A visit to Santa's Wonderland

Yesterday was Jarrod's last day of school before the holidays.  We celebrated with a visit to Santa's Wonderland near College Station.  It was our thrid family trip there and the last time was in 2009.  Owen was itty bitty! 

This abundance of bright beautiful trees welcomed us! 

Ready for some fun :)

  

So glad we headed straight for the hayride.  This place has become so popular that there are lots of lines!  The hayride is breath taking and is truly a highlight of the overall experience.  It is over one mile long and includes displays such as Candy Cane Lane, gingerbread houses, an elf village, the Alamo, the manger scene and the resurrection scene.

There was ongoing live entertainment on several different stages throughout the evening.  One performer asked for children to come up to help him sing 'Jingle Bells'.  Without hesitation, Emma leaped at the opportunity to sing in a microphone :)  That one Christmas carol eventually turned into about ten before I finally pulled her off stage! 

Another huge atraction is this gigantic flag and stage.  God Bless Texas!

The petting zoo was a big hit with both kids.  Emma became a little alarmed because the goats acted aggressively hungry. 

Owen was hesitant at first but quickly started petting each animal in sight :)

We enjoyed meeting the new Marhall Frostbite!   The kids were nervous so the whole family took a photo :)  On the way home Emma proudly told us that meeting him was her favorite part of the entire night.  She even gave him a huge bear hug after our photo.

The long line was well worth visiting with cowboy Santa!  I was shocked that both kids warmed up to him so quickly.  At first Owen kept his distance and just shouted "Car, car" across the room.  He has made it clear that he wants Santa to leave him a car under the tree.  We were also excited to see real live Prancer, one of Santa's famous reindeer!