Christmas Time at "the Rock"

 Last night was our annual holiday trip to "the rock"...one of our favorite parks in our area. (Last year's visit was a great addition to our Thanksgiving vacation.)   Since my MIL works there, she got us some awesome discounts! It makes the day even more enjoyable not worried about how much it is costing :) I think we literally paid $2.39 all night.  THANK YOU GRANDMA!! The kids love going and they LOVE seeing Grandma at work :)

 Our 1st stop was the Holly Jolly Cabaret show...Hubby and I really enjoyed it. (Especially her impression of the Snow Angel if you have ever seen it...ha!)  Sister was mesmerized all night by the shows.  She loves singing and dancing, so she sat still and pretty much didn't move in any of the shows.  They did a great job! I think I will be able to take them to a musical soon :)

 Next we hopped in line to see the Snow Angel.  We went on a Sunday night, so the crowd was pretty slim...which was AMAZING!  It really helped make our "schedule" run a little more smoothly.  It is hard to fit everything in if there are mega-lines everywhere.

 The kids enjoyed seeing her...and the costumes Grandma helped make, aren't they great :)

 We grabbed dinner (fried chicken, fries and green beans) and the Granite Cafe (with free coupons :) and then booked it over to the other side of Crossroads to catch the Toy Show.  Grandma was helping control the crowds for that one, so we got to see her too :)  The kids thought that show was great and wanted to meet the superhero after-wards. Love it!

The parade was next, but since we had an earlier dinner, we had a quick potty break and went to grab a snack to eat during the parade.  Funnel cakes and hot chocolate (another coupon) were a big hit!  The kids had never had funnel cakes before, so they were excited :)

 We parked ourselves near the end of the parade route and near the doors of the next show on our list (tip from Grandma to watch down there, so we could get good seats for the next show.)  We enjoyed eating, listening to the music and enjoying the beautiful lights while we waited for the parade to get there. We were keeping our eyes peeled for Grandma...

 Kisses for Brother...

 Dancing with Sister...

 She put on her own show for us...

 Go Sister, go!

 Silly Brother :)

 The big tree! (I was about to get a picture with Hubby when the guy yelled at us to get on the side of the road b/c the parade was coming! )

 We got to see the Snow Angel again in the parade (and her float blew snow in the air...so cool!)

 Sister was in awe...I love this picture!

 There is Grandma!!

 and Santa of course...we were already in line for the show by this point (Hubby got the picture).  The crowd was coming!

 Luckily, our tip paid off and we ended up in the front row for Simply Christmas.  It was my favorite show of the night...fun upbeat music, good dancing and a great tribute to the real meaning of Christmas. (Sister found the puppy hat and insisted on wearing it...so funny.)

 My practice shot of the stage without the flash, my MIL told me to have my camera ready...

 I think she told the cast her son was in the audience and the pulled him up on stage during "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus."  ha!

 The kids were so funny they didn't know what was going on...and I am pretty sure Sister just wanted to be on stage too.

 Sister and one of the cast members after the show.  She loved the way their hair bounced while they were dancing...she kept trying to make her pigtails do the same thing. :)

 A quick picture with Grandma.

 We missed the next train by about 5 minutes b/c we took a quick potty break, so we grabbed a quick treat (our $2.39 :) and waited for the next one.  The kids didn't seem to mind, they had plenty lights, etc to keep them entertained.

 My silly people...

 The train was chilly...it was the 1st time I was cold all night, but we bundled up and cuddled together to enjoy the lights and story.  I love the train at Christmas time b/c they stop and present a short story sharing the real meaning of Christmas called "The Gift", totally worth waiting to ride it. 

 Sister breakin' it down a little more...she is a mess.

 Kisses...if I get a cold, we know why! It is hard to say no to a kiss though :)

 Sister was finally a little over taking pictures (or her face was cold) ha!  We made the train our last activity for the night and headed home pretty quickly after-wards. 

We had a wonderful day and can't wait to do it again next year.  We are so blessed by our family and the people who love us!  I love that we can make the most out of our time together.  We have a busy week ahead, so hopefully I will keep up to date on my postings.   I love going places where they remember the real reason for the season!