Sunday, January 3, 2010

The Polar Express

Hi Friends!! Ooh how I have missed bloggyland! I have finally figured out how to use the external hard drive to download my pictures and then use my school laptop to blog...not so much learn, but give in!! It is a lot harder for me to blog this way and I have been fighting it...but to no avail, I have given in and I learned, thanks to my hubby. Our hard drive to our desktop finally gave way to it's slow death and with Christmas...well we decided that we would just use our school laptops! So anywho...I hope that all of you had a fantastic Christmas and a great start to 2010! We did and now that I am up and blogging again, I am sure you will read all about it very soon! Now onto bigger and better things...

Since Ryan and I are both teachers, we are fortunate enough to have 2 weeks off with the boys! Most of our vaca, we have been hanging out and relaxing, but we did take an overnighter with extended fam up north!

Can you believe that only 2 and half hours north of The Valley of the Sun...it is COLD...VERY COLD...COLD enough for SNOW?!? Well it is and even though the boys were born in Michigan and played in snow for the first years of their short lives...it was though they had never seen the white, cold, wet stuff before!!

Well up north in Williams, there is The Polar Express. This is a train ride that takes you to the North Pole to meet Santa and is based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg. My parents treated us and my sister and niece to a night away to experience the magic! We, all 8 of us, left the sunny, warm valley and headed north on Tuesday 12/29. The farther north we headed...the faster the temperature dropped. BBBRRR...for someone who grew up in Michigan...I have become a big, fat wimp when it comes to the cold!



Before boarding the train, we stopped at this quaint little diner just around the corner from the train station. For those who were brave enough...PJs were donned! I was a brave one...me and the kids anyway!


The boys looking for the train...



Kennedy, Brendan & Colin standing in front of the train...

All Aboard...




Once inside, you found your seats and got settled. It was warm enough inside the car that we were able to take off our coats and get comfy.

Once the train started...the conductor came around to check tickets and hot chocolate and cookies were passed out. YUMMY!


After the goodies, they read the story. Our chef, Mike, walked up and down the aisles showing the pictures. The story was read by Liam Neeson.


After the reading of the story we passed the North Pole all lit up outside. We saw Santa in his sleigh waving to us from outside. Little did we know that he boarded the train and came through all of the cars to say Hello and give each kid a sleigh bell.

He even stopped and talked to my parents...giving them each a bell as well! When we got home, I made the bells into ornaments for our Christmas tree!


The kids chilling out, listening to their bells as we head back to the train station.
The ride lasted about an hour and a half and great fun was had by all! While riding we also had a sing-a-long with Christmas Carols!

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for a great time! We can't wait until next year!!

15 comments:

He & Me + 3 said...

Woo hoo! You are back! Thank God for external hard drives. I love mine. Those pictures were awesome and I am so jealous because that looked like so much fun. Welcome Back friend!
Enjoy your last few hours of break. I am doing laundry. Ugh.

Darcie said...

So glad to see you up and blogging again. You have been missed!

What an absolutely amazing time on the Polar Express! What kid and parent wouldn't want to take a train ride on the Polar Express? Too cool!

Robyn said...

Wow that looks like an amazing time! Glad you enjoyed!

Catherine Anne said...

Great post!!!

christy rose said...

Welcome back to blogland Stacey.

Your pictures of your train trip to Polar Express are awesome! What a fun time. I would have loved to have done that with my kids when they were all younger.

Lisa said...

I loved the Polar Express movie that seems like it was lots of fun. Three greatest things about being a teacher....june july and august....lol

Carrie said...

So fun to see you all again :)

What great pictures! We went on the Polar Express last year and it is so magical! The kids still believe they traveled to the North Pole, so cute! that is a great idea to make the bells ornaments...I should do that too :)
Happy New Year!

Elyse said...

SOO glad your back :) I did not realize that there was a real polar express...soo cool! Glad the boys loved it :)
~Elyse

Carin said...

Glad you are back. I took a bit of a break over vaca too, nothing like family time! The Polar Express trip looks fantastic, what a great memory! I would love to do that with our boys, looks like such fun!

Mikki said...

Welcome back!!
Wow!! This looks like it was so much fun!! Polar Express is one of our favorite Christmas movies!

What a treat!!

jules said...

Wow, it's been a long time.

That looks like so much fun, and the jammies make it even better.

Mocha Momma said...

So glad UR back blogging. The Grand Canyon Polar Express sounds and looks awesome!

That sounds like the neatest thing anyone could do. Someday I'm gonna do that.

Well maybe I'll ride the Christmas train here, but I'd love to ride the train for a Christmas outing.

Happy New Year, Stacey and welcome back.
Nannette

More Than Words said...

Yay!! Stacy is back!!!! I've missed ya!!!

The Polar Express looks so fun! I read that on another girls blog and thought that that was so neat! What a great idea!!!

Stephanie said...

Oh that's cool!!!! What a neat idea for kids and it looks like fun for the adults too.

I'm glad you're back. I'm trying to work my way back in. I'm so behind!!!

Glad you got the computer issue figured out for now-maybe you'll get a new one at home soon :)

Anonymous said...

Nice post & nice blog. I love both.