Santa Visit 2012

We had our annual visit to Northpark with friends to see Santa last week! This mall has so many fun things to offer during Christmastime, so of course the kids had so much fun. We started our day with the puppet show that comes on every hour. They were totally into it!

 Then we listened to a band play Christmas carols- lots of dancing going on!

Up next- our visit with Santa! The kids did great. They were a little star-struck but managed to get out what they’d like him to bring them for Christmas. Chloe asked for a Barbie Horse and Jack wants a big Mack Truck. They were so sweet sitting on Santa’s lap! It’s still so surprising to me that my kids love him, since I never, not once, sat on his lap. I was too scared!

 After a little shopping, we headed to the new Breadwinners inside Northpark for some Christmas treats {and a latte for myself!}. Yum!

So, another Santa visit has come and gone. I have all of the pictures framed sitting on our piano. Next year I’ll have to find a different space for them because we’ll have too many. That seems hard to believe!

Now we’re just waiting for Santa’s arrival! Until then, we’ll be:

1. Baking {more Oreo truffles and Gingerbread cookies}

2. Reading Christmas books {Olive, the Other Reindeer and The Tale of Three Trees are this year’s favorites!}

3. Doing our A Meaningful Christmas advent calendar {Love this sweet time with the kids, learning about the true reason we celebrate Christmas!}

4. Watching Christmas movies {Home Alone, White Christmas, and It’s a Wonderful Life are the last three on the list!}

5. Enjoying all the little moments of this wonderful season, and remembering not taking any for granted. After the horrible tragedy in Connecticut on Friday, I’ve been holding my two a little tighter. As a former teacher, I can only imagine what everyone involved is feeling. On Sunday, our pastor addressed these evil acts and reminded us that until we adopt God’s ways as a nation, evil will exist and continue to increase. We can’t promise our children that they will never see evil again. We can promise them that The One who has already defeated evil will one day come again, and there will be no. more. darkness. Come, Lord Jesus, come.