How We Roll

Traveling internationally with two little tykes is something that you never really look forward to. Our strategy has been to realize up front that it's going to be crazy and just roll with it. It saves alot of stress, headaches, arguments, spankings and statements of disbelief about what someone just did or what just happened. You know how it's impossible to explain to young married people without kids what it's like to have kids? Well, in the same way, it's also impossible to explain to others what it's like to criss-cross continents, time zones, climates and cultures with a 2 and a half year old and a 5 month old in tow.


That being said, we have two boys who are GREAT travelers! Caden and Corban both just go with the flow and don't cause a ruckus. Corban is at an especially great age for traveling; as long as he's sleeping, breastfeeding or flirting with filght attendants, he's happy. Caden can be a little more testy at times, but hey, he's two years old and we put him through alot :)

So without further ado, here is a photo safari of our lives while traveling through airports, airplanes, tarmacs, customs, transfer buses, trams, and the madness that inevitably ensues :)
We have this cool thing that straps a car seat to a carry on suitcase for easy transport through airport terminals. Caden just rolls through airports people-watching and enjoying the ride. I usually frown on people who put leashes on their children in airports and other public settings, but is this really that different??? Hmmmm...At least we don't have to wonder where Caden is all the time, and he seems to like it just fine. This gadget is appropriately named the "Tote-a-Tot".
Where would we be without our Bjorn?!?!? The Baby Bjorn is a Swedish-made contraption that makes hauling a baby through the airport much easier than it should be. Corban loves the view and we love the easiness of it. His times in the Bjorn are some of Corban's biggest opportunities to flirt with anyone and everyone he meets!
Waiting. Sitting. Reading. Snacking. Being flexible. We do alot of all of these things while hopping ponds between our two homes. Caden needs lots of distractions at his age, and thankfully airports are full of them! We don't have a picture of it, but you know those things that are like flat escalators that easily gain hurried travelers a good 7 seconds between gates while heading to gate 197? Yeah, Caden loves those. He and Brett have probably walked on those things enough to be the equivalent of walking from Detroit to Nashville a few dozen times, but hey, whatever works :)
This is always nice: a sleeping baby means a few minutes rest for either mommy or daddy while waiting for the next flight. Why EITHER mommy or daddy, and not both? Five letters: C-A-D-E-N!!!
You now how you board a plane, see some little kids, and pray that you're not near them? Normally this is justified, because small children are at the very bottom of the pantheon of good travelers. Not so with our two sweet boys; without fail, on every flight we take, somebody comments on our boys and how good they were on the long flight or how sweet they were to flash their handsome grins their way...

Maybe it's genetics. Maybe it's our stellar parenting. Maybe it's that God knew we couldn't handle unruly kids! Whatever the reason, He chooses to bless our comings and goings. We thank Him for the opportunity to travel and see the world, and to share it with our two little boys, who will hopefully read this one day and now that they are blessed...