May 31, 2012

Weddings, Airplanes, and Brown Paper Bags


My sister is getting married in less than two months.  I am so excited I have a hard time falling asleep at night.  Thoughts of flower girl dresses and wedding shoes slip between thoughts of what else we need to buy and pack.  (Yes, we have over a month and I am already thinking about packing.  That's how I roll.)

When I'm not occupied with images of clothes (the girls' and mine) and giddy with excitement to be in New York again, I have moments of panic.  You see, this three hour flight will be the first the girls will ride on a plane.  How in the world are we going to survive being confined in our seats on a loud and never-before-experienced airplane?  (And how in the world did my parents do it so frequently with my sister and me?)

While I am in the bed hyperventilating about the flight, Adam is next to me having nightmares about the wedding ceremony.  Because I am so honored to be my sister's matron of honor (even though I'm married I swear it sounds better to be the maid of honor), Adam will be stuck wrangling the two little flower girls who will most likely not be cooperating and sweetly walking down the aisle.  Also most likely not sitting quietly and ever-so-angelically through the matrimonial proceedings.

I'm sure that once we survive the flight (we will survive the flight, right?) my anxiety will transfer to the two-year-old's and four-year-old's behavior for the big wedding weekend.  (Because that's how I roll too.  What's next to worry about?  Got it.)  But I can't look that far ahead.  The flight anxiety is enough for now.

Mostly I'm happy to obsess about the details -- the clothes to buy, the toys (distractions) to bring, the fun to be had.  If you have any though, I sure wouldn't mind air travel tips with little ones.  Otherwise I'll just pack my brown paper bag.  You know, for breathing into as my children scream and cry and get us kicked off the plane.


xo,
Christine



8 comments:

  1. You WILL survive the flight. Promise. Sounds like it's going to be a wonderful event!! :) Can't wait to hear about it...

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  2. Your girls will be fine! Just bring lots of snacks, coloring books & crayons, a portable movie player and their favorite movies/shows. It may seem like a lot but it really works. I've been flying with my girls for so long that they actually pack up their stuff on their own now. They know what keeps them happy being tied up for that long.
    Don't stress yourself out about it. Enjoy the fun parts to this like the dresses, shoes and watching your little girls be a part of something wonderful! :-)

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    1. I think the DVD player will be the life saver. I just hope they don't fight over it.

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  3. My advice for a smooth plane ride: gifts. Buy several cheap airplane friendly gifts (paint-with-water books, coloring books, magnadoodle, travel games, etc) and wrap them. Every hour or so, let them unwrap a new gift. (Don't forget trip home too). I always ended up bringing home extra gifts because I over estimated how much entertainment they needed. Suckers for take-off and landing. Headphones for the DVD player. Snacks. It will go better than you think. :)

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    1. Oh, the ride back. I would've totally forgotten!

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Any thoughts? I'd love to hear from you!