Noah was a big helper loading bags in the back of our van.
Our trip officially began a few minutes before 11:00 a.m. as we piled the adults, kids, and luggage into our van for our short drive to the airport. On our way, we made a short lunch stop at our favorite Fleur Drive Chinese fast food place, Tsing Tsao, where Amanda and I shared our Mongolian Beef order with Joy and the kids.
Emmie and Noah enjoyed looking at our plane before boarding in Des Moines.
Presenting our passports, gathering our boarding passes and making our way through the security line was as smooth as always at the well-run Des Moines International Airport. Both Emmie and Noah loved roaming the hallways and particularly looking out the window at the plane on which we would be riding for the first leg of our trip. Four adults managing five carry-on, four personal bags, two kids, and a stroller posed a bit of a challenge, but we managed and we were quickly in Chicago.
Noah fell into a deep sleep… at the end of the first flight.
After a short nap at the end of the plane, it took the presence of moving walkways to awake Noah from his slumber and more importantly, drop his demand to be carried. He loved riding on the people movers, particularly the below-ground setup which connected Concourse C to Concourse B in our terminal.
We posed for a photo at the end of the O’Hare moving walkway.
Once finding our gate for the flight to Edinburgh, we took turns exploring the terminal and buying food. Noah couldn’t get enough of the messy cheesy popcorn from Garrett’s while it took a strawberry banana smoothie from Jamba Juice to put an end to Emmie’s crying. Between exploring, eating, and diaper changes the long layover seemed remarkably short and it wasn’t long before we were settled on the plane.
Seeing “Edinburgh” at the gate made the trip feel more real.
While our flight from Des Moines to Chicago featured seating in United’s Economy Plus section, we weren’t as fortunate for our much longer flight to Edinburgh. While rest isn’t ideal for anyone on an airplane, the kids managed decently, particularly Noah, who slept for at least three straight hours. In the end, we arrived in Edinburgh with a mix of exhaustion and excitement, ready for a fun day ahead.
So much fun to see you guys all traveling together; have safe travels and will be checking back . The kids look like happy campers to me! Best wishes.
-Kris
Hope you made it ok!!! Joy – I kept telling Linden you were in an airplane in the sky! She told me today. Joy in airplane she not here!! Hope you had a good flight!