Trip to the North Pole

I (Paul) have an online account with the local talk radio station, where you can answer trivia questions and get points that you can spend on prizes. I have gotten things like books, hats, mugs and T-shirts, but a week or so ago I saw something that looked like lots of fun. It was tickets to the Holiday Lights Show in Coeur d'Alene, ID. It claims to be the "largest on-the-water resort holiday light show in America". The only catch was that we could only use the tickets Monday through Thursday, so I arranged to take Monday off instead of Friday and we would drive up to CDA for Family Home Evening.

When we got there and Vanessa fed the Lydia, we had just enough time for a quick dinner before we had to get on the cruise boat. Vanessa wanted pancakes and we found an IHOP that literally had no other customers. It worked out well for our schedule, but it was weird to be the only people in the restaurant.

The Holiday Lights Show is a cruise around the CDA marina, all decked out in lights and then the boat takes you across the lake to the "North Pole". Even though the temperature was in the low teens, Asher and Madeleine were so excited that they wanted to sit out on the top deck nearly the whole way. They got a kick out of the Grinch who came out and tried in vain to stop us from leaving the harbor.

It is pretty cool when they take you to the North Pole because when you are crossing the lake it seems like you are in the middle of no where. All you can see is lights off in the distance and stars. Still the kids insisted on staying up top.

The North Pole is some resort nestled among trees on the far side of the lake. On a dock sticking out from the resort is Santa Clause's living room. Sorry the pictures are so blurry.
Santa and Mrs. Clause are there, and Santa even read some of the names of the nice list, including Madeleine and Asher. They were really excited about that. Then Santa turns on the North Pole Christmas Lights, including a huge musical tree and the Elves' Toy Shop. The kids absolutely loved it.

All the other kids on the boat went inside after we left the North Pole but Asher and Maddie wanted to stay outside. Eventually I convinced them to go tell Vanessa what they had seen. Vanessa stayed in with Lydie the whole time, but since she doesn't produce her own warmth she was probably happier in there. As soon as the kids finished telling Vanessa they wanted back outside to see if they could see the Grinch again.
It was bitterly cold, and we had to drive the whole way home in the dark, but watching the excitement on the kids faces, and hearing them talk about it the next day made it worth it. Asher has told all his friends about it, and Madeleine talked my ear off about it when I got home from work on Tuesday. It sure is fun to see the world through 4 and 2 year olds' eyes.