Hi, Santa!

There was a narrow window a few weeks ago when Paisley seemed to be getting better and Jeromy and I weren't sick yet. It lasted for about two days. And on one of those two days, we decided to go see Santa Claus (otherwise, how was Paisley going to let it be known what she would like for Christmas?). We were happy that we could meet up with Susan and Joshua for the outing.

Bass Pro may seem like a weird place for a Santa, but it has become a staple of Christmas shenanigans, as evidenced by all of my friends' photos on their Facebook wall. I think everyone went there this year! And yes - if you don't get there early, the line is long. But they will give you a card with a time to come back and you can roam the store while you wait. Sweet!

One thing we were able to do while waiting was take Paisley for her first carousel ride. She sat on her animal and intently grabbed the rod in front of her. And her hands didn't budge almost the entire time (until her psycho mommy grabbed her to face Daddy for a picture). She's serious like that. Jeromy went on her first "round" and then I got in there for her second time. So fun!









We spent the rest of our time looking around at all the animals, peering over the edge of the bridge, and scoping out the fish tank. We know that Uncle Vinny doesn't like bison, so Paisley was sure to "pick the bison's nose" in honor of her uncle.

After roaming for a bit, it was time to get in line. I don't know why, but the magic of Santa still thrills me. There's this "awe" that lands on me like a net and pulls me in. I wanted to give him a hug myself... but then I'd be "that" mom. And security would be called.

Joshua went down to see Santa first. He did a perfect job of standing there and politely telling Santa what he wanted for Christmas (a Leap Pad). Santa smiled and gave Joshua a candy cane. He is such an awesome little man!

We then carried Paisley to Santa. We were both wondering what her reaction would be. Santa handed Paisley a candy cane, which she gripped tightly with her fist and then balled up her other hand. She sat very still and did not fuss a bit. In a serious way... of course. What a big girl, eh?



Santa was charming and we so enjoyed getting to visit him. Now - we just wait for his arrival this weekend - yay!