Weekending it - Santa Style

It has been a very Santa-filled weekend!

On Friday afternoon, we went and delivered our letters to Santa at the local North Pole mailbox. We expect to receive a letter back from Santa soon!!!

On Saturday we surprised the kids with a trip to STORYBOOK LAND!!! We left in the early afternoon to get there around 3:00 pm. It was a good thing we left when we did because we were in the last group of cars they let in before the park reached capacity. We have never been to Storybook Land at this time of year and it was by-far the most crowded we've ever seen. Mandy jumped in line for Santa right away and held our spot for over 2 hours!!! It was too crowded to get on any rides so we grabbed snacks and Dan and I took the kids to see the train layout and other stuff while we waited for dusk.

I got those fun light-up Christmas hats at Rite Aid for 60% off. They kept us super warm.

At 5:00 PM Santa appeared in his chimney and welcomed everyone before turning on the Christmas lights throughout the park. It was magical! Over one million lights colorfully illuminated the park. 

We waited a bit longer in line and finally it was our turn to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus!!

Ivy was naturally very timid and did not want any part of it except to cling to me. But, she did make sure Santa knew she wanted a Gabby Dollhouse for Christmas. He offered her a little finger puppet which she took but when she realized she was tricked into getting a picture, she gave him back the finger puppet and said "WE ALL DONE!" Lol!! 

Santa was so sweet and took his time with each child (which is why the line moved at a snail's pace for 2 hours). But, you know, I think he was the real deal!

After Santa, we went on as many rides as we could even though it was cold and crowded. The kids were in good spirits and we made the most of it. Unfortunately, the line for the train was just too long, so we skipped out on that but enjoyed the light show the most. 

We left at 8:00 PM, changed the kids into PJs in the car, and grabbed McDonald's on the way out of town. The kids fell asleep in the car right away and slept the whole way home. We got home by 10 PM and transferred the kids to their beds. 

It was an adventure and not without stressful moments, but it was really fun experience at our favorite place at Christmas time.