toddler travel

Except for a few beach trips, Joe and I haven't been on a vacation since our honeymoon. We decided to make our next vacation a trip to see his sister who moved to Los Angeles a few years ago. There aren't any direct flights from Birmingham so we had a short layover in Las Vegas with a plane change both ways. Total air travel time ranged from 6-7 hours.  Meaning, we had to pack light, plan for 2 takeoffs/landings each way, pack meals and figure out how to entertain a 19-month old toddler in the square footage of a shoebox. 

We packed two backpacks and two suitcases- one with clothes and one with all the other essentials. We ditched the stroller and the pack n' play and opted for co-sleeping and walking/carrying. The suitcases were checked and the backpacks had all the diapering/snack/entertainment necessities. I had been tempted to buy a better diaper bag but I'm glad I didn't. We pretty much accepted the tourist look throughout the trip. Backpacks are so much more comfortable than shoulder bags and I was thankful for it on the plane and in Disneyland. 

I bought an adorable little backpack from Pottery Barn and loaded it with toys, snacks and food packs for Emmy. It got a little heavy so we had to stuff the whole thing into Joe's backpack. In the end, we only needed two toys: a magnadoodle and a plane that lights up with a fan. Those entertained her the whole entire plane ride there and back (12 hours of entertainment)! Oh, and she shredded some magazines but we got permission first. 

We laughed every time we picked a seat because we didn't buy Emmy her own seat so both of our long flights were packed and some unfortunate soul would get stuck next to us. That's part of why we decided to board as soon as possible: so other people would know what they were signing up for. We flew Southwest and got "A" for all except one flight. Turns out, if you have young kids, you can go at the end of the "A" section even if you have a "C". So, I could have saved $25 on the early bird fees. 

We also took the window/middle seat despite advice to take the aisle. I didn't want to trap someone in if Emmy fell asleep and I knew the window could be entertaining. That really worked well for us, if our seat mate went to the bathroom, so did we. We would make small talk and introduce Emmy then do our best to keep her content. The take off was exciting to her, she would give us her "surprise face" and giggle. The landing didn't face her much at all. I packed her sippy cup with water to help her swallow to keep her ears from popping but her habit of sucking her fingers took care of that. 

The loud "wind" sound in an airplane is similar to her sound machine so I shouldn't have been surprised that it would sooth her. She slept on most of the flights, about an hour at a time. She even slept through a landing!

When we did land, everyone would perk up around us and brag about how good and sweet she was. We gave her plenty of attention and entertained her with everything we could find but we didn't allow her to scream and kick or do anything to make someone else's trip uncomfortable. 

I was so thankful that she is a good kid (most of the time) and I was glad not to lug around anything. Checking bags always makes me nervous but when we were running from one flight to another, I was happy to only need my backpack and kid to go. Oh, but if you can afford to buy your toddler a seat- DO IT. When she had her own seat, Joe and I could breathe so much easier and she was happy to have her own space too. And yeah... so this guy was actually really nice but totally photobombed my picture!

The only issue we had after all 4 flights happened when we got home. Somebody took our big suitcase home with them and we had to wait 2 days for them to return it. I was so thankful that it wasn't our bag full of "essentials" and the one they took only had dirty clothes. Southwest had nothing to do with that mistake but they gave us $50 off our next flight. So, where to go next!?

malibu beach

Part 1:
 The travel should be part 1. Chronologically, that would make sense. But I didn't use my fancy camera while traveling. And that post is going to be useful and well thought out. This post is just about Malibu Beach. It's also mostly just pictures. 

Malibu was my favorite part of our trip (yes, even better than Disneyland!). Ashlyn told us the temperature drops when you get over the mountain and close to the beach. I believed her but it wasn't until I felt it that I truly understood the difference. It's like going from summer to fall instantly. As soon as we could see the Pacific, I mentally made a check on my bucket list.  Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and now the Pacific Ocean and it did not disappoint.

After we climbed down the particularly steep and slightly dangerous terrain, we were greeted with heavy waves crashing on rocks. The beach reminded me of the beach in Scotland. This sand is not soft and fine like on the gulf coast. The water is cold and the sound of waves crashing sounded like thunder. I loved it. I love to be around the beach but I hate the Florida heat and humidity. I could live in Malibu forever. Except, of course, it's apparently very expensive.