Adventures in an Airport

Do you see the cuteness I get to deal with here?

This post is going to have to require from you two things.  1) an ability to picture the scene I will try to paint with words and 2) a sense of humor.  

This morning I went to the airport.  Me and two minivans and three carseats and four other adults and a tired toddler and a couple boys and two infants.  

Yeah.

I built a lot of arm muscle carrying a carseated infant in each hand through the check-in line.  We also had multiple large suitcases and one double jogger.  People around us smiled at the babies, and smiled more, and then wondered how we were going to survive.  One man offered to help, but I kindly refused -- maybe I looked ridiculous saying "I got it", but I just didn't see how he could actually make himself useful.  Sometimes you just have to buckle down, carry the babies, and shuffle the suitcases.  

Once we got up to the actual check-in, we stood at the computer screens, surrounded by a sea of baggage, hurriedly taking babies out of carseats and holding them in arm.  Katrina and I each took one while Kelsey tried to corral Zoe and get the bags figured out at the same time.  The check-in lady asked the babies' names and made them their own boarding passes, and somehow we walked away from the counter with every child we had arrived with and all necessary boarding passes.  

And then we fought the REAL battle.  Security.  By this time, Randy and Jill who had been parking had joined back up with us, and we headed in, ready for anything.  Katrina and I took turns holding both babies so that the other could get her jacket off to put in the scanner, it was like there were a million computers to take out and put back into bags, we directed unsuspecting people away from behind us in line, and somehow made it through.  The man had to inspect every single bottle we had brought with water for formula in it, and when Katrina reached out to take one she thought he was done with he barked "Don't touch that.  I have to check all of them."  

We took turns carrying multiple bags each and chased an energetic toddler and carried babies through the hall and finally found a spot to rest and get more smiles from people passing us.  

Once we got on the actual plane, Mercy started crying and I worked to console her while having one of those panic moments: "Oh my goodness...what if the baby I'm holding spends the flight screaming??"  But she didn't...instead she went peacefully to sleep in my arms and let me and Katrina (who held a sleeping Anna) have a quality conversation.  Imagine that.

The rest of the day included waiting in the airport for our rental van, driving to Cincinnati from Indianapolis, a stop for food at Wendy's (I have been so hungry today -- it's crazy!), a visit to the famous Cincinnati Vineyard, and Skyline.  

Skyline was quite the experience...Randy and Kelsey had been raving about it to us for a long time.  They had to explain to us about a million times the difference between a three-way and a five-way, and when the waitress asked us what we wanted, we stammered and stared at Randy to just dictate what should be gotten. It's definitely the opposite of health food, and they have bibs that they hand out, which I don't understand because it's not like you're eating ribs.  Katrina made me wear one, and I felt ridiculous (because I looked ridiculous).  I got a three-way and one conie, no onions.  Let the Skyline eater understand.

Oh, Skyline.  I basically had no choice but to be impressed with you, even though your "chili" isn't really chili.  That's okay, I'll like you anyways.