Polar Express train ride with Cohen...

It's a good day today {aside from the kink I have in my neck from sleeping on the couch last night}.  Our boys earned a sleepover this week based off of being helpful and behaving well, so we all slept downstairs together in the family room among mounds and mounds of great big comfy down blankets, fluffy pillows, Pooh Bear, Tiger, Eeyore and Noah's giraffe.  We stayed up late watching movies {Jurassic Park 1 and 3, as well as Sandlot}, munched on marshmallows and popcorn and we all slept in late this morning.  We watched Saturday morning cartoons together {The Magic School Bus and Babar}, ate bowls of Fruity Pebbles, played with toys and now Spencer's taken the 4 oldest boys down to Orem to spend the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa Campbell- so now it's just me and the babe- who is about nearly ready to lay back down for a morning nap.  It's gonna be a pajama day for me today.  I have LOTS to write about on the blog with tons of pictures to add.  

It's raining today.  It's the middle of January and it's raining. I LOVE the rain!  I love that it's pouring!!!  It makes me nostalgic.  I remember LOVING the rain as a child... growing up in San Diego, I didn't ever see much variation when it came to the weather--- it was normally always sunny and warm with only a slight  breeze... the only time I remember it ever raining was during the month of March... I used to pray it would rain on my birthday... there were years it would, those were extra special birthdays in my mind... the rain also makes me remember the time I spent living as a Ricks College student on the island of Vashon, in the Puget Sound of Washington... I lived there as part of study abroad/leadership program.  Myself and 20 something other college Freshman, guys and girls, spent a month and a half on Vashon and nearly 2 months living in the Tetons in Idaho, {Badger Creek} learning and exploring.  Our group would take off on afternoons following classes and drive to visit the beaches on the Olympic Peninsula or hike through out the Hoh Rainforest.  We'd catch the ferry from Vashon in the drizzling rain over into Seattle to explore the city on weekends... A few girls and I would also run along the forest trails in the morning rain every dawn before class.  Life was good then... I just wish I only knew then to appreciate it more because my childhood years and college years seem so far away.  I'm in a different chapter of my life now... it's a fabulous chapter--- I really can't complain, but sometimes it's nice to go back and remember the previous chapter.  It's funny how something like the rain can cause me to do this.  Rain and the smell of roses... I have a fetish for buying things for my home that will make it smell good.  You name the nick knack, I've probably bought it and tried it.  I've settled with scented waxes--- not the Scentsy kind... while those smell good- they're three times the cost of Better Homes waxes {sold at Walmart} and the scents don't last quite as long... I'm in LOVE with my Better Homes scented waxes and it's always exciting when I stumble upon a delicious new smell!  Last week I found the scent "Rose Garden"... for only $2, I decided to buy it and give it a try.  I LOVE it!!! The smell permeates my house and makes me think of springtime.  It also instantly makes me think of my grandmother.  Remember her? (click here). I miss her... I still do and it's been nearly two years now that we lost her.  It helps at times that I know I'll see her again, after this life, but I still miss her as much as I did when she died, and as much I missed her each time I had to say "goodbye" after a long visit, not knowing when I'd get to see her next.  My new scent, "Rose Garden" instantly reminds me of her and the lake house she and my grandpa once owned.  Their walkway along the small street was lined with rose bushes.  For some reason or other, the smell permeated the air in their home.  She used to love using Dove soap that was scented like a rose.  I've looked for it in the past and haven't had any luck finding it.  I have some many wonderful memories with my grandparents in their lake house- memories I hope to never forget. If I had all the money in the world--- or at least a couple hundred thousand, I'd buy that lake house which is now owned by strangers...  I'd buy me a ticket to New York, rent a car, drive straight to the lake house that sits along Lake Ontario, knock on the front door and offer in cash a generous amount of $$$ to buy the home.  I'd hope that the secret stairs that led to my grandparents attic are still there, along with the hidden little door on the counter top that my grandpa built for my grandmother, so all she'd have to do is lift it up and swipe her bread crumbs off the counter top and into the trash below--- I'd also hope that the boat house they once had on the property still remains standing--- so I could enjoy supper in the evenings outside with my family, and the lawn...  their great big sprawling lawn I'd hope would still be there... how I used to love playing games of croquet out back on it, or laying on it, staring up at the night sky, watching bugs flicker around the porch light and watch as bugs would get zapped by the electric bug zapper thingy my grandfather installed...  Thank heaven for my memories--- I'd be BORED without them!

