We are safe, sound, and only a little worse for wear after an amazingly smooth plane trip. Simon was a great little traveler, and he made plenty of friends on the plane. As a family we seem to be weathering the jet lag pretty well—I’m actually enjoying our middle-of-the-night/predawn family times quite a lot. We have been taking it easy and have been so blessed to spend quiet days with our dear friends the O’Donnells. We are having an incredible time.

We’ve been uploading photos to Flickr as we go (and we’ll try to keep up).

Making lots and lots of lists—packing lists, to-do lists, to-buy lists.
Gathering goods from friends and family and U.S. merchants.
Researching carry-on guidelines, luggage limits, fees, etc.; places to go and things to do in Japan; exchange rates; cultural faux pas; tips for traveling with kiddos.
Running errands, all kinds of errands (I actually love running errands).
Wondering if we’ll have timed it right to see the cherry blossoms.
Getting a haircut—finally, finally. I am not exaggerating when I say it has been at least 8 or 9 months.
Counting down—6 days till we leave, 2 days until Jason is off work.
Packing. Well, thinking about packing anyway.

So, we’re taking this little trip to Japan, and I have a feeling that we’re going to have a decent amount of reading time, since the little pumpkin likely won’t want to be out all night dancing. I’m currently reading The Time Traveler’s Wife, but I’m enjoying it so much that I’ll probably be done with it before we go. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’m guessing it might be a three-book vacation (one or two might be more realistic, but better safe than sorry).