Visit to Santa
Greetings to everyone.
Today was a busy day for everyone. It began two weeks ago when Rebecca asked what holiday activities did we want to do this year as a family. She had already lined several up, including a trip to Colorado Springs to hear Handel's Messiah and an overnight on the grounds of Glen Eyrie Castle, where we listened to the concert.
Of course, we had to get a Santa visit in. The malls have moved Santa from a fun family affair to a monetized machine. This year, Rebecca discovered Union Station in Denver was having a free visit with Santa from 10:00 through 14:00. Pictures available if the parents took them. She even went so far as to go downtown and check out the setting to determine if it was worth going.
It was decided. We all got out of bed early and had a simple breakfast. Then, to the early service at church so we could make the 10 to 2 window.
Last year, we took Xavier on the Santa Train down in Canyon City. This year, we took Xavier on the light rail into Denver to see Santa. It would be his first time on the light rail.
Xavier enjoyed the train into Denver. After getting off the train, we walked to the station and put our name on the waiting list. Only a few minutes, we thought, no more than thirty. Three hours we were told.
Xavier spent some time making friends with other boys waiting to see Santa, playing shuffleboard.
As it was nearing lunch (we had an early breakfast), and Santa was totally up on modern technology, apps and texting, we three left the station in search of food.
After walking in the cold (it was a little frigid today), we boarded the 16th Street Mall bus. We targeted a pizzeria (it sounded good to us all, not just Xavier), got off the bus and walked several blocks (did I mention the cold?) only to discover Google was wrong about the pizzeria's open time. No way were we waiting another hour or so exposed to the elements.
We walked our way back to 16th Street and found another pizzeria we had spotted from the bus. It was open, and warm and had tasty pizza by the slice.
After lunch, we walked down the street and visited the Christmas Market. Once we exhausted what could be seen there, we hopped back on the bus and returned to Union Station.
After warming ourselves with hot chocolate, we explored the station a little. We were on the second floor when Santa's savvy app texted us to come get in line. We had been tracking our place in line by the app, which let us know what place in line we had, and how fast the line was moving.
We got in line, which moved us to the front in about fifteen minutes. Xavier jumped up on Santa's lap, posed for photos, then laid out his wish list: a train.
Santa said he'd "see what he could do." He instructed Xavier to leave an apple out for his reindeer.
We walked back to the W line and returned home on the light rail.
It was a fun day for us all.
Roller Skating
Hello to all.
Xavier's school held a fund raiser at a local rollerskating rink last night. The school uses the skating rink several times a year for such purposes; it even gives discounted rates over the summer to students interested in skating during off-school months.
Last year Xavier was not interested in skating at all until the very end of the night, after the skate rental closed.
This year, he wanted to skate and he did not want to wait to the end of the night to start. He wanted to skate as soon as we got there.
The skates they had for first-timers his size fit over his shoes (just barely). We got him fitted up, strapped in, then found a walker for him to use.
Well, there was a complication. Xavier did not want to skate alone (even though many of his classmates were zipping by). He wanted Daddy to skate with him.
Daddy has not been on roller skates since the early seventies. That did not matter to Xavier, so off to the rental window we went.
Unfortunately for Daddy, they did not have an adult sized walker, so the three foot "crash wall" was my walker.
Xavier, however, skated around the rink quite well, only falling two or three times. He made several rounds then wanted to play some arcade games. He remembered playing the games last year (instead of skating), and the selection of games did not change in twelve months.
We ended the night shooting dinosaurs running amok in some Jurassic Park setting.
The Biggest Snow Wall To Date
Hello to everyone.
As mentioned in the Halloween post, the weather this past week ranged from cold to cold. We had a significant snow storm drop about six to eight inches.
The storm had schools closed or on delayed start two days this week. Xavier spent his time on his one day off and the afternoons of the others building a snow fort. He finally mastered rolling large snowballs.
Today, the weather warmed up and Xavier, along with his abbreviated week, had today off as part of Fall Break.
The last few nights had left his fort solidly frozen and sturdy. Come mid morning when the sun warmed the yard, Xavier put the finishing touches on his fort. He carved in stairs on the back side and a chair on the top, front side.
We enjoyed a snowball fight afterward. Oh, and yes, Dad rolled the big balls and lifted them into position.