The North Pole Express

We woke bright and early Saturday morning to make our way to Dallas to ride The North Pole Express!!

Tate was up way too early on Saturday morning after a rough night's sleep.  He slept through, but tossed and turned all night.  I've learned that when he does that that he'll be up early in the morning.  Sure enough he asked for a hug at 5:11am.  I acquiesced on the hug, but insisted he go back to sleep...something that is really hard for him.  I have no idea if he truly fell back asleep, but I dozed until 6 when I handed him the trusty phone and slept until 645!  We packed up, he ate breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and we were on the road at 8am.

He's reading the junior novelization of 'Inside Out'.

North Pole Bound!

We arrived in Grapevine around 10am and began our lovely, albeit extremely warm visit to the North Pole on the North Pole Express!

We even got to meet Santa!!!

All Aboard!  We were off to the North Pole!  Tate wasn't as excited about this ride...he's not nearly as enamored of trains as he once was, but once Mrs. Claus boarded the train he brightened up considerably and had fun!!

We disembarked into a 70 degree snow storm at the North Pole!

There was a show complete with elves and Santa!!!  Tate and the other kids had front row on the stage seats :).

We walked through Santa's village after he got his Frosty Chocolate Ice Milk!

We met a couple of my sorority sisters for lunch in downtown Grapevine.  Tate even offered to take our photo for us!

We ran into the Grinch on our way to our car...

We made our way to another friend's house where we spent the night!  Her daughter is 8, and she and Tate had a lot of fun together.  They played games, played outside and hung out while Susan and I caught up....Susan and I were roommates my senior year in college as well as sorority sisters.  Lots of Pi love this weekend. 

Tate has been schooled in the ways of women already :)  Susan and I decided to get both kids bathed and then give them dinner.  Tate was done in a split second :).  So I made his dinner and he waited for Sophia.  He kept asking me and her dad why it was taking her so long to take a shower.  When she came back downstairs this was their conversation:

Tate:  What took you so long to in the shower?
Sophia:  What do you mean?
Tate:  I've been waiting a million minutes.
Sophia: Well, I had to pick out my pajamas, do my hair and put on my make-up.
Tate:  I like your hair.

They ate dinner and watched 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' while we adults got ready for a par-tay!  I was actually able to get Tate into bed and asleep before we had to leave.  The babysitter arrived to watch Sophia and a couple of other little girls and we adults headed to our Christmas party!

My friend Angela (our suitemate my senior year and another sorority sister!) hosts this spectacular, gorgeous, amazing Christmas party every year.  So I had another chance to dress up and go hang out with some gorgeous, rich people for the evening.  Normally I don't like going to things like this where I only know a handful of people, but I had a really nice time. 

Me, Susan, Angela

It was a lovely evening!! 

Sunday Tate and I woke up to North Pole conditions along with rain and made our way back home! 

We got home, unpacked, ordered pizza and watched 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas!'

As Tate slept last night I thought to myself...what a perfect weekend.  I so love spending time with him, and he's an awesome travel companion.  He's so much fun, and so very sweet.  He just makes my life so much more everything.  More beautiful.  More peaceful.  More fun.  More joyful.  Move loving.  More happy. I couldn't ask for more.





Polar Express 2015

We took a ride on the Polar Express to the North Pole Friday evening!!!  We even saw Santa and his elves!!!

For the 4th year in a row, Tate and I joined our friends Palmi and Alonzo on an adventure to the North Pole.  We loaded up our cars and headed for Palestine, Texas!!  Here we boarded The Polar Express and made our way to the North Pole!!

Palmi and I met in college as freshmen.  As such we've been friends for 30! years!  We've seen each other through many, many, many ups and downs.  From making bouncy balls in Organic Chemistry lab to racing across the college campus to turn in our Physics homework to her wedding, the birth of my son, losing her father, fighting like sisters and loving like none other, we've been steadfast in one another's lives for 30 years.  Our boys adore each other, and we're so very blessed to watch their friendship unfold.  Her sweet boy is 10 and on the autism spectrum, so he and Tate do very well together.  I love watching how Alonzo loves my boy and Tate loves the attention (and truly cares for Alonzo).

We drove separately, yet arrived at the same time at our hotel.  We got unpacked and a tad bit rested then got the boys some food.  Once their bellies were full, we all donned our pajamas, and we headed to the Texas State Railroad where we would board the Polar Express.

Ready to go at the hotel!!!

There were lots of photo ops of course, and thankfully our boys still agree to pose for us :).

Then we saw the train pulling into the station!!!  Tate's joy was so awesome to see and hear!!

Finally they called 'All Aboard!'

We boarded our train car and waited to leave the station!  Our train car was decorated and the staff was so very much fun!  They sang and danced for us and got everyone in the spirit!!  Once they sang the hot chocolate song they brought us all hot cocoa and we dove into our chocolate chip cookie (of course I brought Tate his own!).  Then the chef, elves and waiters walked up and down the aisle with large Polar Express books as we listened to Liam Neeson's audio of the book.

