Visit with Santa

Grandma and Grandpa took the boys for their second annual Breakfast with Santa at Bass Pro Shop outing today.  We made the mistake of telling Ryan that Sam and I were going to get the Christmas tree while they were visiting with Santa; he threw a most epic tantrum insisting he didn't want to go. Nothing we could say or do would change his mind, but Grandma showed up and whispered a few magical words and he was off and running.

I'm a teeny bit jealous that we haven't gone with them to see the interaction, but at the same time I'm glad we didn't have preschoolers underfoot while we wrestled a 6 foot Nordmann pine into the tree stand (someone needs to invent an iPhone app to tell you if your tree is perfectly vertical).

Fortunately, the boys are old enough to tell us about the experience now, and Bill snapped some photos. Ryan brought the iPod so he could take pictures too, though I haven't seen how those turned out.

Here's Ryan, asking Santa for a Lego farm.  Hmmm... I've been spending weeks on eBay, buying the various parts and pieces of the now-retired Playmobil farm.  He loves the Playmobil apple harvest set we bought with his birthday money, so hopefully the difference will not be a big deal (because I am not ready to go full-Lego just yet!).

Jack is probably pointing at one of the giant taxidermied fish lining the walls at Islamorada Fish Company, the restaurant at Bass Pro Shop where the breakfast is hosted. Or he's describing the arc of the eight tiny reindeer soaring through the night sky on Christmas Eve. Got me!

Jack apparently asked Santa for a doorknob. WTH, child? This is, of course, the same little boy who asked the balloon man at the Pumpkin Festival for a crescent moon, so I don't know why I was surprised. He also asked for a candy cane Jack in the Box - which as far as I can tell, does not exist. You'll have to wait for the Christmas blog post to see what I (er, SANTA) came up with.

Chatterbug Ryan - talking politics, perhaps? Discussing the Broncos' post-season chances? Or querying Santa about the physics of tiny reindeer pulling a sleigh loaded with gifts?  He's most likely recounting to Santa the entire plot of Santa Bear, a lovely (if long) Berenstain Bear book the boys have been requesting at bedtime since, oh, July or so.

I'll give this Santa props for the real beard and the mellow environs - every time we've seen a mall Santa, my boys turn up their noses, as apparently the BPS Santa is the only one capable of hearing their Christmas wish lists. 

Meanwhile, Sam and I stalked and seized our prey, field dressing it and hoisting it to the roof of the car to bear home proudly. 

The boys were excited to see it (Ryan forgot all about his earlier tantrum) but then Jack took a crazy long nap and we didn't get to decorate it until the next day, which was certainly an experience!