Alright, so do you remember how Cohen finally started using the toilet {it happened the beginning of November} and no longer needs diapers???  Probably not- it's been a while, but whatever the case is, whether you remember or not, he did and the day he longer needed to wear a diaper was a day of celebration!!!  I only have 2 in diapers now!!!  Hooray! {Make that 1 1/2- from time to time Bentley will use the toilet... I've given up the idea of potty training him right this very second only because if it were up to him, he'd be on the toilet, eating candy every.second.of.the.day. and frankly, I don't have that kind of time, so he only uses it when I have some spare time and remember to ask him. I KNOW I'm a horrible mother... I should be doing somersaults and jumping for JOY because he wants to use the potty--- what's my problem?! I better get moving and potty train him right now while he WANTS to do it- otherwise, he might change his mind and for all I know, he could be 9 years old and STILL in diapers!}. Anyhow, would you believe me if I told you that for some time {make that a couple of months, about 2 years ago} we had 4 in diapers all at the same time!!!  Yep, 4!  Noah was only 3 1/2 {and quite reluctant to potty train}, Ian was barely 2, Cohen was barely 1 and Bentley was just a new babe.  It was INSANE and as I recall it felt like we were constantly changing a poopy diaper!  I can't say I miss those days, now that we're down to just the two. 

Anyhow... as a reward, I promised Cohen that if he earned a chart full of stars from using the toilet, I'd take him on a train ride.  Well he earned all of his stars and he earned them just in the nick of time because I was able to reserve a pair of tickets, one for me, one for him, to ride The Polar Express {a.k.a. the Heber Creeper} the Thursday, before Christmas, to ride to The North Pole, eat cookies, sip cocoa and meet Santa Claus! 

Spencer was still teaching {how completely lame was that?!- I KNOW!  They were the only school district in the state that still had school in session--- his last day of teaching was Friday the 23RD- AND he only had ONE week of vacation!}; our train departed at 2, so I left the 4 other boys with Grandma and Grandpa Campbell and Cohen and I sped off to the train depot in Heber.  I PRAYED the days leading up to that particular day that we wouldn't have a snow storm; driving through the canyon can be quite dangerous, especially in the case of a snow--- perhaps I prayed too hard because we didn't get ANY snow at ALL during either the Christmas break or for the past couple of weeks until just recently.  It's been a pretty dry winter.

It was still pretty chilly though, even without snow; I believe the temperature was only in the teens--- so in other words, it was FREEZING!

Normally The Polar Express departs in the evening, but they had a couple of afternoon train rides, so I decided to book one for the afternoon instead of the evening so that Cohen could actually SEE the scenery as we passed by it.

This was Cohen's first time riding a train; it was my first experience riding a REAL train- I've ridden on bullet trains before (or whatever they're called in Europe- the name has slipped my memory) but never in an actual train car.

I snapped this picture below of this lighting fixture that hung in the train station... I don't know why, but something about it made me fall instantly in love with it.  One of these in our boys toy room or bedrooms would look AMAZING!!!  I'm sure it would probably cost a good arm and a leg to buy... 

