Polar Express

David treated our family to an evening on the Polar Express again this year. I was a bit nervous going with a baby, but it was a great experience. The weather was perfect (last year it was freezing and there was a huge storm) and all the kids were on their best behavior. They must've known we were going to see Santa. ;) We drank hot cocoa, ate a cookie, sang songs, listened to poems and jokes about Christmas, got to meet Mrs. Claus who gave us a recipe for Santa's favorite Christmas cookies and then met Santa who gave the kids a top. Last year they got a bell (like the book and movie). I'm not sure if there were budget cuts or they ran out of jingle bells, but it didn't seem to be too big of a deal to the kids. Preston was excited to be on a train and finally understands who Santa is to some degree so he really enjoyed it. He was hopping around shouting "ho ho ho" and trying to get the attention of the cocoa chefs. Good thing we were on the back row so we didn't disturb too many riders. :)

I wasn't sure how this would go. Dylan was looking for Santa at the ward Christmas breakfast because he has come before. He even asked me if he could go look on the roof to see if the reindeer were out there. Sure, whatever. Some kid in the hall noticed he was looking for and asking about Santa. Dylan came and told me that some dumb kid told him Santa didn't exist. I shrugged it off and said, "Yeah right." Then he said, "I know, Mom." I asked him what he said and he said me he told the kid, "That is so rude. How would you like it if somebody told you that you didn't exist?" He also told me he thought that kid would probably get a lump of coal in his stocking. Okay, crisis averted...for now. But when Dylan looked up at Santa on the Polar Express it was magical. He completely lit up. "I believe" was written all over his face and his eyes were sparkling with joy. So I think we're okay for another year. But the kid is smart and other kids are mean. I'm telling you, the second my kids stop believing, they will get a huge lecture on keeping the secret safe. Hello, there are only a few years that they are old enough to understand and young enough to still believe. Let them have their moment. Anyway...here are a few pictures I managed to take of our train ride to the North Pole. Marcos was on one at the end of the ride. He was singing the 12 days of Christmas, but filling in all sorts of weird stuff. Remember we're potty training Preston still. Um...yeah. So I am posting a video below for your entertainment.