We were able to go on a family vacation to Illinois. Amanda and Solomon are living there while Solomon is going to dental school so we knew we needed to get out and see them while we had the chance. We chose to go over Fall Break so the kids wouldn’t miss too much school and it was a great decision!
We were able to get airline tickets for the whole family from Mark’s boss which made traveling much more easy and quick! The kids were so excited to go on a plane again. Sariah was probably the most excited! She kept asking me if it was time to go on the plane and when I told her not yet, she was not very happy with me.
The Nairs live on the border of Missouri and Illinois so the we were able to get flights into the St. Louis airport which is about 35 minutes from Alton. We got up early on Oct 15 and headed to the airport to begin our family vacation. We were able to get everyone through security easily and on the plane. The flight was only 2 hours so the kids did really well. They colored and played games to pass the time. Chad slept for most the flight which was so nice! When we got to the airport, we grabbed our bags and made our way to the car rental agency to pick up our rental van. Amanda met us there with some carseats which was so nice!
After getting things all loaded, we headed to go see the St. Louis Gateway Arch. On our way to the arch, we almost got hit by a semi-truck. It was a good thing that we said our prayers and asked for safety! We were truly blessed! After a scary drive, we finally made it to the arch. It was a bit chilly outside but we enjoyed our walk to the arch. It was huge! It stands over 650 ft high! We were able to go up to the top of the arch and look out over St. Louis and the Mississippi River. It was so cool to see the entire landscape! The kids thought riding up in the tram was pretty cool. They thought it looked like a time machine. They also had fun looking out and being high up in the sky. After going up to the top, we took a quick break to feed the babies and look around at the displays inside the arch before heading back to Amanda’s house. While taking a picture outside the arch, we ran into someone from Delta of all places! What a small, small world!
We drove to the Nair’s house in Alton and met up with Solomon. They have such a cute house and were so excited to get to see it and stay with them for this vacation! We got settled and enjoyed a nice dinner with the family. We stayed up a little too late talking and letting the kids play but that is what being on vacation is all about!
