Winter Wonderland Express

We went to the Chicago Botanic Garden today to catch the Wonderland Express - an indoor holiday themed train display. We got there with some time to spare and checked out some of the indoor greenhouse.  Both kids loved the florals, but when we entered an area with cacti, Brooke had a bit of a panic attack.  She appeared to believe she would be attacked by a cactus.  I finally calmed her down a bit, and another kid in the green house informed her that she needn't be afraid of the cactus ... she should be afraid of the bugs that live in the green house.  At that point we basically had to run out as fast as we could before she lost it.

Initially Ryan had a bit of an issue when we entered the Winter Wonderland. There was faux snow falling from the sky, and since its been 287 days since Chicago has seen snow ... and Ryan is only two years old ... he was freaked out. He kept his hands on top of his head for a good 10 minutes until he realized he wasn't in any danger.

Only minutes after we got there (and Ryan finally pulled his hands off his head), Ryan was thrilled and Brooke was already bored. As Ryan watched the trains with excitement, Brooke twirled her hair and spaced out into oblivion.

This train was clearly a favorite, I'm guessing its because the guy behind the wheel is currently on the kids minds...