December Trip to the States -- Part 1 (Chicago & Wisconsin)

Jeff took time off around the Christmas holidays and we did a trip back to the States. It was a lot of travel -- Dublin to Chicago (fly), 3 days in Chicago, Chicago to Wisconsin (5 hour drive), 3 days in Wisconsin, Wisconsin to Chicago (5 hour drive), Chicago to Orlando (fly), 8 days in Orlando, Orland to Washington DC to Dublin.

This was the first time the majority of both our extended families were meeting the kids, including our great-grandmas.  It was also exciting for me to take the kids back for that annual Sterzinger Christmas celebration. 

Overall, it was a lot of fun, but very exhausting. I don't plan on doing that travel again until 2015 at least.

The airport is what I dreaded most, but the kids were great. In Dublin, we paid for a concierge service that walked us all the way to the gate, including VIP lines through U.S. Immigration and security lines. It saved us so much time and hassle. Then my parents met us in Chicago when we landed to help out.

On the plane, the kids spent almost the whole time playing on the devices we brought. It worked out much better than bringing a bunch of books and toys.

In Chicago, we went out to breakfast the next morning with my parents, my brother and his family, and our family. It shocked me to realize we made a table of 12! 

We stayed with my brother in Chicago and the kids loved it. They shared a bed in the downstairs guest room. There were tons of toys and cousins to play with them, too.

Adele was so happy to see her Grandpa S.  She had a touch of sickness and doesn't travel very well, not to mention jet lag, so she spent a lot of time with Grandpa.

My family!

Driving up to Wisconsin. 

The day we drove up to Wisconsin, we took the kids out to eat at Culvers (yum) and then drove to see the zoo lights. Gordon and Adele loved it. Poor Walt was just exhausted and fell asleep. 

The morning of the 24th, we let the kids open gifts from their Grandma and Grandpa

That afternoon we had the Sterzinger Christmas. The kids loved the big gift exchange. They also loved having tables of food out where they could just step up and sample everything, especially the sweets. I wasn't feeling well that day and ended up spending a lot of the time sitting on the couch or even laying down in my room. 

Meeting Great-Grandma Sterzinger for the first time. We had a mellow, snowy and indoor day on the 25th, then early on the 26th we left for Chicago to begin our travel down to Florida to see Jeff's family.