Jolly Holiday Lights

So you know my countdown to Christmas stockings that I made and hung a few weeks ago? Well the stockings have been filled and we've been opening one each day. Yesterday was number 12, and inside was a note that said "Go to Jolly Holiday Lights." So that's what we did.

For those of you not familiar with Jolly Holiday Lights, it's this big production of Christmas Lights at Waterworks Park in Des Moines. It costs $9 per car and all of the proceeds go to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Basically you turn off your headlights and drive through this park at about 2 mph and ooh and aahh over the lit-up snowmen, tunnels, candy cans, trains, Santa's and every other Christmas thing you can think of. Plus they give little kids a candy cane as you enter the park! In other words, it's Christmas Heaven for a 2-year-old!

Before we left, Cary made some hot chocolate for Carter to sip throughout the drive. Oh boy, was he excited for his hot chocolate! Here's a picture of Carter in his car seat with his cocoa as we were on our way there.

I have to say that Carter is becoming so funny. On the way there, he had both Cary and I cracking up over the silly things that he was saying. And he kept saying them over and over again. So maybe it was the repitition that was funny. But after laughing for about 5 minutes straight, I decided to write down things he said as we drove through the lit-up park. Here are just a few:

-What dat? (Ali: It's a sign.) Carter eat sign.

-Hi Santa! (To the heavy-set, gray bearded man directing cars.)

-Oooh...dat's cute!

-Mmmm...hot chocolate!

-Look at dat! What dat? (about 1000 times)

-Mmmm...sucker's good! (about the candy cane)

-Where da drummer boy go?

-Haha. Carter burp chocolate.

-Carter touch it! Carter touch it!

-Where Carter's sock go? (and for some reason, when we found it in the car, it was soaking wet!)

-Tunnel big...tunnel real big!

-Mmm.... (about his candy cane/sucker)

-Ali: Carter, do you see Rudolph? Carter: Rubutz? Ali: No, Rudolph. Carter: Rubuff. Ali: Ru-Dolph. Carter: Rabuts. (Seriously...why is that word so hard to say?)

-Sucker all gone.

-Whoa! Tunnel a little big!

-More sucker later, Mommy?

-See Bismis (Christmas) lights again!!!