Day 97

We had quite the festive weekend, how 'bout you?

Two years ago, the kids and I were here in Michigan for the holidays while Josh was deployed.
Sound familiar?

While we were here we took part in a local event called The Polar Express.
It was a big hit, so we did it again this year.

It involves boarding a bus that travels around the nearby neighborhoods to see the Christmas lights and decorations. They play The Polar Express story on CD while we drive, and even cut out special shapes from our tickets, just like in the movie.

The ride ends at the North Pole, where the kids can meet Santa and have cookies and hot chocolate. Oh, and the kids can wear jammies if they like.

Things that are true of our evening:

1) Alex and Santa hit it off.

2) Derek cowered in fear under a table for the majority of the evening.

3) Derek spilled his hot chocolate and had a meltdown.

4) My nephew, Caleb, wasn't quite sure what he thought about Santa.

5) My brother in law, Kent, is on the naughty list.

6) My niece, Kennedy, had a sudden-onset case of the giggles and couldn't even tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas.

7) Our group took up a whole bus.

Pat the Bunny, her brother Uncle Fred, his son Chris with his wife Michelle and their 4 kids, my sister and brother-in-law with my nephew & niece, Josh's sister and her husband John with baby Caleb.

Pictured here are all of the kids...

 ... minus Ian, who is the oldest and probably deemed himself too mature for the Santa nonsense, and Derek who was either hiding under a table or having a fit about spilled hot chocolate.

The two in the front and one on the left are Chris & Michelle's triplets.

See? Everywhere I turn I find something to be grateful for.
Like having my kids one at a time.

;)

Hey guess what? Guess what?

I'm going shopping tomorrow with my sister and no kids.
Yes I am.

PtB is taking the urchins with her to school tomorrow. She doesn't have any classes to teach and there are some special programs that she thought they would enjoy.

I think she's nuts and will spend the whole day answering a never-ending supply of questions and keeping them from tearing apart her classroom, but I'll refrain from telling her so.
Because then I wouldn't get to shop with no children.

If only our shopping trip didn't coincide with the week before Christmas, it would be slightly more ideal. But as my kids say, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.
Right?

(They don't often take their own advice, if I'm being honest. Derek got a cup of spilled hot chocolate and he did, indeed, throw a fit.)

 Well I had better get to bed early tonight. I want to be in peak form for the shopping adventure.