First plane ride!

We made it to Spain!!! Before I tell you more about this beautiful city, I know all you moms out there want to hear how our flights went with 3 children and way too much luggage in tow. Let me first say that it was not terrible, actually better than expected. Let me next say that traveling with young children is no joke. It was a LONG, exhausting day. We checked in to the Baltimore airport around 6:30am. It was a little unwieldy carrying 3 carseats and all our carry-ons through the airport, but we didn't have to go very far. At first, the kids were excited and entertained watching the planes come and go.

The first flight was very short. We were only in the air for about 30 minutes to get to Norfolk! Alex fell asleep as soon as we boarded and slept right through takeoff and the entire flight, which was amazing. The older two were excited about their first ride and enjoyed the thrill of both the takeoff and the landing, with no complaints. So far, so good.

Then we got to Norfolk, and things got a little more complicated. We landed at Norfolk Intl airport around 9:30 am. We knew we had to collect our baggage and get to the AMC terminal for our next leg. What we didn't realize is that those flights go out of the military airport on the Norfolk Naval base-- a completely different airport! We had planned to take a shuttle to a hotel near the main airport and spend the morning in the pool and the afternoon taking naps, since we didn't have to check in until 5pm for the flight to Spain. However, the shuttle that ran from the civilian airport to the military base left at 2 pm. So... we had to spend a lot of time at the Norfolk intl airport with a HUGE pile of luggage.

The saving grace to the day was the USO! There is a USO lounge in the Norfolk intl airport available to all military members and their families. We were some of the first ones there that morning, so the kids got to relax and watch a movie and eat some free snacks. They had a "quiet room" on one side for resting, so Alex and Danny got naps in the middle of the day, much to everyone's relief. The staff was all very friendly volunteers who kept offering us more candy. :-) Then, when we started getting bored there, it was time to drag all our stuff downstairs to a shuttle bus and ride over to the military base, where we unloaded everything and waited in line for security checks.

 This is the part of the day where the kids started to drag. It took at least an hour to get through the lines at the military airport. Daddy was dragging around both carts of luggage (about 300 pounds!) while I was dragging around the 3 kids (less weight, but more whining!). But FINALLY we made it through all the lines and got to eat some dinner and wait for our 8pm flight. Sophie actually laid down and fell asleep on the floor underneath the benches in the waiting area. Danny enjoyed the USO playroom with tons of toys. And Alex was fussy unless I held him and walked. So it was a relief to finally get onto the plane and get everyone into their seats!

Sophie and Danny went to sleep right away, even before dinner was served. Alex slept on and off most of the night. I was sitting beside him massaging his ears, and it seemed he would wake up every hour, cry for a moment, let me comfort him, then go back to sleep. Frustrating for me, but at least he wasn't that baby on the airplane who screams the entire flight. So, after a 7.5 hour flight, a small amount of sleep, and two in-flight meals, we arrived in Rota!!!!! We were all here together, and our luggage made it to, so even though we were a little tired, it was a GOOD day. Thank you all or your prayers, because I know that is what got us through the part of the journey I had been dreading so much. It was tiring and frustrating, yes, but I expected that, and honestly I am really proud of the kids because I think they did SO WELL putting up with so many lines and waiting periods on their first plane ride. Hooray!