Another year,

another crying toddler.  Tonight was our annual visit to Santa at the Livery in Danville.  The Santa looks (and acts, I suppose) as much like the "real thing" as one can expect. After waiting in line for about an hour, one enters the former storefront to find a simple, but classic Christmas setting.  The grand red chair, the pine boughs and swags, and a basket filled to the brim with sweet treats.

No elves, other than the balloon man blowing up skinny balloons and frantically twisting and tying them into mini-Rudolphs and candy canes. Oh, and a helper, perhaps Mrs. Claus, sans the costume?  One has to bring their own camera, but no fees are charged.  We went last year on December 23rd after realizing if we didn't hurry up, we would miss the opportunity entirely (we were a bit behind on…everything).   We liked the simplicity of the set-up (and proximity to a toy store for last-minute stocking stuffers) so much that we simply did the same this year.

Tonight we visited Santa first, and then followed it up with dinner at Pasta Pomodoro* to save any more kitchen clean up.  For whatever reason, we are just all tuckered out, and it's not even Christmas Eve.  We have a few more activities than last year, and Nicholas is certainly more mobile (which wears me out), but by all accounts we are way ahead compared to our Christmas prep progress at this time last year, and should not feel so…tired and hurried.

Perhaps my exhaustion is why I neglected to remember about Nicholas's reaction to the Man in Red.  Caitlin was so scared at 16 months that the photo became a family portrait (which I will find and post at some point), but thought it might be different with the others. It's possible Kelsey felt the same way at 18 months, but as you can see, she was beside herself at 9 months.  The photo of two grinning girls is framed and part of our holiday decor. After passing by it several times a day for a few weeks, I imprinted a happy, smiling Nicholas perched ever so delicately on Santa's lap in my brain. 

This led me to believe tonight would be a cinch.  I completely forgot that Kelsey was 9 months in the photo, and last year, at 10 months, Nicholas was not having any of it (see above).  Without dragging out the saga of nearly dropping two cameras (one a brand-new iPhone), and wiping tears and noses while trying to get Crankypants to smile so I could take a halfway decent picture, I can simply say that he was about as eager this year. Now I really must get that Skuut put together, lest I fall behind even more, so without further ado: the official 2009 Santa photos!

*The photo of Nicholas in the Santa hat was taken a year ago tonight.  Found it when searching through other pictures, and just thought it to be a funny shot of the (now not so) Little Guy.  When do they stop growing so quickly?  Oh, and the dress Kelsey is wearing?  Caitlin wore that for Christmas when she was 5!