First flight (depart Hanoi at midnight, arrive Narita, Japan 7:00 a.m.): The kids didn't sleep a wink until the plane had landed and we were taxying to the gate. I think the in-flight entertainment options were too good, and the excitement of flying on an airplane.
12-hour layover in Narita. The kids were exhausted and we checked into a day room and got all settled down...and then the giggles start erupting from both kids - aaaaaaaaaaah! A very tired mom declares "That's it! We're going on a walk!" We walked down a very charming street toward a temple known for it's healing attributes. They even had a special pathway up to the temple for the elderly and disabled. Many white-haired people were there inhaling the healing smoke from incense at the main altar. We got back to the hotel completely exhausted and crashed until it was time to go back to the airport and check in for the next flight.
Flight two (transpacific flight to San Fran): Thankfully we travelled at a non-busy time and were upgraded to business class. We had four wonderful flight attendants who enjoyed checking up on us. I waited until the right time for the kids to have some real sleep and I gave them some prescription strength Robitussin AC (with Codine). Let me insert here, that I did some research online before deciding to pack this in our carry on. I use medicine carefully, especially with our kids. I settled into my chair to wait for the promised affect to take place. To my HUGE surprise it backfired and Xander started behaving like he had just downed a box of candy bars. Emma didn't zonk out either - I think she was too entertained by Xander.
Finally after a couple hours of this a flight attendant recommended some warm milk. She brought it to us in a Japanese Sake bottle and said "don't worry, I rinsed it out before I poured in the milk." After downing two bottles of milk and listening to mom's soft voice reading stories from a children's magazine, the kids zonked out and we were all able to get a few hours of much-needed rest. Below is a pic of Xander totally ready to sleep as he watches the action on the tarmac.
Flight 3 (SFO to SLC): A wonderful saint-of-a-woman offered to sit by Emma on the flight. She said "You might think I'm crazy, but I'm a grandma and I love children." I heartily thanked her. Emma chatted away and played with her toys and was soooooo excited to finally be in Utah! Xander made a speedway and ran his favorite tractor and dirtbike up and down her legs and arms several times. We finally arrived in SLC to smiling faces : ) The best part of the trip.
Highlights in Utah so far have been:
- Enjoying Grandpa Briant's special breakfast and talking with him.
- Spending a day with my sister Melissa before she went back to CA.
- Taking Xander to Wal-Mart at 1:30 a.m. because he woke up and decided he didn't want to sleep. We came home at 4:00, took a walk in the frosty air, ate a bowl of cereal and went to bed at 4:30. Thank heavens for a store that stays open all night.
- Meeting up with my sister Natalie and her cute daughter Taelin for a playdate.
- At the playdate, Emma climbed on top of a dinosaur head with another little boy. She asked what his name was, introduced herself and then asked "what country are you from?" I didn't hear his answer.
- Xander snuggling up to my brother Michael in the armchair (Xander only does this when he's super tired or not feeling well). We consider his snuggles a rare treat.
- Sledding in the snow : ) with blue skies and white-capped mountains in the distance.
- Talking with my sister Emily and knowing that we're almost in the same time zone : )
- Emma feeding the ducks with Auntie.
- Jennie going to lunch with Bonnie and John Haymore (former humanitarian service missionaries in Hanoi) and Kim and Travis (Vietnamese students at BYU) who are from the Hanoi Branch.
- Shopping a sale at Old Navy and going to Costco : )
I look forward to seeing many more dear friends and family members while we are here.
