Weekending it

The kids are mostly on the mend from the colds of last week but symptoms will likely hold on for awhile or roll seamlessly into the next illness, as those things tend to go. But, everyone was well enough to head out for a little adventure this weekend. The weather was warm and it's nearly Christmas so we took the kids to a local garden center where they had a holiday "train" and Santa. Kip was a bit disappointed that it wasn't a train on a track but I think he still had fun. 

The ride was about 10 minutes and went out through the farm and around an area where they had some barn animals. Ivy was very mad that the train didn't stop so she could get out and play on the swing set and slide. 

 

After the train we went to the winter wonderland to see Santa. The queue wrapped through several holiday scenes with retro and contemporary vibes. It wasn't crowded so we went through it pretty quickly to find Santa.

 

 

We didn't know what the Santa scenario would look like but we were really happy to see it was socially distanced with Santa standing up in a chimney and the kids were able to talk with him from the ground. Both Kip and Ivy were apprehensive about Santa but they were comfortable with this option especially after watching the group ahead of us. 

 

Funny story about Ivy, she is very shy and typically very timid around strangers. We noticed at Halloween that she was incredibly confident when she was wearing a costume and in the last month or so we've noticed her come out of her shell more when wearing dress-up. This weekend, as we were walking through the queue to Santa, I took Ivy's coat off and she immediately started fussing and wanted me to put it back on. I wanted her photo without the coat but Mandy reminded me that she might feel more comfortable since the coat is a bit like a bear costume. Sure enough, with the coat back on, Ivy was happy to walk right up to Santa, in full awe.

 

 

He was a great Santa, warm and engaging and talked with Kip for a good bit. NO tears or bribery and a successful and safe visit with the big guy. We'd definitely come back to this event in future years. Thanks to Mandy for finding it and treating us to the trip!

We rounded out our festive weekend with a visit from Santa through town. The local fire stations deck out the engines and drive through town with Santa. We caught it last year, a second too late so this year we took the kids out to the garage before bed and waited to hear the sirens. Both Kip and Ivy loved being out after dark and we all saw Santa drive by. My photos turned out horribly since it was dark but trust me, it was super cute.

We go so few places nowadays but the small events of this weekend reminded me of those good old days of 2019 when every weekend, Dan, Mandy, Kip and I would find something fun to do. Of course, this wasn't quite the same but we're trying to find life where we are right now and do what feels comfortable for us and feasible for the kids.