If you follow the blog at all, it's evident that I enjoy play time just as much as my kids. I like ample time to play on the weekends and play we did the weekend before Thanksgiving! We played in the snow, enjoyed the Winter Market, took part in Make A Wish's Tour de Lights, and saw Santa for the first time this year. All of it was a blast!
I'm not a huge fan of the snow but there was something special about the first snowfall of the winter. Read more about our snow shenanigans here.
One of my favorite things to do in Des Moines this time of year is attend the Winter Market indoors downtown Des Moines. In years past it's been crazy busy and crowded, but this year wasn't bad at all. We easily got all of our goodies (which included Mexican fruit cup, apple cider donuts, coffee, and a variety of gourmet grilled cheeses), browsed all of the tables, and sat down to listen to a couple of bands play.
We made sure to park in the furthest parking garage so that the kids could run through the skywalk after the Winter Market. I love their stances as they get ready to race!
Check out this great video on my Instagram of the minis competing. It brings a smile to face every time.
We squeezed in naps and then headed to Water Works Park for a preview of Jolly Holiday Lights with Tour de Lights. This was our first year participating and fundraising for this Make A Wish event. Even though it was only 20 degrees out and kids complained of being cold every two seconds, we had a great time. I'd love to make this a yearly event for our family.
Sunday morning we ran errands. The stores were incredibly busy (I'm assuming with people buying things for their Thanksgiving meals) so for the minis good behavior we surprised them with a trip to the mall to see Santa for the first time and ride the holiday train.
Elizabeth and Harrison were thrilled to see Santa (they've been talking about this since August). Elizabeth made Santa a card and gave it to him. When Harrison walked up to Santa, Santa offered his lap, but Harrison replied "no thanks, I'll sit next to you." Then proceeded to have a lengthy conversation in Santa's seat. It appeared they were long time friends!
