Trains!!

Today, we visited North Park Center in Dallas. The sole reason was to see The Trains! I saw a news story about the trains last year, and this year decided we should go. They charge $6 for adults and $4 for kids over two (making Snugglebug free!), but all the proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House.

The trains are a collection of model trains that run through cities, around landmarks, and past people involved in their own little worlds. It is so incredible! They had the Dallas and New York skylines, the Statue of Liberty, and Mount Rushmore just to name a few. They had a winter wonderland that looked like you could just step into the snow and enjoy Christmas to the fullest. There was so much to see, we really could not take it all in! We were all three completely amazed!

Our amazing miniature train journey was followed by a children's choir singing in the mall foyer, a puppet Scrooge joking with the passersby in a hallway, and Santa reading a story to a passle of children in the courtyard. I had no idea a trip to the mall could be so entertaining!

As Scrooge the puppet pointed out, Snugglebug won't remember any of this, but hopefully this will be the first of many years to come (and those he will remember!)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

This year I decided we were ready to establish a Christmas tradition as a family, and I thought going to a tree farm and choosing our own tree would be a great one. I was all excited! I found a great tree farm about an hour north of us called Elves Tree Farm. What a great name for a tree farm, right?

They had a hayride to the trees where you could cut your own tree or you could choose a pre-cut tree. They also had some great play equipment for Snugglebug to play on.

We decided to forgo cutting our own tree this year, but once Snugglebug had played some we chose what I thought was the most beautiful tree I had ever seen. My husband thought that it might be a bit too big for our living room, but I thought we could make it fit.

Make it fit we did! The tree definitely does not fit in our living room. It is without a doubt wayyyyyy too big. I would even say it is probably twice the size that we should have purchased. But it is still quite beautiful. This is the first time we have had a live tree with the exception of our first Christmas together when I purchased a tree in a pot then planted it in our front yard after Christmas.

I chose to leave off the lights and to decorate with non-breakable silk Poinsettias because I knew the tree would be a great attraction to not only Snugglebug but also our three cats. I used a gold metallic ribbon to catch the light and add some shine to the tree. My sweet husband said it was "understated elegance." He's such a sweetie!

I'm thrilled that we were able to start this new tradition with our family. Next year...I'll take a measuring tape with me.