The Polar Express

Two nights before Christmas, our elf Pixie left a special surprise on my parents' front porch: tickets for the whole family on the Polar Express the next evening! As you can imagine, everyone was very excited to travel by train to the North Pole and meet Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.

On the afternoon of the 24th, we enjoyed a beautiful drive through Provo Canyon to the train station in Heber.

The second Gabey Baby saw the train, he exclaimed, "Oh my gosh!!! Unbuckle me!" We obliged.

When the time came to board the train, the babies whipped out their magic tickets and quickly grabbed window seats so they wouldn't miss a thing.

Inside, the train was decked out for the holidays and full of Christmas cheer.

Mrs. Claus, the train conductor and multiple elves all made the journey with us. The elves even passed out hot chocolate and cookies along the way.

Our hostess quizzed the children on their Christmas knowledge. Kaleb knew all the answers and was anxious to announce them whenever it was his turn. Gabe was adorable when he was asked whether Santa was old or young. "Old," he said. "I choose old." And then he sat back and smiled sheepishly because he knew he got it right.

Meanwhile, Joshie took a break from writing his name on the windows to tell the hostess what his mom wants for Christmas. "Spatulas!," he yelled excitedly into the microphone, earning chuckles from around the train. I'm sure you can guess what he had wrapped up for our mom earlier that day :-)

Christmas carols also filled the air as we approached the North Pole.

We knew we were getting closer because it was so snowy and beautiful, and there were even reindeer in plain sight.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before we could see the signs for the North Pole, with Santa standing right underneath! The babies waved their hellos frantically as the train came to a stop so Santa could climb aboard.

Mr. Claus came through our car, visiting with all of the children and bringing them bells and toys.

Mrs. Claus also stopped for a few photo ops as we traveled back to Heber.

The entire ride was a blast! It drove the Christmas spirit home and we all had so much fun, as seen in this candid picture Matt took of my family.

At last, we made it back to Heber. We disembarked the train and found Santa waiting for us once again. The babies were happy to get a few final Christmas wishes in with the big guy.

Then, Santa was off to load his sleigh, and we headed home to jump into our Christmas Eve traditions.

We loved the Polar Express!