The Man in the Big Red Suit

Last week we went as a family to go visit Santa. We went to the Riverwoods like we have for the past two years. I love it. It's always so beautiful with all of the lights and decorations.

Warming up by the fires:

It was fun to get some family shots.

I should mention that I was only able to get one picture with my nice DSLR before it died on me. I had even checked to make sure the battery was charged. I think it's a faulty battery. :( So all of our pictures were taken with our iPhones. Miles said it was our "experiment" to see how they did. I think for the most part they turned out pretty good - except when someone didn't quite know how to use it and focus properly...but at least we have them. :)

Waiting in line to see Santa:

I loved having this little one all snuggled up to me. It was good too because it was so cold and I was able to wrap her up and keep her nice and warm. 

Earlier in the day I tried to prepare Owen for meeting Santa and sitting on his lap. When I first told him we were going to see Santa, he said, "Yay!" I told him Santa would ask what he wanted and had him practice what he would say. He said, "Presents!" I asked, "What kind of presents?" He said, "A blue present." After more encouragement, he finally said, "A car." We had this exact conversation about three times (presents, blue present, car). I also had the great idea of showing him pictures from when he saw Santa the previous two years (both can be seen here). After looking at those, I again asked if he wanted to go see Santa and sit on his lap. He looking slightly frightened and shook his head no. Oops! So much for "preparing" him.

So once we got there, it took him a second to warm up to Santa.

But as soon as the jolly old man gave him a high five and knuckles, he was sold. 

Elsie was a little upset at first. I'm sure it really had to do with being yanked from her warm, snuggly, spot on Mama's chest more than sitting with Santa.

But then she got over it and was just apathetic to the whole thing. 

After visiting Santa, we walked around and enjoyed the lights. 

Then we decided to grab some dinner. I had never been to this "newer" Chinese restaurant. It was pretty good. 

While we waited for our food, Miles and Owen had fun sticking their tongues out at each other. 

This was my view - a sweet, sleeping baby all snuggled up to me in my carrier. She did great and slept the entire time. 

Owen dined on ice cubes (typical): 

But ended up doing an amazing job of chowing on his chow mein noodles. I think it's because they were so fun to play with. You can make mustaches, snakes, jump ropes...the options are endless. 

Here's a video of Owen enjoying his meal. In it he grabs a piece of chicken and says, "Another one!" and tosses it to Daddy. It makes me laugh because he had just taken it out a minute before and Miles put it back on his plate for him to eat. I guess he wasn't convinced to eat it. :)

And here were our fortunes. Can you guess which belongs to each of us?

It was actually pretty funny. I opened the one that says, "You will soon embark on a business venture," handed it to Miles and said, "I think this belongs to you." He then handed me his, "Soon someone new coming into your life will become a very good friend," and said, "Then this must be yours." I then told him to open Owen's and see what it said..."You deserve respect and will eventually get it." We both cracked up! Perfect.

And one last family photo to end the night. 

It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend the evening together. I sure do love my little family of four!