Last night we packed up the boys and headed out for an early dinner at IHOP. Adam thought it was so silly that we were having breakfast for dinner (even though scrambled eggs for supper isn’t anything new at our house since that child only eats like five different things). After eating and a quick trip to the store, we were off to the train station.

We changed the kids in to their pajamas before we went in and they were all set for a ride on the Polar Express.

Adam was not a fan of the sing-a-long that the elves led before we boarded the train. That isn’t to imply that the elves didn’t have nice voices, it was just too loud for him.

I was really hoping for a nice picture of the two of them together (that’s always my mission really – and I fear it’s going to move even closer towards impossible next May).

Luke was a little scared when the train first started to move, but he got over it quickly.

Getting a decent picture of me with the boys wasn’t going to happen last night either. Luke didn’t want to sit still and Adam refused to keep his eyes open.

Mickey stole away for the  trip as well. He didn’t have a ticket, but he did wear his pajamas – so we’ll let it slide.

After the train stopped in the “North Pole” Santa got on board and spent some time visiting with each child.

The Duke loved waving to Mr. C (from a distance), but was not happy about sitting on his lap.

Adam shared his wishlist with Santa. He’s been asking for the same three things for months – the Huckle Game, a play kitchen, and a pogo stick*.

Before leaving, Santa Claus gave each boy a bell from his sleigh and Adam promised to leave some chocolate chip cookies out for him on Christmas Eve.

* Adam will not be getting a pogo stick and if you get one for my son I will beat you with it. I have no desire to start 2013 with another trip to the ER.

Whenever Luke hears the theme song to the show “The Big Bang Theory” he stops whatever he is doing and dances to it. It’s hilarious and Dave and I can’t get enough of it.

We had a light bulb blow earlier and when I told Adam I was going to change it he said to me, “That’s a daddy job Mommy. You can just make me lunch and then when Daddy gets home from work, he will fix it.” Apparently I am raising Archie Bunker.

I started to take out the burnt bulb and he got so upset, thinking I was going to hurt myself that I had to stop. We’ll work on gender equality later.

Adam loves to take pictures with my camera. He’s very careful with it and is good about returning it to me when his allotted number of photos is up (when I want it back I’ll give him three last pictures).

So it’s always a surprise when I put the memory card in my computer to see what is on it.

He’s also been interested in the solar system lately. The other day he brought me a rubber ball and a hair tie and asked me to “make the ball look like Saturn, with rings on it”. Later, when Dave got home from work, he asked Adam if he knew any other planets. Adam was quick to respond with Mars. Dave then asked if he knew which planet we lived on and Adam said, “Planet Earth”. I’d say that’s pretty good for a three-year-old. Dave asked if he knew any more and Adam’s response was, “Yes, but I don’t want to tell you”.

So Dave grabbed some crayons and drew him a diagram of the sun and planets (I am allowed no part in space discussions/education after Dave heard me telling Adam there was a planet named Pluto). But later, I asked Adam what the planet closest to the sun was and he told me “Bakery” (instead of Mercury).

That is a planet I would like to see.

We spent last weekend visiting my family. I think Adam’s favorite part of the trip was baking cookies with Mabel. She let him make his own recipe (after he kept trying to add random ingredients to hers) and he took it all very seriously.

He has a cookie in his mouth in this picture (one of Mabel’s), which is why he’s sporting chipmunk cheeks.

It quickly turned in to a bake-off and Adam declared himself the winner at the end.

Mabel accepted her defeat graciously and still sent Adam home with a care package full of her (slightly inferior) cookies.

If you’d like to try to recreate the winning recipe at home you’ll need mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, crushed graham crackers, white sugar, and powdered sugar. Mix them all together and cook them in the oven for 7 minutes (but don’t tell Adam I shared his award winning secret recipe).