Every winter we take the girls up to Flagstaff to go sledding.  This year, we decided to take a ride on The Polar Express in addition to our day of sledding.  We have watched the movie countless times, so we had some excited little girls when they found out they had their own tickets.I couldn’t believe how much the train actually LOOKED like the train in the movie!  Piper handed over the tickets and we boarded our train.  The excitement begins…The journey included sugar cookies and hot chocolate.  The Polar Express was read over the speaker system and the train attendants showed the storybook photos to the  children as the story unfolded.Just before arriving at the North Pole, we had our tickets punched …just like the movie.The train slowed down as we approached the North Pole.  Piper sees Santa for the first time out the widowSanta boarded our train car first and there was a tight grip on Daddy.Grace was a little more excited.  We have taken her every year to see Santa, but she has never sat on his lap…ever.   We never get closer than 20 feet away.  So, this was really the first time to have a personal experience talking with Santa.

Look at that smile.  Look at those teeth!  She is losing teeth left and right.  She lost her front tooth about 5 minutes before boarding the train!After Santa’s visit everyone sang Christmas Carols on the ride back to the train station. The girls loved The Polar Express, and it was especially fun this year because they both BELIEVE in Santa.  It’s going to be a great Christmas.

Merry Christmas!  Love, The Wakemans