The Polar Express and Other Adventures

I have to say that this Christmas season feels like the best ever, mainly because Asher is CRAZY about Christmas. I thought he enjoyed it last year, but it's nothing compared to his excitement level this year. It's so fun to see the delight on his face over everything related to Christmas, from decorating the house and tree to searching out our elf, Mason, every morning, to watching Christmas cartoons, to seeing Santa. I love Christmas and seeing it through his eyes brings me that much more joy.

Because of this, I was so happy that we booked a Polar Express train ride many months ago, knowing that this would be a good age for him to go, but not realizing how perfect it would really turn out to be. We had told Asher a few weeks ago that we were going, and he had been counting down the days. The day of, he said, "Guess what? Today is the Polar Express! Yay!!!" and literally jumped with joy. I was definitely so full of excitement myself.

Asher also really, really wanted to see snow and to also have a snowball fight (which he'd seen on a Christmas movie). Thankfully, there was tons of snow still on the ground, and he got his wish. It was also bitterly cold and windy, and it took me back to Colorado winters, and do you know that I guess I don't miss that one bit? Too bad Asher doesn't really remember the snow from when we lived there because he would definitely enjoy playing in it now.

Snowball fight!

Getting ready to board the train!

Later, we got into our pajamas and went to board the train. When we arrived at our train car, the "Chef" was there to collect our tickets. They are in charge of the hot chocolate and cookies and also serve as your guide to the North Pole. This guy had tons of personality and really added an element of entertainment.

Asher handing his ticket to the chef

Asher could hardly wait to get going and was so excited!

We made the journey up to the "North Pole," and it was so fun to watch Asher's face through it all. And then Santa came aboard and said hello to all the kids and gave them each a bell.

Asher getting his bell from Santa - he was in awe!

 

Ava, not surprisingly, was not into this at all and cried when she couldn't wander the aisle and get off the train when she was ready to be done. But Asher had more than enough fun to make up for it.

That night, Ava had a really horrible time sleeping. She didn't want to sleep in the pack n play, and when I tried to bring her into bed with me, that didn't work either. The result was about two hours sleep total, and it was a painful night! And the next day, we discovered our car battery was dead. Fortunately, we got a jump pretty quickly from AAA and then got a new battery when we got back home. Despite these rough spots, we have so many great memories from this trip, and I'm so glad we did it. Maybe we can go again when Ava is older and is also enjoying the magic of Christmas!

That smile says it all!