2012 Ogden Airshow

 Alex and Heidi have started to act a lot more like sisters and partners in crime.  They will play together for hours at a time with only minor squabbles, it is heaven.

 Saturday we made the trip up to Hill Air Force Base for the air show.  I remember going to air shows with my Dad and brothers as a kid and so I was excited to share with own my kids (especially the airplane loving one) those great memories.

We drove to Salt Lake and then took the Train to Clearfield and a bus to the base.  The kids went crazy over the train and pointed out every other train they saw (very loudly and enthusiastically) through the window on the ride.  2 minutes after we got off the train and it left, we discovered that Heidi had lost a shoe on the train- this sentenced her to the stroller which she was VERY upset about and I think it dampened the whole exciting airplane thing for her.

 There were so many cool planes all over the place, but there were also a lot of people.

 Alex said her favorite part was walking through the big cargo plane and sitting on the bench.

 My favorite part was seeing all the old planes......

 And watching the MIG jet past and the little planes fly impossible stunts.

 This is what I must have looked like the entire day.

 The forecast said a chance of rain in the afternoon and we were planning on beating any storm that would come anyway.  I donated my socks to Heidi's cause and we let her run around pushing the stroller to stay warm while Tyler and I sat and watched planes fly.

 Alex just wanted to sit in the stroller and sleep.  She was very upset every time the MIG flew by and "woke" her up.  I had packed plenty of snacks but the girls cleaned me out in the first 2 hours.

 It started to get pretty windy and cold around noon.

 The kids didn't seem all that interested in watching planes fall to their death anyway.

 And even Tyler lost interest.

 Michael and Danielle came to see the show and Michael brought a blanket we had called to ask for and he must have been inspired to bring a extra rainjacket.  We almost didn't take the coats because we had decided to leave anyway and wouldn't need them.

 Not two minutes after we made our decision it started to POUR.  Here is Alex as we stood 20 feet from the entrance to a giant airplane hanger, trying to get in.  We gave up on that and decided we might have better luck catching the bus and then the train home.

Here is the line behind us as we waited in the pouring rain for an HOUR just to get on the bus.  In the background you can see a jet, the line wrapped around the jet and down that road as well.

 The girls did well for about 20 minutes and then just cried and cried and cried.  They had raincoats on so were mostly dry, but it was cold and windy and we hadn't brought an umbrella.  A father from behind us in line found some candy and half a bag of crackers in his pocket and brought them up for Alex so she would stop crying.  This nice woman held that red umbrella over Tyler and Heidi the ENTIRE hour.
      I can't explain how desperate we felt right then.  It was miserable, we were soaked and there was nothing we could do but stand in that line.  It felt like a state of emergency, a forecast of Armageddon.  All I could do for my kids was put on a smile and keep telling them that they were ok, and everything was going to be ok.  I got a glimpse into what it might have been like to be a pioneer, and made some mental notes of what to add to the 72 hour kit that I was going to immediately dig out of storage.

 We were able 20 people from a bus when it filled to capacity.  The father of the woman holding the umbrella for Tyler told us to get ahead of him in line and then a family of 4 with 2 older boys, around 12 years old got OFF the bus so we could squeeze on.  As I threw the stroller under the bus I turned around to thank everyone and just started to cry.  I couldn't help it, It really felt as though they had put us on the last life boat off the Titanic.  Heidi perked up after a few minutes on the warm bus.  We were sitting on the floor at the very front of the bus and after a 30 minute ride (which had previously only taken us 5 minutes) the kids were back to their normal selves and we had stopped shivering.

  The moment that stole the whole day though was when the sister of the lady who had held the umbrella, found us on the train platform with a blanket and a bag full of chips and water.  She had been called at home by her father told to come find us and bring us the blanket and food.  What a wonderful family!  As amazing as the air show was, all I can think of is that kindness of all the strangers along the way.

 The train ride was full of soaking families and we all huddled close so there would be room for as many as possible.  Heidi stuffed herself with chips and smeared her fingers on the window and Alex promptly fell asleep.  What had taken us an hour and 20 minutes one way, took 3 hours on the way back.  We drove home, warmed up, watched a movie and went to bed early, SO grateful for all our blessings!