My GurleeGirrl World

Each year my parents invite us to attend the Holiday Lighting at Henry Ford Museum which is exclusively for members.  It's nice to see the Museum full to the brim with families.

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive via a Model T.  Santa always says a few words to the kiddos about eating their vegetables, getting in bed early on Christmas Eve and leaving extra cookies out for him.  My kids really enjoy this part of the night.  Santa then has a countdown, which gets the kids all in a frenzy, until he finally flips the switch and lights the tree. 

After the lighting, we normally head over to the Michigan Cafe for some dinner.  This year was no different.  The kids get their kids meals (hot dogs or chicken fingers) and normally plan out the rest of our night.

After dinner, we let the kids run from train-to-train, visit the car showplace, then we head over to their favorite spot, the paper airplane building room.  We spend a good half an hour watching them try to master the art of paper-airplane making.  I swear Colton must have made 5 different ones, and thought each one was a "must take home plane."  Needless to say, momma left them in the "To Be Recycled" bin. 

The current "special" exhibit at the Museum is LEGO Architecture: Towering Ambition.  The exhibit is pretty impressive.  I know their are people who can build amazing things with LEGOS, and they sure outdid themselves with this exhibit.

 

Couple of things I learned about LEGOs at the gift shop.  A)  They weigh next to nothing, and B)  They cost a fortune!  Seriously, you couldn't buy a set under $30.  Thankfully neither of my kids are LEGO fans, so I got out of there without spending a dime. 

From here, we headed over to the big tree to take some pictures.  I normally get a few good ones of the kids to choose for my Christmas Card.  I may have taken 15, trying to get 1 good one.  I swear those two can't stand next to one another for more than a second before a fight breaks out.  He was yelling she was touching him, and she was trying to put her arm around him, which infuriated him.  So out of the bunch, I think I got one where they were both looking at me and smiling.  It's the little things that make me happy.

Luckily the "craft table" had cleared out and the kids were able to get a spot to make their ornaments.  You would think that the Museum would learn that a craft that takes parental assistance to make, just isn't the right level for this type of event.  I was working with all the kids to get their ornaments made and they did come out pretty cute.  They are clear plastic bulbs, full of snowflake glitter, and have fuzzy balls for eyes & mouth, orange pipe cleaner nose and gold pipe cleaner with red balls for ear muffs.  Everything is attached with "glue dots".  Well those dumb dots were sticking to everything but the ornament.  It took some time, but they were happy with their creations.

By the end of the night, this momma was tired and her feet were aching from all the walking. 

I enjoyed listening to the kids prepare their lists for Santa, and to me, it's our tradition that kicks off the Christmas season.