North Pole Express

This year we did something fun to kick off the holiday season.  We surprised the kids with a trip on the North Pole Express in Heber.  

We have done this train ride before but it has been a few years.  The train ride is on the Heber Valley Railroad.  The train took us to the North Pole where we got to see Santa!

The kids were really surprised to find out they were riding on the train but they were even more surprised to see their cousins, Cole and Cash on the train too.  

We planned this trip with the Blake's a few months ago and we agreed to surprise the kids with meeting there together.  Cole and Cash were excited to see us too.  We all got on the train and found our seats.  We were kind of squished together but that made it even more fun.  

As the train started to roll, we all sat back and got ready for some fun entertainment.  Brooklyn loved being on the train.  She was bouncing all over the seats, grabbing at all the things and squawking at the top of her lungs.  The other kids were just playing around with Cole and Cash.

As we rode along, the chefs served Hot Chocolate and cookies to all of us just like in the book Polar Express.  They even sang and danced to the Hot Chocolate song from the movie.  Throughout the ride, we were entertained by the singing and dancing elves and chefs, violin quartets, and fun music to dance too.  Charlotte really got into the dancing part and was dancing in the aisles.  

We finally made it to the North Pole and got to wave to Santa from our window while he waved at us from his workshop.  As the train switched directions for the ride back from the North Pole, Santa got on the train so he could ride back with us and give us each a gift.

Santa was so nice to each of the kids.  He took time to talk to them and give them each a bell.  As the story goes, if you can hear the sound of the bell, it means you still believe in Santa Claus.  It was obvious that everyone in the train still believed in Santa because there were a lot of bells ringing all over the place.

Brooklyn seemed to like getting a visit from Santa.  She did not even cry in fact she was smiling at him.  Brooklyn especially loved the bell Santa gave her.  She loved ringing it and playing with it.  She played with it the rest of the trip and would not let go of it.  In fact, she held it all the way home and wouldn't let go of it even to go to sleep.  In the morning when she woke up, we could hear her ringing her bell in her bed.

The train ride back to the station was enjoyable as well. There was more singing and dancing and elf entertainment.  By the time we got back we did not want to get off the train.  We all had a good time.  Charlotte especially loved the train ride.  She has talked about it a lot ever since.  

We got back home pretty late but it was worth the trip.  I am glad we got the opportunity to go on this train ride.

Before we got on the train, we ate at this cool restaurant in Heber called the Dairy Keen: Home of the Train.  The food there was really good but the kids were more interested in watching this train go around the ceiling of the whole restaurant.  

We had a great trip and a great time together as a family.