Meeting Santa Claus!

We're going to meet Santa!!!

(Playing with the "baby in the mirror" before getting in the car.)

On Tuesday evening in Grand Rapids, we decided to find a Santa Claus. We were just going to go to the mall, but several people told Brian that the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park would be a fun place for us to go while we were in town. So, we checked it out. There were over 40 trees decorated in holiday tradition around the world.....and Santa was coming to visit! Santa stayed in his sleigh in a corridor of the facility near the entrance so although we originally planned on taking Connor's hat off for the big meeting, we left it on for warmth. Mrs. Claus was quite taken with our little man and didn't want to give him up. Connor liked her too and was fascinated with her red velvet outfit! I think he tried to eat it a few times. :) I guess next year will be the big test to see if he is still so willing to "sit" in Santa's lap.

We all enjoyed looking at all the trees and Connor really liked the lights and all the people. He was awake until the very end and snoozed in his carseat as we walked through the outdoor sculpture part in the snow! Overall, it was a very fun experience and once again I'm thankful that Connor does well around people!

After a day of playing in the hotel, and an evening with Santa and people watching, we were shocked that Connor still had so much energy! He yelled and kicked on the bed for well over 30 minutes "wrestling" with dad and just having a ball. This was his commando time...his favorite time of day. We shield ourselves with a towel to prevent golden showers, and he doesn't seem to mind a bit.

Then, the fun continued in the bathtub. Of course we didn't take our baby tub, but he really loved kicking in the "big boy" tub with his head on a towel. This lasted for over 30 minutes too. I was sure he was going to be pruny when he got out. He still has a cold, but the vapor bath in the tub seemed to help and it obviously hasn't slowed him down too much. Needless to say, he slept well that night.

I don't know why he looks so extremely yellow in this video. It isn't so bad until I upload it...oh well. He is NOT yellow. :)

By about noon on Friday when we were ready to leave, Connor was pretty much tuckered out. I love this little picture because he is holding the rattle in his hand, and yet he still has his thumb tucked under. He was sucking his lip too, but you can't tell that from a photo. Once again, he was a great little trooper on the 5 hours journey home. Mitsy and Toonces were happy to see us all when we got here!