There's no place like home...

Here's a picture of Malik on the final plane ride home after we had landed in Moline. What the smile doesn't tell you is the following:

*We were significantly delayed leaving Houston. They were 'troubleshooting' the air conditioner in the plane we were on. They apparently didn't do a very good job, since about 20 minutes into the flight it was blowing hot air on the back half of the plane (where we were sitting) and freezing cold air on the front half of the plane. By the time we landed, I was sweating.

*Since we were so delayed leaving Houston, we barely made our connecting flight in Detroit. When I say barely, I really mean it. Words do not describe...my mom carrying Elias in her arms while I ran (sprinted) across the Detroit airport with Malik in the stroller ("Hold on tight!") trying to get to the gate on time. We were the last ones on the plane and had no time to stop at the bathroom or get anything for dinner. We didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that we weren't stuck in Detroit.

*By the time we landed in Moline, got all of our stuff into the van, and got to a restaurant, it was 9:00 before any of us ate dinner. The boys were troopers and deserve an A+ for their traveling skills!