All Aboard!

Who wants to visit the North Pole?   Me! Me! Me! (I mean Sarah and Leah).  Sarah's true birthday was the most eventful yet (well, except for the painfully Topsy turvy day she made an appearance in this world five years ago but she doesn't remember that one...)  I was searching on line for things to do with kiddos in the Cincinnatti area,and I ran upon this website for train rides on the North Pole Express.   Yippee!  We have never done anything like this before and my mom and dad would be in town for Sarah's birthday, so it was perfect.  We would all load up in the good ole mini-van and head North.  On a related note.  I  LOOOVE my mini-van.  I cannot tell you how much easier it has made our lives.  If you are thinking of getting one, don't hesitate!  OK, back to the story.

Of course, anytime we hit the road for an adventure, we call Aunt Amy.  She is the fun aunt...she is the aunt who is up for anything...we love Amy.  Now for a head count.  The four of us, Mom, Dad, Amy make 7.  This will be a tight fit for the drive, but we can make it with love and togetherness.  Here we are shoved in like sardines in the back seat of the minivan.  Thank goodness Sarah is only 40 pounds!
Our first stop was church in Cincy.  It was a wonderful service (that is, the time I was actually in the service).  Between bathroom breaks and a wiggly toddler, I don't know the last time I had an uninterrupted worship service.  Thanks to the nursery there, we had a little peace to think about our wonderful God.

Next up, lunch at Wendy's and a little shopping at some outlets.  We could only stay a short time, but we found a couple of good deals.  Now, for the main event!

Here is the family (minus me, the photographer).  Isn't it amazing how well our two families mesh?   Amy fits right in with my family and vice versa.  They should, we have known each other now since 1993!   Can you believe Chris and I have been together for 18 years?

If you are wondering what Sarah is doing, it is FREEZING here and she is doing her best to blow smoke. 

Amy kindly agreed to let me in the photo.  Sarah will not give up on the smoke!  Oh well,

I guess there will be no beautiful outdoor family photo in the works for us today.  But Sarah will never forget how to blow smoke rings in the air.  :)

The conductor says "All aboard" and it is time to begin our journey to the "North Pole"!  How exciting!
He even came around to each individual and punched our tickets.  He was truly authentic and I felt like I was in the presence of Tom Hanks himself. 

The inside of our train car was OK, but it looked more like a bus than a train.  Every train car looked somewhat different.  I only wish we had boarded the antique train at the end of the line.  They had seats facing one another.

What a cute photo of Chris and Leah.  She loves her Daddy so much!

Doesn't she look just like a little angel?  Well, looks can be very deceiving.   The following photos show you what it was really like riding a 45 minute train ride (each way) with little Leah.

We were physically sore at the end of part 1 on the ride.  Holding Leah in our laps for any amount of time is like trying to wrestle an alligator.  She is a child on the go and sees no reason why she must be restrained.  I guess this is why her ticket was free.  Whew!

Mom and Dad seemed to enjoy the sights as the train slowly progressed toward it's destination.

It was definitely a cozy ride. There was barely room for two adults in each seat. Needless to say, I think our rear ends are significantly larger than adults in earlier days. Whoops! Chris, Leah and I sat in this small space together on the sold out ride.

The train car itself was decorated with Christmas lights and decorations, and Christmas carols played the whole time.  It was really fun to sing all of the tunes from our favorite Christmas cartoons like Frosty and Rudolph.  Everyone stayed in good spirits.

Especially this one.  She knew we were closing in on the North Pole!

She can't contain her excitement!

Well, here we are,  the North Pole?  It was basically a slope off the side of the train track with a barn bought from Lowe's which was supposed to be "Santa's house" and a couple of tailgating tents with the hot chocolate.  The only real house to be seen was the one off in the distance here.

Here are the.. ahem..North Pole decorations.  Where are the elves?  Where is the magic?

Here we are waiting to see Santa Claus himself along with Mrs. Claus in their "home"

As you can see, large numbers of folks forked out a great deal for this ride.  Do you see the tailgate tent off in the distance?  Yeah,  that's classy.

Sarah went to the station for hot chocolate and then grabbed a pen and paper to write Santa a letter.

Look at the intensity.  It reminds me of Ralphie and the Red Rider Bebe gun scene!  Hilarious!

Well, here we are.. the big moment.  Sarah met Santa and Mrs. Claus while Leah happily stayed at arms reach with Daddy.  We literally occupy the WHOLE room with our presence.  Chris later discussed his theory with Sarah that this was not in fact truly the North Pole, but just an outpost because the true North Pole was just too snowy to get to that night.  We hope she bought it, otherwise, the magic just died at this location.

Well, the time has come to head home.  Don't get me wrong, we had a great time drinking hot coco, singing Christmas songs, and riding a real train. On the way home, the "elves" came by and made the girls balloon animals.  Sarah was pumped!   But I only hope in the future this company spends a little more money on the destination, so that little kids dreams of the North Pole aren't utterly crushed.  Chris and I have an idea for this type of thing running to a small town in our area with a train stop that runs right through the middle of the beautiful main street.  The idea is "gold, baby gold".  If only we had the money for start up costs, we know it would be a hit!  Oh well, stay tuned to see if this dream sticks or becomes just another one of our wacky ideas.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!