The Big Guy In Red!

Wow. This week zipped by... and we are HOW many days away from Christmas??

Egads!!!!

I still need to wrap presents, put together the daycare teacher's gifts, figure out stocking stuffers for the husband and the kidlets and bake some cookies.

#MommyNeedsSomeElves

#AndSomeWine

#Help

Well we managed to find time to go visit Santa, at least...

Meeting the Big Guy is a pretty big deal each year... I remember as a kid always being in such awe at meeting Santa and telling him what I wanted for Christmas...

Except I never did get that damn Barbie Dream House. Sigh..

#HeMustHaveLostTheMemo

Anyways, we went to our local mall this year to see Santa, and we figured out through trial and error that going on a weeknight is the way to avoid the line that wraps all the way into last year.

Neal and I commute from different directions so we just met at the mall after work.

Naturally, since it's Oregon.... it was DUMPING rain that night and we had to try and change the boys into their nice Santa clothes in the back of the car in the downpour.

No outfit is complete without Ninja Turtle socks, naturally!

We hopped into a passing raft and floated into the mall and had a quick dinner first.

Someone was distracted much and couldn't eat his pizza... the food court has rides (Merry-Go-Round and a Ferris Wheel) so all he could do is some wishin' and hopin' and prayin' he'd get to go on the rides too.

We only had to wait 15 minutes! Which is still forever with wriggly kids.

Austin commented on how Santa must have decorated that huge Christmas tree and I was like "oh honey, no... that was definitely the work of Mrs. Claus!" 

Let's give the woman some credit!

*fun fact: on some old 1970's Santa Claus animated show we saw over the weekend, the girl Kris Kringle married was named Jessica! So Mrs. Claus is Jessica. How cool!*

Santa went as I expected... Austin was all "Hi Santa! Hi! I want a MOTORcycle! Ok?" and Owen was all "holy reindeer WHO ARE YOU????" and wailed.

So Neal, being the awesome guy he is, jumped in.

Maybe by the time Owen is 42 the parents can stop being in the picture too.

Last year, we were ALL in the picture because Owen didn't want to be away from me (notice him clutching my finger!), and Austin was unsure and had to be anchored to Daddy.

We seem to like plaid for the boys when they meet Santa

#WeAreSoTrendy

Ho Ho Ho!