We're home!

The trip back was pretty smooth. The flight from Amsterdam to Newark went well. The kids were entertained by the seatback TVs and video games that Continental has. They watched "Fantastic Four", ate some dinner and we all napped. The kids have become really good at flying. They know the routine at the airports - how to get through security and be responsible for their own items, how to read the monitors to know our gate and flight status, and how to STAY WITH US!

The little tow-truck like thing that pulls the airplane to the gate wasn't functioning right when we landed in Newark so we had to wait while they got a new one out to us. Turns out that the one that was broken pulled us in at the wrong angle so they had to back the plane up and then pull us forward over and over and over again to get us to the gate the right way. It took awhile and everyone on the plane was getting quite irritated.

Newark airport just sucks! Everytime we have a layover there it is so chaotic! For the last trip we rented a car and just drove home (about 3 hours), but Jeff and I were both too tired to drive and knew that traffic would be bad after Thanksgiving, so we waited the 3 hours and 40 minutes for our connection flight. Of course we had to collect our luggage and go through immigration and customs and then recheck our luggage for our domestic flight, so that took some time.

Our flight to BWI took only 37 minutes (in the air) and they kids couldn't believe how small the plane was or how quick the flight was. Journey sat next to a really sweet elderly lady who kept doting over him. She was asking him all sorts of questions and showing him things out the window. I thought I overheard her saying "SHE" when she was talking to Jeff about Journey and Jeff told her that Journey was a boy, but she didn't hear him! I told Journey to tell her that he was a boy, but he didn't want to. I guess the long hair doesn't bother him that much!

When Journey crunched into his little baggie of airline pretzels he finally lost his 2nd front tooth! It had been haning by a thread for days. He was very excited and he looks adorable! I found a little baggie in my purse to keep it in, unlike the other front tooth that I put in a plastic bag on the counter and probably threw away - thank goodness he forgot about it!

The pet sitter was phenomenal! She came twice a day - morning and evening. She sent me a couple emails while we were there to let me know how the dog, cat, and bird were doing. And she left a log on the kitchen counter with the dates and times she was here and what they did - cute details about how the dog and cat snuggled with her, the walks they went on, what sweater she put on Lily in the cold weather, etc.

The kids were up around 6 am yesterday morning and we all went to bed around 7:30 pm. This morning the kids had to go back to school. Journey was awake at 5am and couldn't sleep any longer. Jagger and I were up at 7, Justice got up at 7:30 and Jeff slept in until 7:45. I think it's going to be a *long* day for the kids, especially Journey! He will probably be ready for bed when he gets home from school!

I still have lots of pictures to post, so I plan to do a couple each day - keep checking back!