Saturday night R donned her new pajamas and we headed to the North Pole to see.....Santa, of course. R, Grammy, Momma and Dad took a train ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. They did a reenactment of the book, Polar Express. R got a gold ticket and as the train pulled out of the station, the friendly elves read the book for us. After the book, we were served hot chocolate and cookies. This was R's first cup of hot chocolate and she enjoyed it. We then pulled into The North Pole. There were lots of lights and many elves there to welcome us. We also saw Santa and Mrs. Claus. We then started the ride back to Akron. On the trip back we sang songs and did the reindeer hooky poky. We also got a special surprise -- Santa boarded the train when we were stopped in the North Pole. He visited each car and each kid. He asked R what was on her Christmas list and R gave him a big hug. He gave her the "first gift of Christmas" - a bell from his sleigh. She was so excited about the bell that she has not let it out of her sight for a moment. It was super cool! The conductor even punched her ticket to make the trip official.
