The Polar Express

The great "Polar Express". We did this activity two years ago, and decided we needed to repeat the experience. The enthusiasm for the event (which hasn't been a surprise) has been at an all time high....

After spending the night alone in Lake Oswego Friday night, the rest of the participants joined us there and we carravaned together eastward - towards Hood River. VERY SADLY, the Quigleys were unable to join us, which was especially sad as it was partially Erica's birthday that we were celebrating (and even worse, her birthday was actually yesterday), but Adam had to head to Urgent Care for a 105.6 fever. He was treated with antibiotics for a nasty ear infection, but they had to skip the whole event. In addition, my parents weren't able to make it either. We missed them all....

Excitement was high at the "Depot" where we waited - Michele and I snuck outside and posed for a "twin shot" with John...

Once aboard, the kids were asked to give up their tickets, only to have the conductor use his hole punch to create snow for the kids...

And, Brayden, partaking in the rich cocoa provided by the train attendants

These gals were so sweet, and although I wasn't a fan of the kid-friendly-temperature cocoa, the gingersnaps were awesome!

A fun part of the train ride is the Christmas carols we all get to sing together - Mikayla got into it all...

And, along came Santa - sharing a moment here with Ellison

And, a sweet smile from Natalia

This picture cracks me up - it just looks like Brayden is trying to pull one over on Santa...

Santa bestowed each of the kids with a special bell (just like in the book) - Mikayla was using it here to sign "Jingle Bells"

We loved this picture - they were trying to spot wildlife in the woods along the train route (of course, we were hoping the snow would start falling anytime too!)

The boys went ahead and opened their window vs. dealing with the condensation...

Maybe not their ideal way to spend their anniversary weekend (Michael and Michele have been married 16 years as of Friday) - but they obviously had a good time, nonetheless....

And, here's a shot of the Meyers family (sans Andrew who was peering out the window) - all snuggled together

As all of the pictures illustrate, we had a blast -and the fun continued when we all returned back to the same hotel and hung out together. It's so great to have our kids be old enough that they can navigate through the joint hallway we all shared and move from room to room while us adults were able to just hang in one of them.

All in all, a great time. Here's hoping the fun continues with that anticipated snow arrival and a "no school" day tomorrow!