Blog post- Travel Skills

Blog post- Travel Skills

- June 12, 3018, 2:08am Austin time, an hour left on the plane to London -

I'm really proud of Jackson and Molly; they did great navigating the airport and their first transatlantic flight. They managed all their luggage and occasionally jumped in and asked to take some of Lilly's and they moved swiftly through security and boarding the plane. Both wanted window seats (so they could see the ocean) of course. They both did a great job of settling into their seats and when it was time, settling in to sleep on the flight. When they woke they checked in on how long it would be until we landed, checked the view out the window, grabbed their gum and got back to in-flight movies/iPad.

Lilly did pretty well too- willingly taking her medicine then sleeping 5-6 hours until there were about three hours left in the flight- waking me after 2-3 hours of sleep. Much to her delight, although it was between midnight and 1am to her body clock, she was able to bounce from Joe to me and stand and jump up and down in the aisle. Lucky for her, she gets to nap basically wherever she wants for the next 12 hours of traveling.


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Leaving the Austin Airport

photo by Jackson

All loaded up!!

Carry On Only

The sum total of what were traveling with for 6 countries, two distinct climates and 10 weeks.

The roller suitcases are 20" tall, 4" shorter than standard US carryon allowances.

Voilá!

Our Trip (in Emojis)

✈️😴🇬🇧✈️🇮🇹✈️🇪🇸✈️🇫🇷✈️🇮🇪✈️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🚂🇬🇧✈️🏡

Excitement is Mounting

We've spent the day packing and finalizing details and running around.  Now, it's our last dinner at home for awhile and we are all taking turns naming some things we are most looking forward to...

To drive through the  Italian countryside in a couple days- Joe
Pompeii!! - Jackson
A slower pace - Emily
Riding on the biggest ferris wheel in the world! - Molly
Lots of family time - Emily
Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower! - Molly
I'm excited for the museums in Rome, Paris and London - but not really art museums, just the other kind - Jackson
Italian wine - Joe (and Emily, too!)
Fishing in Scotland - Jackson (and Joe, too!)
Eating breakfast with a view of the ocean - Emily
Getting to show my children around Paris - Emily
Going to see Hurculaneum - Jackson
We think Lilly is excited about a TransAtlantic flight - (not really, though)
Getting the best ice cream made anywhere in the world (Gelato) in Italy and France! - Molly
To see what the kids find most exciting, interesting and surprising along the way - Emily
Pasta!! - Molly, Jackson and Lilly (who just jumped up and down with her hands in the air and yelled "pa-ta")
Dance parties  -Jackson
Seeing the cities at night on the plane and seeing the ocean at night on a plane -Jackson
Cooler temperatures all summer long -Emily

I'm curious about how big Pompeii is and how big the wall around it will be - Jackson
I'm curious about what the cars will look like in Italy - Jackson
I'm curious about France - Molly
Why is Jackson obsessed with gummy bears? - Joe
Why doesn't Molly like bananas? - Joe

I'm going to miss my friends - Jackson
I'm going to miss fluffy - Molly
I'm going to miss kitty - Jackson
I'm going to miss whiskers - Molly
I'm going to miss Lilly's highchair - Emily
I'm going to miss our cars and Cabo Bobs- Joe
I'm going to miss the toilet I trust - Jackson
I'm going to miss my bed - Jackson (and Emily!)
I'm going to miss NOVA - Jackson

I'm excited about postcards - Jackson
I'm excited about European gummy bears - Jackson
I'm excited about seeing the original Statue of Liberty in Paris - Molly
I'm excited to see and feed the ducks in Paris - Jackson and Molly
I'm excited to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower - Jackson
I'm excited to see where the real Queen and Princesses live in London - Molly
I'm excited to be on an island - Molly
I'm excited to go to the beach - Jackson
I'm excited to sing "Cake By the Ocean" while being by the ocean - Molly
I'm excited about getting Kinder Bueno bars out of vending machines in Paris - Emily
I'm excited to ride the new tube line in the London Underground that they installed in the past few years - Jackson
I'm excited to see the green rolling hills in Ireland - Joe
I'm excited to see Saint Andrews and Italian food - Joe
I'm excited to wake up and see the river Seine outside my window - Emily
I'm excited to watch the kids experience other cultures, towns and people and learn to have fun without toys and props - but to have adventures and create fun on their own - Emily

What would you add to the list?

3... 2...

The countdown is on and so it's just about right that the baby would have a double ear infection. Poor Lilly. But she's being a trooper and thankfully our amazing friend was able to see her, confirm double ear infection (he's an ENT) and get antibiotics started. Hopefully she's better by the transatlantic flight in a few days. Thanks Taylor!! Interestingly, he says that the Austin -> London flight should be okay, it's the shorter flights where they ascend/descend rapidly that can cause more trouble for inflamed eardrums. So the London -> Rome flight could be the trickier of the two.

Minor hurdle, but we're taking it in stride. Instead of finishing packing while Leah Elena was over to help, we were at the Dr office and picking up Rx and meds.

Just so thankful we caught it now and not in a few days or a week from now.

So send good vibes and prayers Lilly's way for healed ears and smooth travel for all of us!

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