Going to See Santa

We made our annual trip to Bass Pro this past Saturday. I feel like a little bit of a poser going in there. I visit once a year and never buy anything but my Santa photos and maybe a snack. I guess that's better than nothing, but clearly the lack of camo in my closet is a dead giveaway that I do not belong.

Ryleigh PROMISED that she would sit on Santa's lap for a picture. I think we all know that two-year old promises don't carry much weight. And I think I've mentioned before that Ry talks a big game. We got close. She said, "hi, Santa." She gave him a high five. But when it came to photo time it was instant fear terror. Her whole body tensed, she started to cry and she clung to me so tightly that I just couldn't force her to do it.
So, this is what we got...

Yeah, yeah, I know I look a little TOO excited to see the jolly old elf. While Ryleigh may be smiling, her eyes seem to be saying, "get me the heck outta here!" Better luck next year. We ran into Ryleigh's classmate Cheyenne there. Ry was very eager to watch her get her picture taken. And to see if she was scared. For the record, Cheyenne kind of looked like a deer in headlights, but no struggle and no tears.

Ryleigh kept asking, "where is Santa's sleigh?" I told her it was parked on the roof. We asked Mrs. Claus for confirmation (frankly she was surprised - it seemed the logical place to me). So then Ryleigh wanted to see the sleigh. She's been asking a lot of questions about Santa. Too many questions. One example: "Am I going to be scared of Santa at our house?" Shes a little scared of the guy. I think the idea of him being in our house is giving her the creeps.

Since I got to be in the Santa picture, we needed to get a photo with daddy too. Ryleigh was a little more relaxed next to this snowman.

When we came out of the store it was cold and rainy. Because we're awesome parents, we had left Ry's coat in the car. As soon as we came outside she said, "it's cold!" Daddy gave her his coat and I gave her my scarf. That helped her stay warm and she just looked too darn cute!

Until next year, Bass Pro...