California, here we come!

In 2 days we are flying out to sunny California to visit my brother and sister-in-law!  My parents are also making the trip with us!  We'll be spending most of our time in San Diego, where they live, but we will be spending 2 fun filled, exhausting days at Disneyland!  Riley loves Mickey Mouse, but I don't think he quite understands that he is actually going to see where Mickey lives.  He's also excited to go to the beach! 

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  I should have taken full advantage and slept in (which I sort of did), let my husband cook me breakfast, and done absolutely nothing productive all day.  That would have been wonderful.  But instead I had an english muffin for breakfast, then spent hours washing, drying, and folding 7 loads of laundry, vaccuuming, and preparing to leave for a week.  I didn't even get to the packing. At least we celebrated Mother's Day Friday night (a delicious dinner at Red Lobster), and on Saturday with my husband's family (including a relaxing pedicure with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who is expecting her first baby in December!).  We also had homemade ice cream while visiting Ryan's grandmother!

I made my usual packing list, and it keeps growing and growing and growing...  How do 2 little kids require so much stuff?!  The list for me and Ryan is very short.  Basically clothes, toothbrushes, and pj's.  But Riley and Elijah need toys to be entertained, favorite blankets to be comforted, special baby shampoo's and soaps, burp rags for Elijah's near constant spitting up and drooling, and of course, diapers.  Riley will just be in disposables full time while we're there (he usually does cloth part time at home), which we will have to make a special trip to Target to get once we arrive in San Diego so I don't have to take up precious space in their suitcase (keeping in mind that 50 lb weight limit on $25 checked bags).

But for Elijah, I plan on using cloth full time still, even at Disneyland. My husband suggested just using sposies while we're there so I don't have to "deal with the diaper laundry" (which I don't mind at all!). My answer to that was, "You can deal with all the poop blowouts, then." He had no response. That's just another reason I LOVE cloth diapers...no more poop blowouts!!!

I almost think I'm a little nuts, though. I don't want to pack any of the cloth diapers in our checked luggage. I don't want to take the chance of losing them if something happens to our luggage. I could deal with replacing clothes, toothbrushes, shoes, etc. But I don't want to part with my cloth diapers! Yes, I said my cloth diapers, even though I'm not the one who wears them! Not to mention the cost of replacing them. So they will go in a carryon bag, where I can keep them close.

Getting ready for this trip just reminds me of Riley's first plane ride.  He was about 10 months old, and we flew out to Phoenix to visit my brother.  He slept the entire flight.  I don't think we'll be so lucky this time.  He's much too busy now!  Here's a couple of pictures from that plane ride.  The first is Ryan, Riley, and me waiting to board the plane.  The second is my little bald baby completely passed out!

So, the next couple of days are going to be C-R-A-Z-Y.  I have to pack for the four of us, and I'm sure I will forget something, as I always do.  As much as I'm looking forward to being in San Diego to visit my brother and sister-in-law, I'm not looking forward to traveling with 2 young kids.  I wish we could teleport!  That would be so much easier!  I'm ready to be there, not get there.  I'm not even allowing myself to think about the trip home, yet.

But I'm sure the stress of traveling will all melt away when I see Riley's face light up at Disneyland!  Or as we're building a sand castle at the beach.  Or going to a baseball game.  Or just spending time together as a family.  We will be making memories that will never be forgotten, that we can look back on and smile.