We FINALLY saw Santa!

As a mom, you always find yourself guessing how your Santa photo will go. Who's going to scream. Who's going to handle it like a pro. Who will flat out refuse to sit on Santa's lap... 

2010's Christmas Gem

I decided, long before our trip to see Santa, that this is how it would go down...

• Mason would handle it like a pro, as always. Notice the pose in last year's photo above. He's calm. He's cool. He just told Santa what he wanted for Christmas and he was feeling good.
• Brady was a toss up, but for some reason I was seeing a repeat of last year. Notice the look of shear terror and panic.... But, he was also a lot more "in" to the idea of Santa this year. Fat guy giving me free stuff? Yes, Please!
• Ethan.... Ethan was NOT going to have it. On the mend from double ear infections and fussy as all get out, he was going to freak.

So we wait in line all while building up how awesome it was going to be to see Santa in an attempt to get Brady past the trauma of last year...

It's our turn...

Brady flat out refuses to sit on Santa's lap. As a matter of fact he turns and heads back to the line, to complete strangers. He wanted OUT. I get Ethan on his lap and Mason settled, snatch Brady up, toss him on Santa's lap, and jump back in an effort to snap a picture before the damn breaks and the seventh circle of hell breaks loose in the middle of Mall Santa's "Winter Wonderland."

And we get this... Besides the fact that two of my children look as if they are 22 and I am STILL making them take a picture with Santa, everyone is looking, no one is flailing like a rabid monkey, and no one is making the "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH" face!

SUCCESS!

And go figure that as soon as the picture was snapped and Brady scrambled like he had a lion hot on his trail, he acted like it was nothing.

Then afterwards... A little spin on the mall train.

A little lunch at Steak and Shake. YUM.

And THIS is how a 1 year old can take up half of one king sized bed... But he sure is cute.