A Sneak Peek at Santa

Miss Lila made a bargain with me yesterday.  If she napped, she wanted me to take her to see Santa.  I had been to the mall with Savannah that morning and Lila caught wind of Santa's arrival.  After an hour of playing in her bed, Lila eventually fell asleep which signed me up for another trip to the mall.  She waited patiently all afternoon and evening for daddy to come home.  He had to go into the city to pick up his race packet for the Philly Marathon!  Daddy finally returned around 7:30 p.m.

Lila was so excited to see Santa.  I told her we weren't going to talk to him or sit on his lap because we only do that when the entire family is present.  I also warned her that due to the late hour, Santa may have left and gone to bed.  Because Lila was so gleeful she replied, "If Santa is in bed, I won't cry.  When I was a baby, I would cry if Santa was in bed but now I am big girl and I will say, 'It's okay.'"  She was aiming to please during the entire car ride.  It was late and Lila knew that she was getting a special treat.  When passing McDonald's she asked to stop and I told her no.  Her reply, "Oh good for me.  I don't want McDonald's anyway."  Again, aiming to please.  She thanked about twenty times for our special trip and asked if she could sleep on the in the car on the way home because it was late and she was tired.  It always makes me laugh when she asks permission to sleep. 

When we got to the mall, Santa was definitely not sleeping.  He was walking around giving out high fives,

 fist bumps, (this was a first for Lila)

 and squishy hugs.  It happened so quickly that I didn't have my camera ready in time and the picture is blurry.  Regardless, Lila's smile shines through and is an indicator of her happiness. 

 Before leaving, Lila wanted to explore the area around his chair.  She clearly remembered if from last year. 

 All in all it was pretty successful sneak peek at Santa.  Unfortunately, I paid for the late outing once home.  The battle for bed ended in tears which was a sharp transition from the Lila that was riding in the car.  She keeps us on our toes!