to leave by 5:30," she said.
5:17 AM kids and bags loaded in the truck and we're on the road. We stop to fill the truck with diesel- 1/8 of a tank won't get us the hour and a half to the airport.
6:50 AM. Unload the kids and bags. Hug mom-in-law goodbye and lug all the above into the airport checking all three bags and two car seats.
We sit in the chairs eating breakfast burritos made the night before and watching the TV. Long delays in Chicago it says. All the while its been spitting snow outside.
7:50 AM. We're on the plane. But we aren't taking off. We wait. The air traffic controller in Chicago won't let us leave due to the glut of delayed aircraft there. We finally depart at 9:20. This is the time we were supposed to be landing in Chicago.
11:20 AM. We're at the Chicago airport. We try to press our way through the crowds to make it to our next plane. We are supposed to be boarding this very minute.
11:30 AM Our plane has been delayed until 11:50. There is no gate number for boarding. We make our way to the "intersection" between "H" and "K" concourses.
11:46 AM. The plane has been delayed until 12:30 - still no gate assignment. We eat our leftovers from the Macaroni Grill and talk.
Finally a gate assignment. We quickly hurry with our protesting 2 1/2 year old towards K-19 " There's People Comin' !" He doesn't want to walk. "Carry me!" He cries.
At last, we've made it. The flight has been delayed until 12:46 PM.
12:46 PM We board the plane. The kids fidget. A pilot gets on the intercom to tell us that they are trying to locate our flight crew. Are you kidding? How do you lose one of those?
We have a flight crew "dead heading" with us to Seattle. They run the checks. Finally we learn that our flight crew is stuck on a plane trying to deboard. They are waiting for an available gate to get off the plane. The steward fills cups with water and orange juice to give to the frazzled passengers.
Eventually the powers that be decided the best option is to have our "dead heading" crew take over and fly us to Seattle.
2:35 PM. We are taxing down the run way. The Captain says our flight will take 4 hours and 10 minutes. Adjusting for the time change, we will be landing at 4:45 PST. Our connecting flight is to leave Seattle at 3:30.
Shortly after take off, both children have a melt down. How can you blame them? They have been traveling for 12 hours. After 5 minutes of crying the mercifully fall asleep. Peace for the next hour.
Several hours later, Rick leave to use the "little boys room". Right after he does, Lucas begins to wail, " I got to go pee!!" I take both children to the back of the plane. I assume that Rick will be the first one out of the bathroom. Wrong! So, into that tiny stall go Lucas, Abrianna, and me. Mission accomplished. We go back to our row.
The rest of the flight is uneventful. The stewardess gives Rick a number to call as soon as we land to rebook us onto another flight into Pasco. About the time the captain turns off the seat belt sign, Lucas has to go again. Juice is a wonderful way to keep a kid quiet but not so great for a newly potty trained preschooler. This time I was able to leave Abrianna with daddy. When he was done he told me there was pee on his underwear. Sure enough. And on his pants as well.
I did have a pair of dry underwear for him. His other clothes were in the checked baggage. Oh well, he didn't care that he walked all over Sea-Tac in a turtle neck, socks, shoes, and Lightening McQueen underwear.
5:00 PM My kids were able to play in the play room for about a half an hour while daddy straightened out our flight and bought supper for us.
6:10 PM. We have our boarding passes and Rick decides he has to go again. Lucas tries to follow daddy. When I make him stay with me, he starts crying and screaming. For those of you who haven't potty trained yet... Crying almost always precipitates a need to pee. Off we go the the bathroom again. Abrianna in a back pack, Lucas screaming from fear that he can[t hold it and me trying to manage both children and all the carry on luggage. We made it.
When we were making our way back to the gate, Rick saw us and asked where we'd been. Did he really need to ask?
7:30 PM We land in Pasco. PRAISE GOD! The end is in sight. I stay with our kids and the luggage while Rick retrieves our car from long term parking. A nice lady ( with a broken arm) offers to help me wrestle my 2 car seats, 2 kids, and 3 suitcases to the curb. Thank God for helpful sympathetic people.
8:00 PM Homeward bound.
9:00 PM. We arrive!!! Our 18 hour trip is done!