"Das!"

Even before Allen knew how to point, he has always been obsessed with flying objects in the sky. We would clearly point them out overhead and say, "plane" or "copter" depending on whether it was an airplane or a helicopter, but Allen made it quite obvious that he had his own word for what he saw so high in the sky. Fortunately for Allen, we have a ton of airplane and helicopter traffic crossing the skies right above our house, and just as airports have radar, we have Allen pointing out and shouting, "Das" making sure we are all aware that something is flying in clouds above us. And make no mistake about it, Allen is just as good as radar is too... for there's plenty of times where he'll spot and point out planes that we can't even see!  

So given Allen's apparent love for all IFO's (Identified Flying Objects)... Auntie Joanne came up with a brilliant idea. Being a plane lover herself, she thought Allen would love to join her & Wela one Saturday afternoon to go "plane spotting!" And what better place in L.A. to go plane spotting than right next door to LAX. Just outside of the airport's property lies a rather small grassy public area perfect for spotting planes on their approach for landing. It also happens to be conveniently located right across the street from the oh-so-delicious In-N-Out Burger, so it's perfect for an afternoon burgers and planes picnic.

We left Daddy at home sleeping, while Allen & I drove up to L.A. and picked up Auntie Joanne & Wela. When we first arrived, Allen was just as happy as could be running around with his Wela and enjoying the nice cool weather... but being that it was LAX, it didn't take long before the first plane roared over our heads which quickly got his attention!

Being the LAX plane spotting aficionado that she is, Auntie Joanne made sure to point out where the planes would suddenly appear... and where exactly they would land!

Joanne also knew that there would be a total of three A380 Airbus' that afternoon, landing all within 90 minutes of each other, so it was especially exciting to wait and see the big boys come in as Allen nor I had ever seen one up close before... or one flying a hundred feet or so above our heads for that matter!

         

Just to give you an idea of how big those A380's are... the plane in the photo above on the left is what we usually fly when we go see Mojo and Dado in Florida, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737. And the one on the right is a Singapore Airlines A380 Airbus. If you can't tell just how big it is in the picture... actually being there and seeing it fly over will surely convince you.   

After a yummy lunch, a couple dozen airplanes flying over our heads, and playing with Wela, Allen sure was one very happy boy!

What a great idea on a an absolute perfect day! Allen loved seeing all the planes, and I loved seeing Allen so incredibly happy. What a fun afternoon.