This year we almost didn’t make it to the Santa Train. Tickets sell out SO FAST, and the place that had tickets was only open from 9-5. I’m at WORK from 9-5. So yeah, I didn’t get tickets, but THEN! Craigslist to the rescue! Did you know that you can put in a search on craigslist, and then subscribe to those search results’ rss feed? GENIUS I TELL YOU! So, late last Friday, I popped open Google reader to see a woman in centreville selling 4 tickets. I quickly emailed her and begged. Beggging in email entails the use of many exclamation points, but not too many, because you don’t want to come off as crazy. I also tried to use PLEASE in a variety of ways. In fact, I’ll dig up the email I sent:

Oh lord, I would LOVE to have these!! Please oh pleasity please please!

Please let me be the lucky buyer!

PLEASE!!

So desperate sounding yes, but also a touch of cuteness with the pleasity please please, don’t you think? Well, whatever, it doesn’t matter what you think because I GOT THEM WAHOO! I didn’t dare utter a word to the kids until after I had the tickets in my hot little hands, because you never know with craigslist buying/selling, but I did get them, and they were so tickled. And I must admit, so were James and I.

So enough with the jibber jabber, fool. On to the photos!

Waiting for the train to arrive.

Jocelyn looks like a big poofy pink marshmellow.

I have taken pains in teaching my children how to make faces when someone points a camera at them.

Look! Look! The train is finally coming to get us!

Yay! We finally get to get on board! And sit for another 10 minutes before we actually get to move!

But then we DID move! And excitement ensued!

I don’t think Ethan will ever not love being on a train.

This isn’t the santa train for nothing — Santa made an appearance. Ethan was excited. He exhibited his excitement by hiding and grinning a lot.

Jocelyn sat on my lap and hardly took her eyes off him once.

That look that could be constipation is actually lots of smiling and shyness and just utter cuteness!

Santa asked her what she wanted, and for a second I thought she didn’t have an answer, but then she grinned and said, “Woody. And Jessie. Dolls.” and then looked constipated some more.

We waved goodbye, Ethan pronounced the rest of the trip “Boring,” and soon we arrived back at the station and headed home.

Santa train 2007 – big success.