It being a rainy day today, our options were limited as the two top choices I had to visit Santa were outdoor venues. So we decided to stick with the local mall here in Riverside, which turned out to be a great decision for the picture, but a bit of a nightmare for the wait! We thought it could go one of two ways- either everyone would stay home and do Santa next weekend because it was raining, or everyone would show up at the mall (indoors) since it was raining. Well, the 2nd scenario occured.
So, it was a bit of a challenge to keep a near-2 year old occupied for over an hour. Yes, it was actually closer to 2 hours total, but luckily Paul and I have some tricks up our sleeves now and only had to worry for about the last 30 minutes. Until then, he and I took turns with Ginger in the stroller walking around the mall and visiting stores while the other stood in line. But after we were locked into the final lane to Santa, we decided to let Ginger get some of her wiggles out after having spent near an hour in the stroller.
Ginger was able to watch the other children meet Santa in the final lane, which built her excitement (but also created a bit of anxiety for Paul and I, as about every other child was crying, screaming, etc. and we really had NO clue how she would behave once in Santa's presence). Towards the end of the lane there were some funhouse style mirrors that thankfully kept our wiggle worm occupied for a few minutes as well. Then we were finally two kids away from Santa, and Paul was pulling out ALL of the stops to keep Ginger distracted, entertained, etc. Me being 12 days shy of 40 weeks pregnant, it was all I could do to sing a few songs with her and occasionally bend down to entertain on her level- but Paul had to do most of the heavy lifting with the entertainment.
So, there we were, 2 kids away. And wouldn't you know it, they had to let Santa have a break so they could change out the printer roll of paper, and I think just give him a 5 minute breather. Oh no!! We were really, really, pushing the envelope with Ginger in testing her patience, and she was acting like a complete goofball which made us crack up, but also we wondered if at any minute her stir-crazy would turn to meltdown.
Thankfully, Santa returned, the next set of children went quickly (however Ginger did run up to Santa right in the middle of their picture, when Paul turned his head for a second and in my current state, I can't run very quickly!), but then it was our turn. And of course, Ginger acted like a pro. She practically wanted to jump into his lap when invited. They played together for a few moments with a little reindeer stuffed animal, and she told him her name, and that she wanted 'new cards'. When asked earlier in the day, she said very clearly that she wanted 'paint, play-doh, and purses'. But with Santa, she talked about new cards, which we believe she is referring to her flash cards that she loves, of which Woody chewed 2of them- very dissapointing for a near 2 year old.
So, Santa asks Ginger to smile at the camera, and they take 3 shots, of which we purchased 2. It was all over within a few minutes but the all-time best moment of the night was when we returned to our car, and pulled out of the parking lot (Paul and I exHAUSTED beyond belief) Ginger says "Mom, Dad, dat was fun". It made it ALL worth it!
Here are a few pics that documented our time- I cannot BELIEVE that next year we'll have a 1 year old and almost 3 year old. Amazing!!
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