The North Pole Express

Last weekend we made the trip to Fort Worth to celebrate Kaylee's Birthday with Cary's Mom (Grandma)and sister (Rae-Rae) as well as to attend a wedding. Since we were making the trip around Christmas we decided to go ride the North Pole Express in Grapevine. It sounded really neat and I was sure that the girls would enjoy it. I did make one mistake by telling Campbell before we left Abilene that we were going to ride the train. The whole trip she talked about the train. I did put the Polar Express movie in the DVD player to pass the time but that did not keep her from talking about riding the train every few minutes. Once we arrived the girls were so excited to be in their pajamas and ready to board the train. Lucky for us there were different activities for the girls to participate in such as making an ornament, seeing Santa, looking at different Christmas decorations, and eating a yummy carnival type dinner. Speaking of Santa both girls did so well sitting on Santa's lap this year. I was not sure about Campbell at first but she perked up and did great. Of course, I cannot post the picture because my scanner is not working so you will all have to take my word on the fact that it turned out really cute.

Before boarding the train there was a mini concert by an up and coming music artist. The girls really enjoyed the Christmas songs but did not want to join the other children on stage for a sing-a-long session.They were more than happy to just sit in their seats with the rest of us and sing there. When it was time to get on the train I thought both of the girls were going to explode with joy and excitement. I had no idea what to expect but was pleasantly surprised by the train ride. Each train car was decorated in different Christmas decor and there were a few people dressed up who sang songs from the Polar Express movie and danced in the aisle. Of course, before we started moving the conductor came around and stamped all the tickets and said a friendly word or two to the girls. Campbell had a huge smile on her face and I think Kaylee actually stopped being shy for a moment to say "hello" to him. Once all the tickets were stamped the train started to move. This is where the entertainment started. They asked the adults to stand up and dance in the aisle. Luckily for me Campbell did not want me to move but she was more than entertained by her Daddy's and Grandma's moves. I have to say we all got some good laughs in. Then there was a singing contest between the men and women. I think it ended up being a tie. Finally the big moment arrived when Santa came to our train car and shook all the children's hands and gave them a hug if they wanted. Both of our girls were thrilled to see him. After he left Campbell kept asking where he went for at least 5 minutes. After that the train came to a stop and we all got off. I am so glad that the girls got to enjoy the train and am sure they will remember it for a long time. I know that I will!