Easiest Trip Across the Atlantic EVER

Well, if the title of this post doesn't completely give it away, let me spell two things out for you: 1. We are back in the US of A; and 2. We had the easiest trip home that we could have possibly imagined or hoped for. We very tangibly felt our family and friends' prayers the entire journey back.

The trip really couldn't have gone better. We assumed we were allowed to check one bag each, but when Dan checked us in 24 hours in advance, he found out that we were allowed TWO bags each! Woohoo! Except that we'd already shipped all our duffel bags the day prior. No worries, the climbing gear backpack came out of a duffel bag and was checked separately, allowing for our last-minute wine shopping spree. We packed 18 bottles, 17 arrived in-tact, and with a little OxyClean laundry spray you'd have no idea that Auggie and Eland's pajamas were once soaked in red wine. ;)

Sandrine and Edgar drove us to the airport, stayed with us through check-in, and waved goodbye once we were past security. Boarding was a breeze, thanks to early boarding for families with kids 5 and under. We brought Auggie's carseat on the plane for Eland to sit in, so once we were settled we knew that he'd be able to get comfortable enough to sleep. (Last time we flew he had a tough time getting cozy in the big seat and thus sat on my lap for the whole flight. Btw, the trick to bringing a carseat on the plane is to not ask, and just take it through security. ;)

Here's Eland napping on a bare mattress in our flat the afternoon of the day we left. 

The Boeing 747!!!! It was very exciting for the boys to see the real, live airplane. :)

Auggie, checking out our big bird.

Eland's pre-travel headshot. We tattooed the boys upper right arms with our flight numbers and telephone numbers in case they got lost. 

Matchy-matchy. :)

According to Eland, they watched "Memos!" aka "Finding Nemo" several times, and because Dan sat next to them, they even got to listen with headphones. I didn't bother with headphones last time and they had no idea. Hehe.. Auggie was asleep shortly after take-off.

The first flight was a complete breeze. Auggie and Eland slept for the majority of the flight, and after a few hours of attempting to sleep, I even caught a few Z's myself. Best part of all, not once did we ever experience the slightly-scary-a-little-too-bumpy turbulence. A few blips here and there, and it may have been the smoothest 11.5-hour flight I've ever been on. Prayers answered. ;) Landing was also an amazing feat in modern technology. Literally until the moment we landed it was so cloudy that we couldn't even see the airplane's wing outside the windows. The second we landed, we could see again. Not to mention the fact that the pilots landed the 747 impeccably in spite of zero visibility--no bumps, swerves, or anything. Modern technology is amazing!

We landed just before 7am local time in London and going through security again was pretty easy. I think besides loving Chicago O'Hare because it feels like "home", London-Heathrow may be one of my favorite airports ever. Terminal 5 (and perhaps others?) has a fantastic kids jungle gym, and we pretty much camped out in front of it until they announced our boarding gate. Before they opened the jungle gym at 8:30am there were workers testing all of the mesh walls and padded pieces for safety, and they sprayed down the entire thing. It was nice to know that we wouldn't be bringing any extra germs home. The other side of the jungle gym had a fantastic view of the gates and runways, meaning that when the boys weren't playing they could watch planes taking off and landing. Good deal all around!

The view opposite the jungle gyms

Boys being boys 

Rosy-cheeked Auggie clearly getting some great playtime-exercise

The second flight, at 8h35m, felt much longer than the first. There's something about getting on another plane for another long flight that is a bit challenging, although you wouldn't have known it from Auggie and Eland. Eland fell asleep first on this flight, and while Auggie napped a bit, too, he enjoyed coloring airplanes and reading books. One thing to make note of was Eland's dry diaper during each flight. He's quasi-potty-trained at this point (and did his first poop ever on the toilet yesterday!!!! A cause for MUCH celebration!!!) and never peed in his just-in-case diaper on the plane. I think there's something kind of exciting for little boys about peeing on an airplane, so there you go!

We finally landed in Chicago, made it through customs in a flash, and were greeted with a crowd of family cheering for us on the other side of the international exit doors. It was the best welcome--all these smiling faces, balloons, signs, and great big hugs! YAY! We're home! 

Being here feels completely normal, but at the same time I feel like I'm missing the South African piece that is now a part of me. No doubt we'll go back to visit, and no doubt that living there was a priceless experience that we will never regret. I think it's fair to say that we were very sad to leave, and are very happy to be home. :)