No planes, just trains and automobiles...

Earlier this week, we returned from our big train/road trip across the Midwest to visit Matt's brother Dan and sister-in-law Stephanie in Indianapolis. A few months ago, I looked into the possibility of taking the Amtrak train to visit them. I scoured their website, had many long phone conversations with their customer service people, and picked the brain of some friends who had made the same trip, all trying to determine if this was something that would work for our family of five. We decided to go for it and booked our round-trip tickets from Dallas to St. Louis! That's as close to Indianapolis as we could get by train because of where the rails run, so from there we rented a van to drive the rest of the way to Indy.

We left mid-week after much anticipation! We packed our suitcases, some backpacks full of new toys to entertain the kids on the train, and hoped for the best. The train left from Union Station in downtown Dallas so we headed down there after lunch. The kids were very obedient and excited and we didn't have to wait in the station long before the announcement was made to head out to the tracks to meet the train!

Waiting for the train

Leaving Dallas

We boarded the train around 3:45pm and were off! We had reserved the Family Bedroom and the kids were excited that they would get to sleep in bunk beds (which did have a strap that connected from the side of the bed to the ceiling so no one would fall off - which made mommy happy). The seats converted into beds and Oliver and Matt slept on the top bunks, and Gabriella and I slept on the bottom bunks (Melia got to share a bed with me).

Heading out of town... while Matt listens to the end of the Rangers playoff game!

The train had a dining car and lounge car both of which we visited many times. We had dinner on the train which was a neat experience... watching the landscape pass by as we ate. They had booths like a regular restaurant and the meals were included in the price of our ticket. The food not very good though :( But everything was a new experience which, fortunately, my kids love! They were happy to eat their chicken nuggets and spaghetti and meatballs and have their chocolate ice cream for dessert.

Bedtime was easier for some than others. Let's just suffice it to say that our darling middle child is too social for her own good. But after a few hours of fighting it, she too drifted off to sleep. Melia slept like an angel all swaddled up. We were all up bright and early at 4am though as the excitement of the ride woke them early. I didn't sleep very well either (stops and starts of the train, 3:30am potty trips with our newly potty trained daughter), so I was more than happy to stop trying to sleep and get up with the kids. We had some sweet moments all cuddled in my bed talking about silly things... like who do you know that snores and "Mom, do animals sleep?" A very sweet moment.

We arrived in St. Louis around 7:30am, and were so happy to get to visit with our friends the Szymanski's who had recently moved there from Dallas. Eric was kind enough to pick us up from the train station and take us to get our rental car. Then we got to spend a few hours at their house!! The kids loved playing with their toys and their friends Jeremiah and Kaylie, and getting to stretch out and run after being in the train all night. Matt and I enjoyed getting to shower and clean up a bit after wearing the same clothes for close to 24 hours.

Our silly kids posing for a picture

We were so happy to get to reconnect with them, introduce them to Melia, and see their new home! They kindly fed us lunch and sent us on our way. Next stop Indianapolis. Stay tuned for more from our trip...