Tears from me.
I used to avoid the malls like the plague around the holidays because seeing Santa represented so much of what I longed for. In an instant those feelings came flooding back! It's amazing how it usually seems so far away, but all the pain of trying to have Lily can come back in a moment! This was one of those moments.
Once we set Lily down on Santa's lap, I think she thought it was her turn to cry. She looked at us like we were crazy to put her with this crazy bearded man. Suddenly, the photographers were telling us to hop in the picture too. We knew we only had 1 shot at this so we wanted to get it right. Unprepared and not dressed appropriately, we hopped in and tried to make this picture what we always dreamed of...
we came up a little short...
Feeling defeated and ripped off because we had to pay an ridiculous amount of money for this jpeg and couldn't even use our own cameras, we went home thinking we'd have to wait until next year to get that perfect shot with Lily and Santa. I never knew pictures with Santa could be so rare and stressful. I called everywhere looking for a Santa. I thought there were Santas on every corner ready to say cheese.
Not so much.
Until we got home and I saw an adorable picture of Leah with Santa. I thought they were up North because of the background and great Santa, but Wylie told me it was just around the corner to us and it was FREE! And you can use your own camera!! That's my kind of Santa!!!
So the next night we hightailed it up there and got a much better shot of her with Santa.
Maybe one year, we'll be able to hop out of it so she can have some alone time with Santa. This picture is actually an optical illusion because even though she's smiling
it's actually an illusion because she's in the middle of a meltdown...(audience awws)
she went from happy-go-lucky to full out wailing in less than a second. even santa looks stressed...
awww, much better...Mommy saves the day(audience awws again)
Then we were honored to be invited to the Hampton 2nd Annual Hot Cocoa walk where they do a Christmas version of trick-or-treating going door to door playing Christmas music & passing out hot cocoa to neighbors. (topped with marshmallows by Lainey) It was so festive and the girls had a ball in their decked out Radio Flyer wagon which had a sign, garland, and even Christmas lights! Yes, battery operated Christmas lights!! At one point, Lily had a light in her mouth and she lit up like a glow worm!!
I would pay big money to know what is going on in their reindeer heads...
Thanks for including us Hampton Herd. It was snuggly, heartwarming, and put us ALL in the Christmas spirit!
Happy Holidays to everyone! May your hearts be full and bubbling over with love this holiday season!
Life is Good.
5 comments:
That is a great family picture of you guys! Glad you found out about the newest and coolest Santa... Merry Christmas Hutcheson Family :)
awwww- I LOVED each and every one of those pics with santa. I awww'd at all of them!!!!!
i HEART the one of lily screaming, sad face, mommy-get-your-butt-over-here-and-save-me-cry!!! those are the ones i love to look at. what, am i weird for that???
so cute!!! love the cocoa walk too! so christmasy!!!
love you.
xoxo
What a trail to just do santa, eh!?
Love the Cocoa walk!
Merry Christmas!
OK, random thoughts here:
1. it's a TOTAL ripoff that the mall Santa does not allow you to take your own photo. Is it not enough that the surrounding stores are paying rent through the NOSE, and hence passing this cost on to their consumers? Can we not at least get a free Santa out of the mix??? Bah friggin' humbug. But, I digress.
2. My kids got to have a free picture with the same Santa. The same man, FOR YEARS. I have the jpegs and scrapbook pages to prove it. Never paid a dime. SAME SANTA. NO FAIR!!!
Just sayin'.
OK, rant over. For now. :)
3. Lily is so amazingly beautiful.
4. I didn't know that Santas in chairs in malls made you cry in the past. I knew most of it, but I didn't think about that part. I cried as I read those words.
5. The first picture of David on Santa's lap looks like he could very well be wearing an adult diaper. I laugh SO SO hard every time I look at him. EVERY TIME. It's the funniest picture of him to date. Side hurts now.
6. You are incredible parents to even attempt the second Santa picture. And your green t-shirt with red and white scarf...ADORABLE.
7. The only thing cuter than Lily's face in the four pictures is Santa's reaction to her...
He goes from thinking:
a)"cute baby, she likes me, cool, let's say 'CHEEEESE'!"
to: b) "Hoooo boy...we got a crier, ruh-roh..."
c) "Uhhh, a little help here?"
d) "Ahhhh, Thank God Mom stepped in. Whew. Cheeeese..."
8) Lily is like Jody Jordan...I have never seen her in the same outfit twice. Especially Christmas clothes. :)
9) I love how attached she is to you and David. It's a testament to how much time and love you invest into her little soul, and her every waking moment. She knows her Mommy. She knows her Daddy. And she adores them like no other. You are both her world. And it's such a nice place to be.
Lucky Baby Girl. :)
Merry First Christmas...
I love your new family so much!
xoxo
jc
i read jen's comment and had to come back to see that picture of david. and now i'm laughing too.
lily's first christmas has been so bittersweet for me. because it was lainey last year...same age, same first christmas. and i want to go back and have that baby again. because i miss her. but moving on...just overflowing with happiness for you. people forget how special this must be for you. all those christmases in the past, getting cards with babies on them and wanting your own so, so bad. you got her. and now you are happy. yes, life is good. love you.
Post a Comment