You know, travelling with two kids under two creates a bit of anxiety in me. We planned to fly to Illinois on December 20 to spend a few days with my family. Alex hadn't been to Illinois in a year and he was actually able to get a few days off in a row.
(Pick your jaws up off of the floor. It really happened.)
I did all of the packing, shopping, prepping, etc. Alex was not allowed to help...and he was only allowed a certain amount of jeans/shoes/underpants/etc. I run a tight ship here and I know how to pack for four including an infant and toddler. I was able to fit everything we needed, including Christmas presents, in 3 checked bags and three carry ons. Perfection.
We left our house around 5:30 am. so we could be at the airport by 7 am. Our flight was due to leave at 9 am. The lines were long. I dropped Alex and Charlotte off at the curb. It took me forever to merge back out into traffic to get around into the parking garage. What a cluster. We got all checked in (a cluster.) We got through security. (A cluster.) And we got to our airplane. PHEW!!!! I was so relieved. The flight was uneventful and both kids slept. (Another PHEW! Forehead wipe.)
Upon arrival into St. Louis, we actually landed early. Mom was there waiting for us right outside of security. When Charlotte saw mom, she screamed "GIGI's" and Alex put her down. She took off running (was running in place for a second which was hilarious) and then she bit it and fell face first on the floor. No problem. She got right back up and took off running. She was SO HAPPY to see her Gigi. We went to baggage claim. We got two of our checked bag right away. HOWEVER, Alex's bag did not come. We waited. We waited some more. We waited some more. I finally said, "Dude, your bag isn't here." Well, a third of the flight was missing their suitcases. The chick at the AirTran/Southwest counter was a waste of time and money. However, a manager finally stepped in. Turns out some of the bags got held up on one of the conveyer belts. After 45 minutes of waiting, we had his bag. (Another phew!)
We loaded up in Mom and Dad's Yukon and headed for Peoria. St. Louis to their house is 2.5 to 3 hours. So we stopped halfway and went to Walmart for a few things and got some lunch at Steak N Shake. Amazing. It started snowing while we were in Walmart and the wind was really blowing. We took back off to mom and dad's house and ended up in a nice Winter Weather Warning the rest of the way. We made it there safe and sound, though. Charlotte is NOT a fan of the cold. She keeps yelling, "TOLD!" So funny.
Dad made it home from work.
Aunt Bare was so excited to see these crazy kids.
I am pretty sure everyone is really excited here :)
When we got to Mom and Dad's house, we pulled into the garage bc it was snowing. As we pulled in, so did Mary. She came into the garage to say "hi" and Charlotte was still in her carseat. Charlotte started going CRAZY. She was screaming "BARE! BARE! BARE!" She was NUTS. We were all laughing hysterically.
She loves her Aunt Bare.
It just kept snowing! We went up to Metamora to get Sawyer's haircut. When we got home, we had to see about all of the snow in the driveway.
Big Coat. CHECK. Snowboots. CHECK. Papa. CHECK.
She was loving it....and NOT wearing gloves. Mother of the Year award.
So excited.
"Dad, what is this stuff?"
I wasn't having as much fun as these two Southern kids were.
It was a LONG day but it was fabulous. Love being back in Illinois around Christmas Time. There is nothing like it.
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