"Test Flight"... and the race to Houston!

Cutest flyer EVER!

Last week we were grateful to have a fun experience with our sweet boy to help prepare him for our upcoming journeys.  We took Mikhail on a short plane ride to Houston to "practice" what he will be doing so much of soon and to (hopefully) make this part of the journey something he looked forward to rather than fretted.  Have I mentioned we've learned it will now be THREE trips to bring Ana home instead of the two trips we took for Mikhail's adoption? Yep, lots and lots of frequent flyer miles will be racked up this year by the Fortner fam. :)

Froggy offers consolation during the bumpy parts

So, thanks to Southwest and their super cheap tickets to Houston, Mikhail and I were dropped off at the airport and than Ken immediately left to continue his journey driving while we flew.  Mikhail LOVED the idea of a race with Papa, and I think Ken felt a bit like he was in a "Top Gear" episode, so he was pretty in to it, too.Do I have the two cutest guys ever, or what???  Practically, this saved us money not having to fly back and it was one less ticket to purchase for the trip there.  At the airport, Mikhail was actually comforted by the security measures ("kind helpers" everywhere!), and he was in AWE watching the planes arrive at the gates while we waited for our flight.  It was truly one of those sweet forever memories watching him fly his little toy plane around as he watched the big planes outside land and take off.  Very cool, very little boy. :)  Boarding was a bit crowded and chaotic but some very sweet people basically said "stand here!" and let us cut in line so we were able to get situated before the plane got too crowded and of course find a window seat for our little flyer.  Things were going well... until the plane started to move.  As we began to back out of our gate, Mikhail looked up at me with pale face and big eyes and just kinda' got really still.  Not good!  Very familiar! Thankfully, some stiff pats on the back and firm reminders of Who really flew the airplanes brought him back within just a minute or two, and he was my happy, albeit nervous, little boy once more.  We've come so far!!!!!  Praise God!  The rest of the flight he was amazed by the beautiful clouds we flew through and giggled loud enough for the entire plane to hear.  We couldn't have asked for better weather or a more beautiful display of God's handiwork.  Once we began our decent (a whole 15 minutes later!), he was glued to the window, getting a bird's eye view of the highways and big trucks he loves so much.  He thought he saw Papa driving down there coming to get us. ;)  The landing was a bit rough, and later was described as his "most not favorite part," but all in all, the test flight was a success!  Once the plane came to a full stop, Mikhail shouted to all who were aboard "I did it!  I did it!"  Yes, you did, little man.  He now has a recent, positive experience to refer to when it is time for us to take all those much longer 14 hour+ flights to Russia.  The icing on the cake was the flight attendant who invited us in to see the pilot, a kind, warm man who let Mikhail sit in the seat next to him and push the throttle!  What a great way to end our little adventure!

Ken admits he was a bit jealous of this part ;)

Oh, and the race?  A perfect tie!  I texted Ken when we arrived at the baggage claim area right as he was pulling into the parking garage.  So, next time you need to get from Austin to Houston in a hurry, save yourself a few pennies and drive, knowing for sure you aren't losing any time!