We had to wait for quite a while before we could board the train.  We arrived nearly an hour early--- then when it came time for everyone to board the train, the train conductor wouldn't permit anyone with a ticket for our car to enter... it seems the furnace in the car was smoking and the whole car filled up with smoke... the crew had to open windows and let the car air out for 20 minutes or so while we, along with the rest of the passengers stood outside FREEZING!  Supposedly a repair man fixed the furnace problem, but within 10 minutes into our Polar Express journey, the furnace started to smoke again and the entire car filled up with smoke and smelled horrible like diesel.  Passengers opened their windows to air out the car and the crew turned off the furnace for the rest of the train ride... needless to say... it was pretty cold on the train ride {which took an hour and a half! I had no IDEA it was so long!} but really, I suppose I shouldn't have expected conditions to be any better... we were of course, headed to The North Pole!

Yippee for Starwars {a.k.a. Starburst... for some reason our boys think they're called Starwars though and for the LONGEST time we couldn't figure out WHAT ON EARTH they were talking about} and Cheeto chips!  Without them, Cohen might have tried to jump train! Truthfully, HE LOVED the experience of riding The Polar Express, but an hour and an half is painfully LONG anywhere, needless to say sitting on a train looking at the dreary countryside isn't exactly exciting! {I may have prayed for no snow, but come on, a little to cover the ground WOULD have been nice!  Cohen expected to see snow since we were going to The North Pole--- imagine his confusion when he didn't see a single bit of it!  Yeah- it was hard to explain--- let's just say I told him it was all due in fault to GLOBAL WARMING! (Not that he understand what that meant- but he didn't ask again!)}

Did I mention that the entertainment on board our train car was less than great... It was pretty bad in fact.  Not the entertainment part where the high school chorus stopped by to sing a few Christmas jingles... they tried and they were actually pretty decent... but we had this hostess lady on board our car who kept insisting to have us share jokes over the microphone she carried around with her or all together sing Christmas tunes and it was just HORRIBLE! and slightly ANNOYING.  And it didn't just last for a small portion of the trip... NOPE- it was for the WHOLE duration of the train ride!  Between sitting in a smokey diesel fueled cabin, listening to HORRIBLE jokes being amplified over the speakers and freezing to death because the windows were all down, I wanted to tell the engineer to STOP the TRAIN, and I probably would have, if it weren't for Cohen... he really was enjoying himself.  And that's all that mattered, right?  That day wasn't about me... it was about him.  He'd earned it.  We'd never had just a mother/son date alone together...  I've never been anywhere alone with just Cohen and not without one of his other brothers.  It was interesting to see how quiet he is without them.  Perhaps it's because he's the middle child and he's not used to getting a word in edge wise without someone interrupting... or maybe it's just because that's who Cohen is... a little shy- short on words, but someone who appreciates the simple things in life.  I LOVE him and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon alone with him and him alone.  I need to do it more often... no only with him, but with ALL of my boys.  I've done it a lot with Noah, probably because he's the oldest--- but ALL of my boys NEED it and deserve it.  That's both mine and Spencer's goal this year--- to spend more quality time alone with each of our boys to see and appreciate their BIG personalities--- their interests.  It's no simple task at hand when we have 5, all of whom are competing for our attention, but it's something we'll HAVE to do, easy or not.

Eventually we made it to The North Pole!  I was less than impressed {it was just Santa standing out in the middle of nowhere along the lakeside with one tiny little Charlie Brown Christmas tree and an elf helper}--- but then again, this whole adventure wasn't about me was it?!  I wish everyone could have seen the look on Cohen's face!  He was THRILLED to have arrived in The North Pole and have the chance to meet Santa.  He still talks about it to this day and he asks me constantly if we can go back!

To compensate for my less than stellar train ride experience {keep in mind, Cohen LOVED it!} I treated us to lunch/dinner at the Dairy Keen.  I'm pretty sure I mentioned in some previous post about how I LOVE LOVE LOVE this place- it has a FABULOUS gluten free menu {I HEART!}... Trains,  Dairy Keen and time alone with my Coey on our mother/son date was pretty much AMAZING!!!