Today was the Third Annual Downtown Holiday Fun Day. We usually try to do this a little closer to Christmas, but Dana had the day off and there was no rain in the forecast – so that made two good incentives to make today the day. For a special bonus, Annika (Ainsley’s little sister) came with us.
Circumstances dictated that this would be a relatively short trip this year: no restaurant breakfast or Christmas shopping. But, we still made an excellent time of it.
As per tradition, we met at the Barnes & Noble in the children’s book area. They have this great little train table that the girls love to play with, and while they do that, Dana and I get a few minutes to chat and catch up before we are off on further adventures.
On our way out of Pacific Place, we stopped by the Christmas tree in the lobby. Dana and Anni were following a bit behind (Anni insisted on walking) so the older girls graced me with a few minutes of modeling before they got to run amok.
Ainsely and Ellie decided to kick it up a notch and get peppermint in their hot chocolate this year. Those crazy kids. We also had some yummy gingerbread.
Then it was off to the carousel! While I purchased the tickets, the girls looked on longingly.
Amazingly, it wasn’t crowded at all. Usually, there are two or three school groups as well as several individual riders. I guess going at the tail end of November has its advantages.
So we got to ride three times in a row without ever having to get off the carousel – we just kept handing our tickets to the guy and kept riding.
Ainsley decided she was very happy with her horse and stayed on the same one the whole time. Miss Ellie, on the other hand, was in the variety-is-the-spice-of-life camp and wanted to try out a different horse for each ride.
Here’s Anni on her first time on a carousel horse. She looks so tiny. It’s hard to believe that she is about the same age as Ellie and Ainsley were on the First Annual trip.
Nope, Ellie didn’t have a good time at all. This is her yelling, “I’m flying!”
Although they weren’t excited that we eventually made them get off the carousel, they quickly found a stage area and gave us a lovely dance performance. (Ellie still hasn’t let me remove the ears and tail off her jacket from Halloween.)
While Dana and I paid for parking, the girls found a little hiding place to conspire about something.
This was a very good start to our Christmas season. May your holidays be filled with laughter, joy, and carousels.
Roo 