Here Comes Santa Claus!

We waited until today to visit Santa--not really because we were procrastinating, but more because I wanted some special things to do with the kids the week before Christmas. All three of us are off of work and school this week, and I was worried we would be driving each other crazy (especially with all the rain). Thankfully, the week has been pretty good. The kids have loved playing together all day, and they have even slept in a few mornings--woo hoo!

Anyway, back to the Santa visit... Our first attempt was right when Santa's house opened at 11am, hoping to beat the crowd that way. Unfortunately, half of San Luis Obispo also tried to beat the crowd by arriving before 11am, and there was a major line when we got there. So we went to plan B, which was to come back in the evening and hope less kids were out and about then. (This involved a bribe to the candy store for Lauren, who was not at all happy about leaving without seeing the big guy!) But we did get to ride on the carousel before we left, which was fun. Jon said he wanted to go on the ride while we waited in line ("Mo, mo!"), and was even happy when I put him on a horse. But the minute the ride started to move, he wanted off. Thankfully, he was happy being held by mommy until it ended. (The lady running the carousel saw that he didn't actually want to "ride" and even gave us our money back--very sweet!)Our second attempt at seeing Santa was right after Daddy got home from work. The line was a little shorter, which was great until we realized that Santa was on his dinner break. So, we ended up waiting just as long (maybe longer?) but we finally got to see him. Both kids reacted just as we expected. I'll let the pictures tell the story...
Yep, Jonathan started crying the minute we hit the door, so we didn't even try putting him on Santa's lap. Lauren was happy to see him and talk to him, although I couldn't hear what she told him (since someone was screaming in my ear) and she says she doesn't remember. Ah well, I'm sure she will be thrilled with what he brings her on Christmas morning. :)

And that concludes our Santa experience for 2010. May you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!