Many thanks to my Dad for all the rides in the last few hours of our Colorado time. He helped Jip fetch his car from the detail place and deliver it to its storage place, ferried us to dinner last night, and took us to the airport this morning.
Our flight from Denver to LAX was uneventful. RJ slept the entire flight. Ryleigh fussed some just before she fell asleep, but the fussing didn't live up to all the eye rolling and self-pitying looks people around us gave when they discovered they would be hanging with 2 kids under 3. See you doubting Thomases? Flying while sitting near young kids is NOT the end of the world after all!
We were reminded today why people hate LAX. It is sooooo stupid to not be able to transfer to a different concourse without exiting the building and then having to resubject yourself and your kids to the TSA sideshow all over again. At least kids don't have to remove their shoes anymore. And, the second time through security in four hours was much calmer for RJ since he was more mentally prepared for having "to have a picture taken" of his backpack.
As for the flight to Tokyo, poor Jip ended up with not one, but two drinks in his lap within 30 minutes of takeoff. The first was his own fault, the second was Ryleigh's. But, after dinner, the boys got to enjoy a few minutes with their personal video monitors.
Ryleigh had a good time, too--but, she didn't care too much about all of the good movies Mom was dying to watch.
It has been a long time since Mom and Dad got to watch a movie. It took us several nights to get through the last Harry Potter. Jip and I were hoping to each get though a movie of our choosing (again--love Singapore Air and their on-demand movies) and get some sleep. You would think with an almost 11 hour flight, with a good part of that being nighttime in Colorado, that we could make that happen. Dream on!! It took about 6 hours, but Jip and I each got a movie in, 10 minutes at a time. I watched Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Jip watched Warhorse. I did manage an hour or so of sleep. Jip not so much.
Anytime Ryleigh and RJ were awake, the flight attendants were glued to our row. Ryleigh got a tour of the entire plane. They managed to get RJ up the stairs on the A380, but he didn't walk the length of the top deck--he got scared and needed his Mom. The flight attendants brought lots of presents for the kids: magnetic "stickers", decks of cards, a Kung Fu Panda activity set, a King Fu Panda scarf, bibs, diapers, and wipes. RJ and Ryleigh had a great time, but they are exhausted. We are hoping for sleep until 6 am, but preparing ourselves for being ready to play at 3 am.
Tomorrow we need to restock the food, unpack, pay some bills, and continue the readjustment to Japan Time.
Our trip was great, and despite the long travel time, it was a great experience for everyone. In fact, we're already discussing what's next on the travel agenda. Mt. Fuji Safari Park is on the agenda sometime in the next month, before it gets too hot. Passport-required travel may happen again in October with a true vaca for us--I'm thinking Singapore or Thailand for beach-type fun. As always, we'll keep ya posted about that.
It's my turn to drive since my hour of sleep was more than Jip's few minutes. More tomorrow night.
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