S Day + 14

The boy and I have reoriented ourselves back to Philadelphia with a full day here under our belts.  It was great to get back together as a whole family after spending about a week apart.

 

 

 

 





 Our odyssey to find Mommy in Philadelphia started with a fairly early morning in which the Carlson side of the family made a trip to Chicago.  Chad and Kathi dropped Bryce off at our house in Zeeland while they went to Brielle's first recreation soccer game of the season.  I figured that after surviving a week of me and my two boys, I could easily handle getting Bryce, Peyton, and Myles loaded up in our van before picking up Grandma Sue and Papa Bob for our drive to Chicago.  Wrong!!!  It took me an astonishing 25 minutes just to get those three rugrats in the van.  It's like they were scheming against me, and I actually thought things went pretty smoothly.  Eventually we made it to Holland, filled up with gas, and were on the road to Chicago an hour later....efficient!!  Fortunately, for the three adults in the car at the beginning of the trip, we got to choose our seats and the only seat (if you even want to consider it a seat...it was more just a small space where you could lean forward without resting back) left was between the Bryce and Peyton's car seats in the back.....YEAH FOR AUNT B!!!
We spend the morning enjoying (well, most of us....anyone who knows Bob knows he likes a warm and balmy 85 and sunny) the 55 degrees and drizzle at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, where Chad, Kathi, and Brielle met back up with us.

 

The main event was the Northwestern v. Eastern Illinois football game in the afternoon.  After a quick bite to eat at....drumroll....Burger King....yes, we're the Carlson's....that's how we roll, and some successful shopping for some more, uneeded but definitely important, purple Northwestern gear (I say successful not because we made some purchases but because we did it without Papa Bob trying on clothes by removing his shirt down to the bare skin in the middle of the store...not that that's ever happened before).  We all made the trip north to Evanston (God's Country) to watch the Wildcats defeat the Panthers in a 41-0 nailbiter.  I think the kiddos were more entertained by anything and everything but the football game and were ready to leave by halftime, although the weather had turned and we were able to enjoy the low 60 degrees and sunshine.  I think we all made parent fails by telling the kids we were:
1. staying in a hotel, and
2. it had a swimming pool.
So, obviously, they were going to be ready to leave the game before the opening kickoff.
We made it through the middle of the 3rd quarter, moved quickly back to the cars (some of us more quickly than others as a one little Carlson needed to find a potty and was adamant he couldn't hold it until the hotel...Thank goodness for Dunkin' Donuts!).  A quick drive toward O'Hare Airport and the Embassy Suites got us there with plenty of time to take advantage of happy hour (some of us more than others....I'll admit, it had been a long week) before strapping on the swim suits and taking a dip in the pool.  Most kids usually are okay without a full day of action and no naps but Peyton and Myles (especially Myles) still take significant naps so a day of this magnitude without one got them to go down pretty easily.
We woke up pretty early to get some breakfast at the hotel and get to the airport.  Shawna braved traveling by air with the boys for spring break last year and broke them in for me so there was no fear of getting to the airport, in fact it was quite the opposite....PLUS....they knew they were going to see Mommy in Philadelphia. 

We, fortunately, left the hotel plenty early on the hotel shuttle bus and arrived at the airport with over 2 hours to make it to our flight.   Peyton was AWESOME (well they both were) as he carried his own backpack the whole time in the security line that rivaled the Great Wall of China and moved with about the efficiency of Eastern Illinois offense on Saturday.  We did make it, though, with plenty of time at the terminal to watch the other airplanes and get super excited for our flight.

The flight proved again that we've got some people of a higher power looking out for us in this whole journey.  Traveling with Myles and Peyton I went to the gate and asked the man working if it was at all possible if we all sit together (I actually thought it would be kind of funny to bring the boys on the flight and put them next to some people, give them their backpacks, and say something like, "Thanks for watching my kid....the diapers are in the front pocket...I'll be up in first class.  As long as his loose bowels don't kick in, I think you'll be fine.").  He messed around on his computer together and got us all seats together.  I thanked him once then and wanted to run off the plane and thank him again after we found our seats as he gave us the front 3 seats with all of that extra leg room where I could stretch out and we had more than enough room in front of us to empty out their backpacks and all of the entertainment ammo we had packed (books, dinosaurs, candy, blankets, etc.).  We were off the ground in Chicago and touching down in Philly before either boy even had the chance to get fussy and/or antsy.

 

 Our timing was impeccable for our swap of support (The Bra for the Jockstrap) for Shawna as Janet pulled up to the airport at the exact time we were walking outside.  Our trip back to Haverford was pretty uneventful as Myles fell asleep for a much needed nap (which lasted from 2:30 in the car until 7:00 when I had to wake him up!!...Peyton also crashed in the borrowed house and his new bedroom from about 3:30 until I woke him up at 7).  It was great to see how excited the boys (and me) were to see Shawna and Grandma Janet.  In fact, Myles screamed for Janet for a good 5 minutes after we left her at the airport...Oh how they love their Grandma's. 
Shawna has been busy, or as busy as bed rest allows, in Haverford.  Her constant checking and inquiring about NFL games yesterday tells me she's put in a little more time and research into her fantasy football team than she's letting on.  The boys and I came inside today from swimming to find her working on her Spanish on Rosetta Stone and she finished her first crocheted blanked (she just learned how to crochet last week).

We had a wonderful dinner tonight that was made for us by a friend of a friend of a friend who lives in West Philly.  Amazing.  People making meals for us that don't even know us or have never met us.  I am driving out to a church Wednesday morning to pick up some meals that have been prepared for us by the church of a friend of a friend of a friend.  Once again, a congregation who we've never met is reaching out and extending a helping hand to make our experience as good as it can be.  Once again, people are good. 
Shawna is still feeling better by the day, yet slowly.  After the first day with boys being around, she was a little sore this morning but her scar is looking and feeling much better.  She was able to make her way, gingerly, down to the pool to cheer Peyton and me on in our jumps off the diving board and was able to sit with us outside for dinner on the porch...our first family meal all together, sitting around a table, in quite some time.  It was great!  Hey, sometimes its the little things, right!!
We're looking forward to another fabulous day together in Haverford tomorrow.  I publish this blog with the Eagles having struggled in their first half against the Falcons....I look forward to experiencing the Philadelphia fans and their rumored brutality towards their professional sports teams when they lose!
Good night from Haverford/Philly!!

CHOOSING JOY

-Jeff