Our 4th year riding the Polar Express with Aunt Palmi and Alonzo!!!

Then the lights dimmed.  The air in the car got chilly.  Josh Groban's voice came through the speakers  bringing joyful hope and anticipation as we approached the North Pole!

And then there he was!!!  Santa Claus and his elves along with the reindeer at the North Pole!

I keep wondering when Tate will wonder how we can get to the North Pole in less than 30 minutes or how it's not covered in snow or that the reindeer are plastic and not moving.  But since he hasn't mentioned any of this and still seems to absolutely still truly believe I'm going to enjoy every single minute of his wonder.

After we left the North Pole, the waiters and elves asked to wish really hard for Santa to join us!!  Lo and behold our wishes came true!!

All too soon we were back at the train depot.  We disembarked and made our way back to the car.  It was just at Tate's bedtime, and he could barely hold it together or keep his eyes open.  He was out within 10 minutes of getting in the car.  Too bad the car ride to the hotel was only 15 minutes.

He's a happy little believer tonight!

Advent 2015

We're continuing with our tradition of opening a wrapped book each night of Advent.  Though technically Advent started last Sunday, November 29, I opted to start on December 1.  (We were out of town!)  Tate absolutely loves this tradition.  It was a bit more challenging this year, as I wasn't as able to re-use as many books because he's simply outgrown them.  Plus he likes to read some of them, and I need more challenging books for him to read.  So far it's been a lot of fun, and he gets so very excited every single night.  We're also doing the Lego Advent Calendar which he opens every morning once he's ready for school as well as having the Elf on the Shelf this year (note to self...go move the thing tonight).  I'm only going to include the book part of Advent in these posts though because they're my favorite part. 

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

He's loving this one!  He's never seen the movie!
We gotta get on that!

Day 4

Day 5

He spent the night at Grandmommy and Papa's,
so we took a book over there to open!  I got to go have a
wonderful night with my awesome friends for our
annual Tribal White Elephant Party!

Day 6

I love these new elf pjs!!

He read this entire book to me tonight!!!

Only 18 more days until we get to celebrate the birth of Christ!!

Santa Claus Visit 2015!

Keeping with tradition, Tate visited with Santa Claus the Wednesday before Thanksgiving!!  He was more than ready to give the man in the red suit his list!!!

Breaking Bread Together

What is it about eating together as a family that brings such comfort and peace to all who partake?

Breaking bread together.

Sitting together.

Sharing together.

Laughing together.

I do try to eat with Tate most nights.  I grew up eating together as a family each and every night.  We all had our places at the table, and we ate together.  Every.Night.

Now I'm sure we probably didn't do it every single night especially as teenagers with our busy schedules, but honestly I don't remember those nights.  Even when we had band concerts or babysitting jobs, we ate together in my memory.  I suppose that's what is important...that overwhelmingly we ate together.  We were lucky in that my dad was home by 5 as he worked 7-4, so he was there present with us as well.  Traditional family that we were, my mom cooked, we girls helped set the table and clear it.  We took turns arguing about who was going to wash dishes and dry them.

Our family broke bread together every night.

And I loved it.  I loved it then.  I love it now.  Rarely would the tv be on, noone read at the table, obviously there were no cell phones at the table.  We talked.  We laughed.  We argued. We enjoyed ourselves.

It's a tad harder sometimes with my little family of 2.  I don't have time to make dinner every night.  I plate most of Tate's food the night before, so all I have to do is warm it up and add the 'main.'  He's so picky that there's not much that I like that he enjoys.  I don't want our meals to be a fight of 'eat your food' either.  So I struggle to come up with healthy, yummy meal options for the two of us.

However, just the other day he flat out told me he likes when we eat together.  It was on a night when I didn't have anything cooked (which is more often than not) for me, so I was giving him a cheese quesadilla along with his pre-made broccoli and sweet potatoes.  And he was upset I wasn't eating with him.

"I want you to eat with me Mommy.  I like when we eat together."

Even when I don't eat with him, I always sit with him and try to give him my undivided attention...no phone, no laptop, no mail, just him and me.

But no he wants me to eat with him  

He wants to break bread with me.

It reminded me of a night this summer.  My cousin Rhonda and her family were in town from Virginia.  I have not seen Rhonda since I was a child.  But she's family, no matter how long we've been apart.  They were in town and contacted me to hang out.  Hang out we did.  She, her husband and two children (ages 12 and 15) came over and we played games, read stories, played outside and just had a lovely time.  We had planned to go to a race track place for the kids to play at, but ended up enjoying one another's company so much at home that we stayed put.  Hours later it was dinnertime.  I had nothing prepared for a group of 6, so we ordered pizza.  We sat down as a family at my dining room table and Stacey blessed the food.

As they were leaving that evening we all hugged good-bye and Stacey said "This was a great evening, and even better we got to break bread together."

I've not forgotten those words.   

Breaking bread together.  The most basic of human needs...eating ...combined with the most basic of love...family.  

Tate and I are a family, and I'm going to do my best to make sure we break bread together as a family much more often.  I know he'll remember it forever.