We went to see the "Disney's, A Christmas Carol Train Tour," at Union Station Downtown. I was so excited for the girls to go and even more stoked it was free. So with all 4 kids in tow we started off. We got the run around from 1 way streets and it ended up taking 35 minutes to park. We shook it off and went inside. Here are things I wish I would have known:
1. Just because it's at Union Station does NOT mean it is inside the depot and we would spend 3 hours outside.
2. Everyone else loved the idea of going, therefore there would be a line that lasted over an hour and a half long before getting inside the train. This is what the girls looked like after 5 minutes of waiting:
3. That they would make me leave my stroller BEFORE waiting in the enormous line, so I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT THE BABY BJORN!!!!!
4. That when I left this morning I should have packed snacks and not forgotten the drinks on the counter because it was 100 + degrees outside.
5. That it would take so long that we weren't going to be able to meet Zeb for lunch.
6. That when we finally got inside the train we never actually got to sit down and it was over in 5 minutes.
7. That the pictures of the girls' faces that were supposed to morph into the different characters wouldn't work.
8. That the man down the street, when it was over, that was selling popsicles didn't speak English so he couldn't tell us to wait 3 minutes before eating the popsicle. (Apparently when you have too much dry ice it freezes them so much that when you try and eat it, you are stuck to the popsicle. It was the worst tongue to freezer experience I have ever had. Christmas Story times 10. I tried ripping it off like an idiot and ripped my lips and tongue. I finally stopped ripping when I started bleeding and my friend poured water all over it to get it off.)
9. That I would forget all Spanish I ever knew and stare at him like a moron, while telling him in frustrated English that he shouldn't be selling these.
10. That I would look like I had lip injections afterward.
11. That after throwing away the bloodied popsicles I would act like a cheap skate and demand "tres mas" before leaving. (Hey, I paid for 3 popsicles and I was getting 3 popsicles!!!)
12. That, after waiting the 3 blasted minutes for them to thaw, once the girls started eating they had 30 seconds before they melted all over their hands.
13. That the 3D movie preview would be scary for Audrey.
14. That I would get stuck in traffic on the way home.
15. That Audrey would fall asleep in the car on the way home, making it so we couldn't eat at chick-fil-a. (I was NOT about to have a meltdown after all this).
16. That it would have been 2:00 before we were able to eat lunch.
17. That my sweet girls would behave so nicely, stay by my side in line, be happy with shared snacks from friends, and only ask how much longer a few times. They were such troopers. We deserve to go out to dinner! ;)
18. That after the whole ordeal, when we were at home, Audrey would say, "Mommy, it was fun to go on the train!" Maybe it wasn't a miss after all!
Here are a few pictures:
Still in line. Julia wore Aidan's ball cap to keep her shaded. Thanks, buddy!
And STILL in line!!! At least they had some carolers there. Although a bit ironic they are singing "Jingle Bells," when you are sweating buckets outside!
Finally inside the train!
In and out. It was FAST!
This was the highlight of the day. The girls really liked the 3D sneak peak of the movie! I LOVE the popsicle all over Audrey's chin.
So...if you are thinking of going to the train tour of the new disney movie, "A Christmas Carol," think really hard! Or at least note all the things I have written for your amusement!
When I got off the plane this was the toothless grin I received! I was so excited for her. 
Audrey on the other hand cried her eyes out. She misses her sisters SOOOO much.
She looks so old to me. I love her more than I can say and am sad to be away from her all day again. I love you, Claire.
Audrey insisted on walking Hallie to school. She wanted to go with her so bad. Hallie was so sweet with her.
I was worried Hallie would cling to me and cry but she did great. The teachers helper came to her side and helped her find her cubbie. Way to be brave, Hallie!
I love you, Hallie! You are sooo special to me and I will miss you tons and tons!
3. That they would make me leave my stroller BEFORE waiting in the enormous line, so I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT THE BABY BJORN!!!!!
Still in line. Julia wore Aidan's ball cap to keep her shaded. Thanks, buddy!
And STILL in line!!! At least they had some carolers there. Although a bit ironic they are singing "Jingle Bells," when you are sweating buckets outside!
Finally inside the train!
This was the highlight of the day. The girls really liked the 3D sneak peak of the movie! I LOVE the popsicle all over Audrey's chin. 
Julia is such a sweetheart. She still looks so much like Claire. She is growing up way too fast and I wish I could freeze time for a year. She is so happy and I LOVE every moment with her. I can't give her enough kisses. She sleeps through the night and is an angel in the car. (Stark contrast from our 3rd that cried for 6 months in the car!)
Audrey finds her place on the couch each morning with my boppy as a pillow and it cracks me up. Does that even look comfortable? I love that she fell asleep on this morning. It was the day after a VERY late night from driving back from Waco. She asks for milk and a noga (granola) bar every morning. 
Hallie is sporting a nice shiner that happened one night that Claire accidentally kicked her. My response when they told me was, "Was the kick an accident?" "Or did you mean to kick her, just not in the eye?" Claire truthfully said, "I meant to kick her just not in the eye." ;) Hallie starts Pre-K in 3 weeks. She misses the deadline for K by 8 days. They have a tuition based Pre-K program in Rockwall and we are excited for her to go to "Real School."
Claire, my little poser, still has her 2 front teeth. These suckers are going to take another 7 years to get loose enough to come out. She is waiting patiently and wiggles them often. She adores Julia and always wants to hold her and kiss her. She helps make her happy if she is sad and talks to her like a mom. "It's okay, pumpkin!" "Oh, I haven't seen you in a while." "How's my girl?" I can't believe she'll be a 2nd Grader in 3 weeks. Wow. 
Saturday morning at 5:00 there was a HUGE thunderstorm and it rained for about 7 hours off and on. We spent the morning inside playing...
watching movies....
and going 4-wheeling. Zeb, Jaren, and Emily took the kids while I stayed at the cabin with the sleeping babies. It rained on them and they came home soaked. 
Zeb said the girls loved it and just giggled and giggled when they went over bumps.
Saturday afternoon it finally cleared up and we headed to the lake. Unfortunately we got a flat tire on the way. Zeb has some mad mechanical skills so he didn't bat and eye. He had it fixed in no time. 
We had a great time swimming and playing.
Then Claire wanted to try skiing. She gave it a go a couple times. She's a trooper.
Of course Hallie wanted to try too. They are two peas in a pod.
I love this of Emily and Caleb. She said she looks horrible in it but I think she looks beautiful. I loved it so much I posted it. I hope she doesn't hate me for it! ;)
The girls are so sweet. I love how close they are. I can just see them when they are older. I know there will be some pretty big fights but seeing how close my sisters and I are makes me so happy they will have it too. I love my sisters...
