American adventures

We’ve been back home from our 5 week whirlwind trip to America for a while now. We had to quickly adjust back to reality and routine. We struggled with jetlag and only had a weekend to recover. Nicholas and Phil were back to school and work the following Monday. Catherine and I had playgroup in the morning and were exhausted by the end of it. But we all got through the first week and it got a bit easier from there.

Flights to and from Los Angeles were not as bad as last time with the kids. With Catherine being older, she was entertained by the in-flight entertainment and was fine to go to sleep when she got tired. Nicholas got a bit of motion sickness when we landed at LAX. This actually helped us get through customs and immigration quicker when one agent noticed Nicholas sitting on the floor, looking unwell.

From L.A. images

It was fun being a tourist in L.A. We showed the kids more of where we used to live and work. We spent time catching up with some family and friends and took the kids to museums and Legoland theme park (which was a big hit!). Phil also left us in L.A. for a few days to attend a conference in Austin, Texas. After he returned, we made a short trip to San Diego, stayed in West L.A. for a few days and threw a baby shower for my best friend. It’s always lovely to see the children enjoy our family and friends’ company.

From N&C Gallery

After 2 ½ weeks in L.A., we flew to Chicago. We did a lot with the kids during our 10 day stay. More museums, an aquarium, a zoo and even a baseball game. Chicago is a great bustling city and a fun place to take public transport with the kids. They enjoyed taking trains, buses and the water taxi. Phil had more conferencing as well and on those days it was sometimes tough managing the kids alone. It was then that I realised I’ve spent more time with them on this trip than I usually do at home. It’s no wonder I was sometimes on the brink of losing my sanity. Thank goodness for my breaks at Starbucks.

From Chicago images

Our last stop was San Francisco and by this time I think we were so ready to go home. Phil didn’t particularly enjoy his day at the conference. At least we had another friend in town to join us in our excursions and we were also able to meet up with some family.

From SF images

Legoland in San Diego, eating our favourite food in L.A., Millennium Park and watching a baseball game in Chicago and swing dancing at Union Square in San Francisco were among the highlights. Our social butterfly made a few friends along the way and scored a bottle of bubbles in Tustin, an apple in Legoland and cotton candy (fairy floss) in Lincoln Park Zoo from total strangers. It was a positive experience overall. We made lots of wonderful discoveries as a family on our extended holiday and we’re looking forward to our next one wherever it will be.