Somewhere in the middle of Day 57 of our two weeks of Snowmagadeon in February, I declared "Momma is DONE" and I literally googled 'cheap flights to somewhere warm'. A stellar deal popped up to San Diego and I immediately booked us flights for spring break. Just knowing we would be warm and breathing the air in a different place was carrot enough for me to get through the rest of a particularly brutal winter. And I knew the closer we got to travel, what a test of where we were actually at as a new family this trip would actually be. Isaac is a stellar traveler, but he has never had to share me on a plane. Would all our previous successful strategies work? How many triggers would traveling provide for Mila? The last time she was on a plane, she was taken away from all that she knew. The last time she was at a beach it was with her lifelong orphanage sisters and Nana. She has never stayed in a hotel before. Our schedule would be off. Food would be different. Gramma and Annie would not be with us. How would I take her to the bathroom on the plane?? What would I do with Isaac? Between home, plane, airports and rental cars there would be 15 different transitions to prepare her for before we even started to 'have fun'. This felt a bit like a recipe for disaster. Not to mention, there would be no way for me to relax traveling alone with two kids who essentially need full care. How in the world would this work?? There was only one way to find out...
We started talking about going on a plane four days before hand; that only Momma, Mila and Isaac were going on a plane. It was a short plane and we were going to the beach. Planes are fun and then we would come back home. I did everything I could think of to help you understand that this flight would be totally different than the last one (including giving you medicine so you would vomit during take off & landing) You did GREAT! And even told Gramma off when she showed up to take us to the airport: "No Gramma! Momma, Mila, Isaac. Flam-ly. No Gramma. All done. Bye-Bye" As soon as you realized that you could watch FROZEN in the seat back in front of you, you were sold!
Hamburgers are your love language! And I let you decide what to eat at every meal...and every meal you chose a hamburger with a big cheesy smile!
And because it was vacation, we snuck in some ice cream as well (you ate ALL of that burger AND the ice cream PLUS a basket of fries. I seriously don't know where your 95pound frame puts it).
Overlooking La Jolla with my girly.
You know this face makes me crack up...and you make it as often as you can. We've dubbed it 'the Mila' and your brother has started making this face too *wink*
You really enjoyed the aquarium at UC SanDiego (a MUCH cheaper option than SeaWorld). And when the large group of field trip 1st graders caught up with us, you froze but let me nuzzle into you. I feel like I've been able to read you much better recently and help you through feeling overwhelmed. That was a win for both of us.
Soaking in the sun at SeaPort Village.
My Mediterranean girl made it to the Pacific Ocean! You visited the Adriatic Sea with the Sisters at the orphanage every summer which is WAY warmer than the Pacific in the spring. You clearly were at ease walking on the beach and approaching the water. I honestly forgot to tell you the water wasn't going to be warm...
"Mooooommmmm! Coooolllllddddd!" You were SO offended!
You officially have a frequent flyer mileage account and you figured out quickly that chilling with your kindle and a bucket of snacks for a few hours is not too shabby. Also the giggles that bubbled from you during take off and landing had our whole section smiling with you <3
Isaac:
You get so many compliments when we travel. It makes me so proud. I suspect people are expecting a wild child on the plane, but you are a true professional and everyone around us is always so delighted to travel next to you. Good job buddy!
We kept no schedule and I opted to say YES to a lot of food and activities I usually say no to, including arcade games. But this time it was different. Our little $10 arcade card went fast but you both got to pick games that you wanted to play and you walked away with a 50cent plastic yoyo shaped like a hamburger with your tickets, so everyone won! *wink*
We visited La Jolla Veterans Memorial on Mount Soledad. You asked for this photo, which made me happy because you've been asking where the "big purple T" was in church since last Easter (a lovely cross draped with purple cloth)
Watching the seal lions at La Jolla Cove:
Goofing around in Old Town:
"Mom! Big Fish!" at the Birch Aquarium. The Lord blessed me with being able to see several whales and a pod of dolphins breaching off the coast while we were at this Aquarium!
I've never seen you play like this before. For nearly 30 min you explored this water table, creating different walls and dams in the water. You LOVED it (and even showed your sister how to play too!)
It was cooler than I had hoped, but we made it to Coronado beach and you ran and ran and ran chasing all the birds, just like you do at home. <3
My stellar traveler making his way back home.
Me:
One of the bigger mysteries was if and how I was going to be able to enjoy this trip. I set my expectations pretty darn low and got creative: One of my favorite shows is Diners Drive Ins & Dives on the Food Network so I checked to see if any DDD restaurants were near our hotel---turns out there were! The kids could have cared less, but this was fun for me to order fun & creative food while they munched on their nuggets and hamburgers. Creme Brulee French Toast one morning and goat cheese stuffed squash flower with poached egg and hollandase sauce the next...YUMM.
I also took advantage of our smaller than expected hotel room to lay in the dark with my sleeping kiddos and listen to an audio-book uninterrupted for several hours each night. What a treat! (Also, I highly recommend "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" if you are looking for a great fiction read/listen).
And even though I only got three photos of the two of them together, I didn't fight when one kiddo didn't want to take photos; I am happy that I got 1:1 photos with each kiddo when they were feeling up to cooperating.
And when I finally said "Listen you two, Momma wants a smiling photo of all of us together. Are you ready?" they complied...
Probably the most surprising event that helped make this trip mine, was discovering that one of our Bamboo families from Minnesota just happened to be vacationing in San Diego at the same time as us! We met (for the first time face to face!) for breakfast and fellowshipped freely. What a blessing to be able to speak the same language, if you will, with other like minded adoption families. This time together fed me.
(Also, Isaac was the most perfect little gentleman to his new little friend Will)
We did it. We had a successful vacation, just the three of us and we found ways for all of us to have a great time. This makes me excited for what lays ahead of us in the future!
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