All Aboard The Polar Express!

This weekend the Brothers YZ took a ride on the Polar Express at the Ecotarium, or as Evan calls it the "Ecomatarium," where a real polar bear lives. Despite our excitement about the event, Greg and I kept it a secret until Saturday morning when we had Evan play Finbar's Clues to figure out where we were going. (Evan spotted the first yellow pawprint on Gordon the Express train immediately and jupmped right into the game.) The event began with a reading of The Polar Express with the pictures projected on a big screen. Evan had never heard the story before, and he listened and watched with rapt attention. Then, Santa Claus made an appearance to hand out reindeer bells and send us off on our train ride to the North Pole to visit Kenda, the polar bear. Evan rang his little bell on the whole walk to the train and throughout our journey. After we watched Kenda eat some fish, we got back on the train to go back to the museum for cocoa and cookies. Evan and Liam decided to forgo the snacks for a chance to play in the Preschool Discovery room. On the way home from Ecotarium, Evan asked us if there was a chimney at the Ecotarium, and if not, how did Santa get inside.

With the weather that we have had this week in Central Massachusetts, there was really no need to take a train ride to the pretend North Pole. In the past few days, we have been hit by two major snowstorms. With the chill in the air and snow all around, it seems like we live in the arctic. Of course, it has also meant lots of fun for the Brothers YZ . As you can see from the pictures, Evan and Liam are making the most of their time in the snow. On Friday, Evan insisted on bringing the small bird stuffed animal outside. I was worried it would get lost in the snow so Evan put it on the sled and gave it a ride all around the yard. Then, he decided that I should give them both a ride. According to the weather reports, temperatures will not be warming up anytime soon, and we should have a white Christmas.