It was about a week ago that my Mom cut out an advertisement in the News Press regarding the Winter Wonderland in Bonita. It was a free event to the community with holiday music, lights, and fun stuff for kids. We jotted it down on our calendar & thought it was worth trying!
So I met up with Nana & Connor after I got off work, we all changed clothes, quickly looked up an address of our destination, loaded up in two cars (so I could park someone midtrip to avoid a long ride home), and headed on our way! We hoped that Connor would snooze a bit in the car, so he could refuel before we got there. Well, I should know by now that when you try to plan out naps...they never work! C was awake the whole trip down there. We pulled in to where we thought was our destination & realized I wrote down the address to the wrong park in Bonita. Big oops. God kindly delivered us a woman in the parking lot that was driving to the Holiday thingy, so she let us just follow her there. We arrived, parked among a sea of cars, and hopped out. I had chugged a giant drink on the way down there, so my bladder was screaming to be relieved. Poor planning on my part. We walked around the massive crowds, saw some pretty lights & decorations, and we tried to keep Connor entertained why I ventured around for a bathroom. About 15 minutes of wandering, I found one! When I was out of the restroom, I met up with Connor & Nana in line for the snow sledding. While waiting in the loooooong line, we got to check out the snow blowing machine.
And yes...Connor has the oddest fascination with squeezing people's earlobes.
As if Nana needed a reason to be Nana-of-the-Year, she definitely won that award this night! Without knowing that this holiday fun night would include rides, I wore a dress. Kinda hard to sit gracefully in a dress on a sled... Since we feared Connor would potentially wipe on the ice & get hurt, we didn't want him to ride alone. Nana offered to ride with C...and the longer we waited in line to reach the front, the more I grew anxious for them. I was seeing every other kid slide down the big hill of fake snow & fall off the sled--spilling their Florida dressed bodies all over the cold ice chips. I was envisioning my Mom & Connor walking away with scrapes, sores, and cold, soggy clothes post sledding experience. It was too late to turn back now since Connor was still pretty excited about it. I waited down below while they headed up to the top of the hill....
I said a little prayer for no tears at the end of the sled ride and watched as they flew down the 'snow!'
Nana rocked that sled like it was her job! Nobody fell or got bruised...until Connor tried to get up & crushed his little hand in the ice. I don't think he got hurt, but it was just that painfully, tingly cold sensation that upset him. So tears were shed...and we began the meltdown downward spiral around this point. Connor's over exhaustion and empty belly began to overwhelm us! When Nana & I decided it was time to abort the trip & get some supper, Connor had a bigger meltdown because he wasn't ready to leave. So here we stood, among a crowd of people trying to remain festive, trying to decide if it was worth it to stay or leave. Ughhh...
Nana opted to run into a small, ghetto food mart to pick out some snacks, while I tried to tame the beast outside. Wouldn't you know that after a few bites, Connor was happy again. Oh Sweet Jesus...he definitely gets that trait from me.
Since the line for the carriage rides was about 3 days long, we directed our attention to what Connor liked to consider the "Spooky Old Tree." It was beautifully decorated and was perfect for climbing.
Connor was content & we were all feeling successful :)
Our evening ended with a quick supper at Jason's Deli before heading back home. Oh what a night! God bless my Mom for experiencing similar nights when us kids were young...and now she's reliving the same nights with me & Connor now. All the effort we put in to make some happy memories for our kids... :)
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