Christmas in August...could it be ANY hotter?

I am probably going to go with no...it couldn't have been.

Today...we headed down to the Amtrak Station in Houston to see the Disney's A Christmas Carol Train Tour.

My husband is wonderful, he really is. A few weeks ago my wonderful husband text messaged me from work with a web address to check out. He read that the Christmas Carol movie was being re-done and that the train was going to be on tour and it would be coming through Houston. Sure enough, today was the day. We decided weeks ago that it would be something fun we could do with the kids before they went back to school. The website said there would be a preview of the movie in a state of the art theater, snow for the kids, the costumes used in the movie and other neat stuff. Great, it was a done deal, sounds like fun.

My wonderful husband also said that he did not think there would be many people there; after all, it was a Tuesday. When we decided we would be going, I emailed all some friends, passed the info along and invited them to join us. Last night, we decided that since it was open today from 9am through 7pm, we would leave the house around 8:30am. Good...we had a plan.

I should have taken heed to the warnings of last night and this morning...you know, subtle hints that today would have been a good day to stay home. Uh...NO! We were going to spend a marvelous day with our kids before school started.

We stayed up kind of late trying to finish up So You Think You Can Dance, you know, since it had ended already and we were afraid we would end up hearing something that we did not want to hear without seeing for ourselves. We got the kids to bed and I could not go to sleep for anything, I tossed and turned and flipped and flopped and nothing. UGGG! I hate it when this happens. So, 1am rolls around, if not later, and I am still awake. This sucks! I finally get to the point I might be able to doze off and guess what? Yep, Tutti-Frutti wakes up, great...just great. I finally get him back to sleep after about an hour and a half. What is up with this kid not sleeping? I get back in bed and doze off...finally, sleep. Uh, no. He is up again in less than an hour. Good grief. I put him in the bed with us this time, thinking he might snuggle up and go to sleep. Not so much, thankyouverymuch. He tosses and turns and moans and groans and tries sitting up, he wants to nurse, are you kidding me? I just fed him less than an hour ago but he finally won. At some point, I finally dozed off, only to be jolted awake at 6:45 by Boog, ready to get up. Ugg. Daddy gets up with him, good. I can doze back off, oh crap...we are going to see the Christmas Carol train. Might as well get up but guess who is sleeping like a dream? Yep, Tutti-Frutti. Should have just stayed home but we had promised the kids we would go. We load up in the car, I try to check my voicemail and my cell phone is not working. It is telling me that my service is disconnected, WHAT? I just paid the bill last week! By this time, the kids are loaded up in the car and we are about to back out. We cannot leave with no phone, spoiled, I know. I come back in the house and call. They are now telling me that they never received my payment, no...wait, they are now telling me that it was returned! WHAT? Are you kidding me? We finally get it worked out. My debit card had expired in the time between when I made the payment and when the payment posted...oh great. We get that worked out finally, the phone is back on and off we go...kind of. We need gas! We get gas and off we go, one more time. Did you not hear me say we should have just stayed home?We finally get to the Amtrak Station and there are people everywhere! There is no parking...the policeman directing traffic is telling us to go back up the road a few blocks and park there. We find parking and hike back to the station, through a homeless person's living room I might add. I was going to get a few pictures of that, but decided it might be rude so I decided against it. We (read: Daddy) decided that we did not need to take the stroller, it would be too much of a pain to keep up with. OK. I had already packed a backpack for diapers and such so that part was no big deal, easy to carry. I grabbed the ring sling (remember, the one from the Chick-Fil-A story? You know, the one that makes lifting my arm virtually impossible?) and popped Tutti-Frutti in and off we went. Keep in mind that my wonderful husband said there would hardly be anyone there. Did I mention I did not eat breakfast?

We walk up and there are people everywhere. There is a line that kind of u's around under the freeway and back around to the train, oh...that is not too bad. This should not take long, the end the line is right there by the train. No biggie, we will be out of here in no time.

We stand in line for a bit and I head to a shaded area with Tutti-Frutti, there is a nice little breeze blowing. Everyone is in good spirits, no whining, we are good as gold. Line is moving...there are 2 highly annoying women with a little girl in front of us, talking my ear off. No problem, I am social. If you can think of a question, these women asked me. I usually am not easily annoyed...for the most part. The lady is a bit redundant, it is ok, nice to have someone to chat with.My sweet baby blowing me kisses.

Ok! We have made it to the train! Hot dog! Here we go...WHAT? What did that man just say? There is another what? Another line? Oh my, uh-uh. No he did not say that! He did? Another hour from here? We have been in line for about an hour already! Well, might as well stick it out. Daddy goes to get some drinks, they are out of water now, great just what we need...coke in this heat. I wanted water. Oh well, coke will work. Thanks Daddy.

We are still hanging in there, my back is kind of hurting. Holding the kiddo in the sling and NOT moving is not that easy to do. Daddy was nice enough to hold him for awhile.

Uh-oh. Houston, we have a problem. Tutti-Frutti has had enough.

This is not really fun anymore. We have been in line for over an hour. We are still in line, I still see lots of people.Guess I will take random pictures to occupy my time. I am still answering all kinds of crazy questions from the ladies in front of us. I know their life stories (is it written on my forehead that I enjoy knowing everything about every stranger I meet? It must be because it happens all of the time!) where they live, what they do, that they (the daughter, the grand-daughter and son in law) live with her mother. The mother has a dominant personality and tries to raise the grand-daughter...you get the picture.

You know it is getting ugly when the baby starts pulling hair.

Or one of the big brothers is trying to pull the baby's legs off.

Great Googley Moogley! I know these people are not dressed like that in August, in Houston! I hope they are paying them well. They are soooo not singing Christmas Carols in August, in Houston. Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh, o're the fields we go, laughing all the way! Oh yea, I guess they are.

Snow? They promised snow! This is what they are calling snow?

The baby finally gave up. Honestly, I do not blame him.

Boog's legs were about to fall off! I know because he told me so. I am done, I want to go home. I am hot. I am tired. I am hungry. My head hurts. I probably have to go to the bathroom. I am thirsty. My back is killing me! I need to sit down. That is me talking! You know it has to be bad now that I am whining!

Oh yea, we are in! Finally...after only 3 hours! Yep, that is what I said...3 hours. We stood still, in a line, for 3 hours. To walk through a train, see a few flat screen tv's showing interviews with a few of the cast members. No preview in a state of the art facility. We did get to morph our faces into characters from the movie. That was funny. This is some of what we saw. No flash allowed. Of course.


Did I mention that on the way down, the dj on the radio said the high would be somewhere around 108? Yep, I believe every bit of it.

On the walk (dare I even call it that) back to the car, Boog was about to fall apart. Daddy had taken Tutti-Frutti and headed for the hills. I guess he knew Boog would not be able to walk and he wanted the good end of the deal. Guess who carried the 40 pound 4 year old? Yep, dear old mom.

Moral of the story...when your dear wonderful husband proclaims that there is a train coming and that no one will be there...STAY HOME!

We finally got to eat! We found a new place, Cheddar's, and it was really good. We had a late lunch and headed home to relax! NOT! We had Back to School night. Wheew...glad today is over!