I can do this!

What a great weekend!  I have so many thoughts swimming around in my head. I could probably write a dozen posts about this weekend, but I will try to fit it all in one.

One of the biggest thoughts from this weekend is I CAN DO THIS!  I can do this parenting thing when Steve is gone.  I knew I could do the single parent thing when Steve went on his first trip post-Ben.  But, I never really ventured much out of our little bubble with just the kids.  Now that Ben is three, he actually gets something out of outings.  Long gone are the days were we stay in for the weekend.  Now, we have to go out and explore all the things this area has to offer. And based on this weekend, I realize that I can do all these things when Steve is gone.    

Steve flew out on Saturday around 2pm for a Hawaii pairing.  And for the next person who says "oh, must be nice" - I will punch you.  It is a 5-day trip. It has two red-eyes (more or less) for Steve. There is a six hour time difference.  Hawaii is expensive.  That leg to Hawaii is LONG, and if you get a bad CA it could be a l-o-n-g ride. But, I digress...

So, Saturday morning the four of us headed up to the air show.  Two words can describe that trip: wet and cold!  It was close to miserable.  ALPA had a nice tent set up so we got a bit of a break from the rain, but the wind was so strong we still got wet.  Steve had to show Ben the 737 on display so while they booked it to the plane, CC, who was crying out of control at that point, and I went to the car.  We thawed out a bit, the rain stopped, and we met Steve and Ben back at the tent.  We saw some performances, ate some lunch and then dropped Steve at the airport for work.  The rest of that day was relaxing.

Sunday morning we got up and the sun was shining.  I couldn't let this beautiful day go to waste, so I thought about what we could do.  A local taste-of-the-town was going on, and I gave that a brief thought.  But, the event hosts about 30,000 people and the thought of me with two kids in a sea of people wasn't too appealing.  So, we went to the local city zoo.  The zoo is a perfect size for little ones and we were in and out in about 2 1/2 hours.  We had a FABULOUS time!  The kids were a dream, and everything was perfect...right down to the blue skies and white puffy clouds.

Now, here is where I give credit to myself: Ben minds me, and I am very proud of that.  I said from day 1 that my children will mind me, and they do.  Well, CC is still too young, but she will mind me.  I am the disciplinarian in our house, and it has to be that way.  If Ben is acting up I can't call Steve, while he is on the road, and have him discipline over the phone.  We had a successful day at the zoo since Ben was being such a good listener and minding me.  I really did enjoy myself at the zoo, and I think that Ben and CC did too.  We missed Steve terribly, but this is our life and we will make the most of it.

CC on her first carousel:




This stroller is a blessing!  It is a Joovy Sit and Stand (or something like that).  Grandma got it for the kids, and it is wonderful!  It isn't the best at maneuvering, but I didn't expect that.  CC is supposed to sit in the front, but this picture was taken towards the end of our trip and she was tired and cranky, so the switch up was refreshing to her.  For those worry warts out there, she is actually buckled in back there so she was safe.



I call this trip successful!





Since the zoo was so successful we headed out to the air show again, on Monday.  They offered admission again with Saturday tickets since many performances on Saturday were actually cancelled due to high winds.  $12 for parking later, we were inside the gates again.  Ben had a great time and loved seeing all the planes again.  His favorite thing was the shockwave jet truck.  That thing is loaded with three jet engines on the back, and it went something like 300mph.  Ben couldn't stop talking about it.  He LOVED it!

On Saturday Steve wasn't able to get any photos of Ben in his plane. So, we got a couple:


I joke that the next time the kids will be in first class will be in 11 years.  The non-rev rules are that kids need to be at least 12-years-old.


Like father like son (Ben is playing with the radio here)



Steve found this picture amazing...amazing at how little CC is in there.  Steve says that his knees are where CC's head is. 


I would have loved to get a picture of Ben standing in the engine, but he was scared.  So, one of the maintenance guys offered to take our picture.


I have to give props to all the employee volunteers on the plane.  Not only did the FA hold CC at one point so I could take pictures of Ben, but we had people left and right helping us.  Great people!!!

Overall, we had a great weekend!  The kids were a dream (most of the time) and we had lots of fun.  The long weekend spead by, which is nice since it makes the time we are away from daddy seem shorter.  Someone once told me "these are the moments that make the memories of our life" and I can't help to think that Ben is already here...Ben is starting to form the memories of his life.  I need to make life happy for him, with and without daddy around. 

Comments

  1. Joanna, are you kidding me?!? You totally CAN do it! As a matter of fact, YOU are my source of inspiration when I am fed up with being alone with the kids. When I am about to blow a gasket on that late evening or Saturday when Rez is still at work, I tell myself: "if Joanna can do it, so can you"!

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  2. Ah Eva...you are so sweet!!!! Thank you, that really means a lot!

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