So to close out 2017, Mike and I headed to the Gaylord National in Maryland for the ICE! Exhibit. Note–the ICE! Exhibit is 9 degrees. But Sugar Bear has a sugar bear suit so we decided to give it a shot and do something fun. Like Christmas fun in general, we were both pleasantly surprised by how much she actually enjoyed it!

We started off the morning of the last day of the year in our matching Chistmas jammies, which finalllly arrived!

The we had Sugar Bear wear about 4 layers of clothes as we prepped for the frigid temps inside the ICE! exhibit. The actual outdoor temps hovered around 9 degrees also. The Gaylord is a gorgeous hotel and the atrium is spectacular in every season–so bright and light and refreshing.

We got a lot of smiles out of this little girl as we walked to the exhibit. Here she is surprising Daddy by popping out from a candy cane!

The ICE! Exhibit walked you through the story of Rudolph. They gave you giant blue parkas so you wouldn’t freeze to death, which was a great idea…I had to keep checking Caroline’s nose and cheeks to make sure she wasn’t getting frostbite.

From the very beginning, she LOVED it. She loved the lights. She loved the shiny ice. She loved the cute storyline, which I read to her as we traveled from room to room. She laughed and squealed and reached to touch alllll the things.

And for the cherry on top, at the end of the exhibit, there was a carousel! So Sugar Bear got to ride her VERY first carousel with Mike!

Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a horsewoman.

After all this excitement, we headed to a sports bar to grab some lunch. While Caroline and I were waiting for our table (she still in her sugar bear suit and sitting on my lap facing me), a sweet grandfatherly-looking gentleman walked over and said, “Excuse me…where can I buy one of those bears?” I think I looked confused, wondering if he was trying to make  joke. Then at the same time, Caroline wiggled, and he started laughing. “Oh, that’s your baby!” he said. “I thought it was a stuffed bear!”

Here we are chatting with the sweet couple who thought Sugar Bear was a real bear. They wanted a picture so they could tell their daughter (who was pregnant) about the story. We happily obliged.

Such a wonderful way to close out 2017!