All Aboard!!!

The Sunday before Christmas, we were scheduled to do one of my favorite traditions – the Polar Express!

Unfortunately, Harper came down with strep. :( I was very disappointed that she wasn’t able to go (and she was super sad as well).  Trent stayed home with her while mom and I took Hudson.

They have changed things up (for the better!) at the train this year. They added a tricycle “waiting area”:

Showing off  his ticket and meeting the polar bear:

I didn’t get any good pictures once we were in the tent. However, they changed up the pre-show and it was for the better!  After, we walked through the “snow”, it was time to board the train!

The conductor was a super sweet man:

The big guy himself came and sat down with Hud (maybe it was a good thing Harper was sick – she would have been FREAKING out!!! :))

After the ride we grabbed a quick hot chocolate before heading to dinner:

Such a fun night with my sweet boy! I look forward to ALL of us going next year!

Baking Day 2012

Every year we have a baking day with my mom. Due to various circumstances, this year it was a very short day…but bake we did!

We didn’t do the decorating until the next day:

New play area…and why does she look SO big???

We checked out a new (to us) playscape with the Oaks.  It was really neat and we will definitely be going back!  This was the only picture I got and I look at it and wonder when did she get so big???

Class Christmas Party

Hudson’s Pre-K class had a Christmas breakfast during the last week of school. I got my Charlie Brown loving boy a Peanuts shirt to wear for the occasion:

Hud loves having Harper with him at school:

After “eating” (he ate 3 grapes. I had fed him breakfast before we left in anticipation of this)…he sat quietly reading a book waiting for the others to finish:

Why does this one think she is so big??

Getting ready for the book exchange!

His Charlie Brown book that he got (which is a whole long story that I am not going to go into on the blog….let’s just say my mama bear came out):

Hugging sissy good-bye:

 

Chandey’s surprise

Chandey left the kids some magical seeds to plant in a bowl full of sugar one morning! He told them if they were really good, in two days something magical would grow:

Two days later – they found these!

Polar Express movie

I was really excited to take Hudson to see Polar Express at the Omni. I thought it would be a fun date for the two of us to go see the “Ticket movie” (as he calls it). Well, it was kind of a disaster from the start. We got there (the movie started at 11:15) at 10:30 per the attendant. We got our concessions (popcorn for him, diet coke for me) and went to the entrance. It was extremely confusing because there was only one person working and a LOT of kids on field trips. I finally located the person working and she told me to wait behind the stantions until she could get to us (apparently they have a contract with the schools they must seat them first).  Other general admission people started getting there and lining up behind us. The natives were getting restless…a long wait + a 4 year old do not mix well. Finally, they came to get us…at 11:20 (yes, they held the movie). They had saved seats for GA at the top of the theater.  Hud was very impressed when we first walked in.  He loved the fly over of Fort Worth (have they changed that since I was in elementary school?? Because I am thinking no).  The movie got started and he was into it…for about 30 minutes. When we hit the part of the movie where the kid gets on top of the train with the ghost/homeless person/2nd Tom Hanks character – he was out.  He told me it was too loud and he wanted to leave. I am not going to lie – I was a little annoyed. He LOVES this movie at home and I couldn’t understand why he didn’t want to watch it. But, we left.

As we walked out of the theater (me still super annoyed), news starts pouring in via my Iphone about the tragedy in Connecticut. I was shell-shocked and suddenly not so annoyed.  I still can’t put into words my feelings on what happened that day.  I tried very hard to keep my tears in so Hudson wouldn’t see them (I wasn’t always successful). I cried a lot on the phone to a friend and I prayed a lot that day (and every day since).  I hugged my kids constantly that day (to the point that Hud told me I was squeezing him too tight). I still have no words for what happened that day…and I am pretty sure I never will.  The thought that babies (because they were BABIES) endured what they endured that day is unbearable and the fact that they were not much older than Hudson hits so close to home.  My thoughts and prayers are with those families. I know I will never forget those sweet babies whose lives ended way too soon.

Sweet Harper

Harper and I met the Oaks at the mall for some fun one day.  The kids wanted to ride the carousel and neither of us had money. We were excited to see they now take credit cards…except it was broken.  The sweet lady took pity on us and let the kids ride:

That night Harper had some fun with Hud’s prize from the dentist: