Meeting Santa

Taking Ellie to meet Santa was so exciting for us!  It was important to me that both Andrew and I be there for her very first Santa experience.  With Andrew's schedule at the time, we were only able to take her on the weekend, two weeks before Christmas.  Oh my...you seasoned parents are thinking to yourselves, "Are you insane?!?!".  Well, we were insane.  We took Ellie to meet Santa on Sunday the 10th of December.  We arrived right at 12, when picture taking was to start.  There was already a two and half hour long wait!!!

The entire time we were waiting in line, I was debating whether this was worth it.  I kept thinking that Ellie was probably going to have a meltdown and we were going to have to leave anyway.  My sweet parents walked Ellie around the mall for over two hours while Andrew and I waited it out.

My little Ellie Lynn was such a trooper!!  After two and half hours, it was finally our turn to enter the Winter Wonderland at Willow Bend Mall.  I was a nervous wreck...I thought Ellie was going to go crazy.  She blew me away though.  She acted like such a big girl and she didn't get worked up.  She didn't cry a single tear or yell a single scream!!!

She really enjoyed the "snow" that was falling inside the globe as well as the jester that was blowing up balloon animals. 

LOVE this!!  Makes me SO excited for her first real snow experience :)

She loved spinning around with Daddy.

 About twenty minutes after entering the Winter Wonderland, it was finally time to meet the big guy...Santa himself.  I braced myself for the kicking, screaming, and crying that I was sure would ensue the second I sat her on his lap (I mean the girl had been up for over three hours and was right on the edge).  Imagine my surprise when she turned around and stared into his face.  Then looked back at me and bounced up and down giggling!!!  It was such a happy moment and it was so worth the wait and anxiety; just to see her little face grinning up at him.

So worth every second of that wait.

I am not sure we will ever wait in line to meet Santa again, but I think it is something that every new parent must do once in their life.  Seeing my sweet baby sitting on his lap...melted my heart!