Visit to Santa

We headed off for one of the last chances to Visit with Santa.  They were being sticklers this year unlike 2 years ago and wouldn't let pictures be taken within the gate if you weren't buying prints.  It was annoying since it wasn't that big of a difference yet I had all the kids to try and get placed by myself with Rebecca and Kevin trying to get a good photo which non really turned out...oh well!  The kids loved seeing Santa and Kaila was shocked that Santa gave them coloring books to keep!  Since Aunt Becca went with us to the mall she treated the kids to rides on the carousel and Farris wheel.  The kids were in heaven!

We had a HUGE scare while we were enjoying bites of a Cinnabon Kevin bought for us Glenn disappeared.  We all gathered our stuff up and walked around the food court trying to find him.  He was just there with us eating and then he was gone!  I was starting to panic.  Calling his name.  I finally decided to stay at the table in case he headed back that way so he would find us and not an empty table.  I saw Kevin heading back through the food court without Glenn and then Rebecca coming back through shaking her head.  I then began to cry.  I couldn't loose my baby.  It was a nightmare coming true.  I didn't know what to do.  I sat on the chair and began to pray to God to please help us find my little boy.  That this couldn't be happening.  I was in such despair. Rebecca joined me at the table after another pass through the food court.  I jumped up to find a security person to notify them my son was in deed missing.  There was a security officer on the other side of the rope at the movie theater and I told him my son was missing.  He pointed across the food court to another security guy wearing a hat and told me to go and tell him.  I headed across with tears streaming down my face and told him my son was missing.  He pulled up his walkie talkie and at that moment I heard Glenn's cry.  He was coming across the food court with Rebecca.  I turned to the security guy and told him they found him and ran across to Glenn.  We embraced both crying.  It was the happiest and more relieved moments of my life.  I was already thinking of the sad Christmas without him.  I'm so glad that didn't happen!  Turned out he wandered into the movie theater to play their video games and that's why he couldn't hear us and we couldn't find him.  Kevin said he even checked the lobby of the movie theater because he had been begging for popcorn but didn't think to try the arcade area.  I'm so grateful he was found!

Santa Time

Today I told DD we had some fun surprises for today. She's loving all the surprises for Christmas. Normally the get surprised or goodies in our Advent house BUT some little guy has STICKY fingers and kept getting into the stuff so we had to change plans and I put the village up for display on the fireplace and we just "surprised" the kids with outings. We first headed over to Border's books and had story time with a craft. The kids weren't to into the story (too complex and long for them). They loved making the count down chain though! Over all it was fun and FREE!

Next we head to our local Feed/Farm Store: Burn's Feed Store for a visit with Santa. I took DD there when she was a baby but last year we missed it so the kids saw Santa at the Mall. I love Santa here since the kids get little gifts and the line is SHORT. They also have a free chili lunch. DD and I LOVED that and even had seconds. LM and DH ate their lunch at home afterward. LM loved the free soda though.

Waiting for Santa

Gifts from Santa

Our Little Reporter in Training

Letters to Santa

This year we had the kids sit down and make/write letters to Santa. I never remember writing letters or even making a wish list for Christmas. DH never did either but the kid had fun and I think it will become a new tradition. While writing DD's letter (she told me word for word what to write after writing LM's letter) we found out she wants a Jasmine doll for Christmas. I don't even know how she knows who Jasmine is? So funny.

I'm FREEZING here. It's in the 20's but the wind chill brings it down to the single digits/ Surprisingly Oregon is dry so we don't have snow which is nice for driving but it would be pretty to look at. We took the kids to see Santa at the mall today. LM sat on his lap fine for a little while and DD wouldn't get within 2 feet of him (though she was SO excited to see him earlier and on the drive there). While trying to get DD to sit on his lap LM starts to cry. It was funny. I got a happy picture of him and a crying one too. DD's off in the distance in one. Not the best for her. I may try again later.

LM is walking ALL over. He's trying to walk so fast now that he falls over a lot but its so cute. He's giving tones of open mouth kisses too (tries to eat us). It's so fun! I just love it.