We finally made it back home after a long 10 hour flight. I was just so grateful we made the flight, the weeks prior they were only releasing a couple space A seats out of Seattle. Thankfully Kyle was with us which bumped us up a category so we made the flight.
We got stuck in the middle row of the airplane which has only three seats. So Kyle and I took turns sitting with the kids, while the other one sat in the row behind the three seats. It wasn't ideal, but it was a free flight so we can't be too picky. The kids were decent and only had a couple melt downs. They didn't sleep as much as we were hoping which made our job more difficult trying to entertain them for 10 hours! By the time we made it to Misawa we were all ready to be back on ground and be home.
We didn't get much down time cause Kyle had to go to work the next day, and I had to teach dance two days later. Abby went back to school after two days and Connor got back into his groove fairly quickly as well. It is official, vacation time is over and now it's time to get back into regular life.
They finished the AC installation in our house unit while we were gone so it was nice to come home to a cool home, but not nice coming home to a home that had furniture everywhere and looked like a battle zone. We had our work cut out for us as we deep cleaned the house and tried to move our furniture back like a game of Tetris in these small town homes. I would say the hardest part is having Kyle go back to work. It was nice that we got a week of him all to ourselves. Now the kids cry when he leaves the house in the morning for work. I try to tell them that he will come home at night, but it's just so hard for their little minds to understand that he is not leaving us again for a while. I think it's safe to say that Abby and Connor are Kyle's biggest fans!
Connor has started going to his Hiyoko gumi class more lately. I try to send him twice a week so he can have the Japanese school experience, social encounter with other kids, and so I can get stuff done. He is having a hard time with separation anxiety and cries every time we leave him (and I mean every time!) This is a new development since we have been back, but we are trying to push through it. I try to let him know we love him and have been giving him extra attention when it's just me and him. I took him to the train park which is right off base while we waited to pick up Abby from school one day and he just loved it! I also signed him up for a tots tumbling class on base and that has been a big hit. He loves to jump on the trampoline and swing on the bar. Maybe he will be like his uncle Blake and like gymnastics. For now, I just love that he has his own little activity since Abby has her dance class. Plus he gets to burn off some of that excess energy that all two year olds seem to posses.
There was an air show in which Kyle and I had to both take turns running the squadron booth to sell apparel. Kyle didn't have to fly in the show, but it was fun seeing some of our friends fly and show off the jets to the public. It's a huge deal and people travel all the way up from Sendai for the air show in Misawa. As fun as it was watching the different planes, I enjoyed watching the Japanese people more! There were several thousands of people crowded along the flight line for the event and the only words I can use to describe the sight are organized chaos. If this took place in America it would probably just be complete chaos, but the Japanese are used to tight spaces, crowds, and are much more patient than us Americans are.
Later this week they also had some "wife rides" available where the wife's could ride a KC135 and watch our husbands refuel in their jets. Unfortunately with my two kiddos and me being pregnant and not really up for ANOTHER flight I didn't get to go, but some of my friends went and snagged some great pictures of Kyle for me. He was flying the D model jet which has two seats instead of one. After seeing the pictures I was sad that I didn't go, but it was a 5 hour commitment and no kids were allowed, so I was kind of obligated to stay home and take care of my kiddos.
If anything the pictures remind me that my husband has an awesome job! It's stressful, high energy, dangerous, and very taxing on him and us as his family, but it is also rewarding. He is our very own hero protecting his family, rights, freedom, and country! And when I think about all the other pilots in our squadron they are all stand up guys making huge sacrifices for our country. I am grateful to know such heroes and proud to be part of such an amazing community.
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