Celebrating Lily in Arizona

Lily turned four this summer and it was quite a celebration! Well, more like 4 celebrations really. :)

First up, we celebrated in Arizona while we were visiting my family in July!

If you know anything about me, you know I don't do store bought cakes for my kids, but with another party at home in Pittsburgh, time at a premium in Arizona, and 195 degrees outside, turning on an oven and baking a cake just wasn't going to happen. Costco filled in perfectly! Lily was ecstatic and that's all that mattered to me!

We had family and family friends over to my brother and sister-in-law's house (Uncle Jas & Auntie Carrie) to swim, chow down on good food, and have cake.  It was a fun day!  A perfect summer birthday celebration!

  Aunt Pam the Great took pictures too!

 Lily got a lot of special gifts! Thank you all so much! She actually plays with most everything everyday still!

 It was a good day!

Thank you all for coming to celebrate our girl! It was a special birthday for her to be able to share with our family and friends in Arizona.

He's Home!

{Catching up on summer posts still...}

After Andrew's two week visit to Arizona, he returned home on George's birthday.

It was a super hectic time at the airport on my end.

Upon acquiring my gate pass, Lily and I headed down to security, but the line was crazy long and the flight was arriving early. We headed up to the alternative security line that is out of the way and typically not long. Wrong. Lily and I waited a little bit while nervously looking at the time on my phone over and over.

I just knew, we would not make it. 

I headed back down to the main security lines and saw Andrew's flight flashing "Arriving," on the screen.  I sent him a text telling him that if I was not at the gate to come towards baggage claim and I would wait for him as soon as he got off the tram.

It's July, so I'm sweating anyway. Running all over the airport, carrying an almost 2 year old, I'm certain I got my workout in for the day.

Finally, I went to the side where I could speak to one of the TSA agents, explained the situation with my son's flight arriving at the moment and needed to get to the gate. He let me skip the whole line and with a thank you to the people in the front, I hurried through and onto the tram.  Sent Andrew another text telling him to wait at the gate, I was coming! 

Run off the tram, run up the escalator and run to the gate...all while carrying Lily.

 Empty. 

Panic is starting to set in.

I called my mom to ask what he was wearing when he left Arizona so I knew what to look for as I
headed back towards the tram. Just as I was about to get on the escalator, I got a text from Andrew asking me where I was and he was at the gate!

Whew!

Lily and I turned around and headed back towards the gate when finally I spotted him!

Ahhhhhhh safe at last! 

Lily was so excited to see Andrew...and he was just as excited to see her!!

Glad he's home the rest of the summer...I think his baby sister is too.

Arizona Here He Comes

Andrew and I were up at the crack of dawn for an 8:40am flight just less than 24 hours after he returned home from Scout Camp.  He was heading to Arizona to visit Oma {my mom} and aunts, uncles and cousins for two weeks. Yay for him!

Bags RE-packed with clean clothes and we were out the door. Lily stayed home with Daddy~ they were both sleeping when we left.

 Fortunately, although he is no longer traveling as an "unaccompanied minor," they allowed me to go to the gate with him to wait until his flight left. We had an easy go through security and not long lines at all. I'd guess due to the early time. ::yawn:: 

Andrew was happy that since he's still a kid he didn't have to remove his shoes through the security line. It's the little things.

Once we headed through security, we were off on the tram to get over to the gates. He enjoys the tram...not so much the pictures, but definitely the ride. Luckily he appeases me.

 

Pictures with Franco are a tradition...and everyone who comes to visit us does them too!

 

 

 

 Since he is not one to eat when he first wakes up, but that he'd be on a 4 hour flight to Phoenix and there wasn't anything along the way, I promised him a sausage biscuit with cheese {can't forget the cheese, Mom} when we got settled at the airport. Clearly, he was happy.

 

 

As we waited for him to board, I went over my list of reminders and quiz questions of "what do you do if..." until he'd had enough and I was satisfied he'd know how to handle himself in a variety of situations. 

 

 

I let the woman collecting boarding passes know that he wasn't an official unaccompanied minor, but was traveling alone.  She told him to just make sure he let a flight attendant know if he needed anything.   A hug and a kiss, some tears on my part and he was off.

 



 

This flight was a special trip as it was his first time back to Arizona since we moved in 2007. He was looking forward to it and I was for him!

 

It was not in my life's plan to have a child in a divorced situation where he'd have to fly across the country therefore having my son be seasoned in flying alone. He is seasoned, however.

So for all the judgey mcjudgersons who say "I'd never put my child on a plane alone," --while I may cry every single time he's flown and pray nearly nonstop for the duration of the flight, there are things you have to do that you never planned on doing as parents.

1st plane ride alone
{was excrutiating to send him}