Santa!

The kids have been begging to go do Christmas activities.  I refused to leave the house when the highs were in the 20s.  Now that the temperature highs aren't below freezing, I have acquiesced.   Yesterday I finally took the kids to Swanson's nursery to see the reindeer, camel, and winter train.  Today--Santa.

I use the excuse of going to see Santa to get a little extra wear out of the Christmas outfits.  Christmas is one of the few times where Linus lets me choose his clothes.  If he had his way, he would wear fleece pants, a Star Wars t-shirt, and bright neon orange tennis shoes every day.

serious pose

a slightly less serious pose?

silly pose

As you can imagine, he got quite a few compliments on his outfit.  This pleased him.  I am hoping this means that maybe he'll let me have a little more input into his outfit choices.

reindeer antlers

ignore the sleeve tattoo

It's impossible to get all three to look at the camera at the same time.   Linus and Eileen are also in that stage where they struggle to smile normally for the camera.

Going to see Santa is a fairly stressful experience.  We like to visit Santa at U Village.  There are several downsides to this location.   Parking can be nightmarish during the holidays. You get to wait outside Santa's cabin in the cold.  Santa's elves aren't very efficient and even short lines can mean waiting for an hour.  Add in two squirrely preschoolers, a baby, and a mama all by herself and you get the idea.  I'm feeling sort of proud of myself for managing it.  In the end it is worth it though because the Santa at U Village is so good.

After some initial nerves, the kids were happy to talk with Santa.  Even though it adds to the waiting in line time, Santa doesn't rush you out.  Robin was fascinated by Santa, and especially Santa's gold belt buckle.

Linus was debating asking Santa for a gun.  I reminded him that Santa knows he isn't supposed to bring one and it will be sent back to the North Pole if one arrives.  I suggested he shouldn't waste his one chance to ask Santa for what he wanted on a gift he wouldn't get to keep.  He asked for the Playmobil Future Planet Space Station instead.  Linus asked for baby toys on Robin's behalf.  Eileen asked for princess figures. 

Another successful visit to Santa.  We returned home, put on our coziest jammies, and I made dutch babies for dinner.  Mmmm.