Polar Express comes to FLW!!

So the Polar Express comes to FLW today. The MWR (morale, welfare, and recreation)
put on a little Christmas village with "stations" for the kids to stop and do something fun today. It was complete with a small train ride and SANTA! It was so packed and the lines were so long that we didn't get to do very much but that was okay. Seth and Emily got to ride the train!! When we first arrived, the USO was giving away Build A Bears to each little one. I am so glad I showed up half an hour before the even began BECAUSE if I hadn't then my kids wouldn't have gotten the bears! Anyway, this first picture is of Emily and Seth. Seth's bear was in his bag but Emily wouldn't let me put hers away! (PS-the older kids were at AWANA tonight and didn't make it to the event) Seth proudly showing his Golden Ticket off! He was so excited to have that ticket! He didn't want to turn it in at the train ride-LOL!!
Emily strapped in her "coach" on the Polar Express!!
Seth strapped in his "coach". Gotta love that overly fake smile. He looks so much like Tyler when he smiles like that!! Tyler was really "bad" at doing that! It used to drive me nutty when he was little but now that he's 13 and thinks smiling is UNCOOL... boys-groan! Anyway, it makes me giggle to see an old picture of Tyler with this smile on his little face.
While waiting for the event to begin we walked around the Joint Services Park to look at the tanks, boats, and airplanes. Seth just had to have his picture taken with this thing. I couldn't get Emily to sit still-she was too busy enjoying her freedom from the stroller that I forgot at home! Thankfully I did forget it because it would have been impossible to push it in those crowds tonight!

Once the event got started we waited in line for about half an hour for the train ride. Then another 45 minutes to get into one of the stations. A little elf read the kids a Christmas story. After that we waited in line for about 45 minutes to see Santa. Emily screeched when we tried to walk her over to his lap but daddy picked her up and sat her on Santa's lap. They took pix of the kids but I don't have those yet to share. I get to download them for free from their website. I will share it when I get it! After this we went home. It was well past dinner time and Emily was starving! good thing I thought ahead and dumped left over Chalupa Roast in the crock pot. It was simmering and hot when we got there.