here comes Santa Claus

This is the first year that Mikayla really is beginning to "get" the concept of Santa. I've been using that a little to my advantage (maybe too much) when I say to her "Santa loves to bring presents to boys and girls who eat all their dinner" or "maybe we can ask Santa for that". You get the picture. Please tell me that someone else uses Jolly Old St. Nick as a bribe this time of year. Am I the only desperate mommy?

In other Santa news...we have yet to see that lovable (or scary, depending on which "one" you get) guy this year. With the weird weather this last week, we haven't been able to go visit. (We have gone to see Santa at Kelly Land in Newberg the last couple of years, and were hoping to go again this last Wednesday, but due to the weather, it didn't work out. They turn their office into a cute little gingerbread house where the kids can walk through and get little gifts to fill up some stockings. There are also warm drinks, "snow", and of course Santa is there to join in the fun.) Hopefully we can squeeze it in sometime early next week with all the other mad-dashers. It looks like he'll be at Sleighbells here in Sherwood on the 22nd & 23rd, so maybe we'll go say hi then.

Lastly, I was on top of ONE thing this year! I painted this cookies for Santa plate back in the Fall when the MOPS leadership team had their little retreat at The Painted Plate. I thought it turned out really cute and I think next year I'll paint a coffee mug for some milk to match!


For nostalgic sake, here is a photo of a visit to Santa from last year...

I think Mikayla looks like she is just waiting to take off running and Austin doesn't have a clue. We'll see what happens this year!