a visit with santa

this year i once again took the boys to visit santa at 12 oaks mall. because everybody knows that the real santa goes to 12 oaks.
jenn was in town for a couple of days so she came with rainah as well. as happens every year, we had our whole entourage (minus dad) with mom, jessica and justin there as well.
i didn't have very high hopes for talan. i figured he would be so fond of me placing him in some strangers lap and then walking away to take pictures. but at least i went in to it knowing this.
before we left, hayden wrote a letter all by himself to santa. he wrote it in red and green colored pencil (i of course made a copy to put in his scrapbook). his letter said :

dear santa,

i want some new video games and some more computer games, some new wooden small and big thomas trains and a marble roller coaster and some new toys. have a wonderful christmas.
hayden skiver

we were running a little late, so when we got to the mall mom, jessica and justin were already there. talan immediately started to scramble trying to get out of his stroller and into justin's arms while hayden read everyone (while being video taped) his letter to santa.
the theme this year was the polar express. so we all got in the short line and the kids played a bit with the snow globes and in the control room (do they call it a control room in a train? hayden would know.) and then made our way up to santa.
right when it was our turn they had to change the film in the camera. i decided to just hold talan since i figured the longer time he had to sit in santa's lap, the less likely we would be to get a good picture. after a few seconds, mom helped take hayden over to santa with his letter so he could read it to him while the camera situation was being taken care of. he was a little timid at first, but he did allow santa to pick him up and put him on his lap. and then they read his letter together and then waited some more for the camera to be fixed.
after a little bit, talan started pointing to santa so i asked if he wanted to go see him. and he actually shook his head yes. so i brought him over and as i started to put him in santa's lap, talan immediately started pointing at and trying to touch his beard. he sat there for just a couple seconds before he wanted to get down, but there wasn't any crying. justin went over to get him and then sat with him while we continued to wait for the camera.
once the camera was ready i was a little worried that talan really wouldn't want to be put back in santa's lap, especially if that meant he was leaving justin's arms. but shockingly, he went right to santa and let everyone get some pretty good pictures of them. there wasn't a tear shed or even a scream. it was a christmas miracle!
they were both more than ready to get off of santa's lap when the pictures had been taken and santa gave them both a little polar express sticker sheet. we then went over on the sidelines to take pictures of rainah with santa.
rainah also did far better than anyone expected. no crying or screaming from her either. she did wiggle around quite a bit as she really didn't want to be sitting on some strangers lap, but her santa photo turned out great. it looked as if she had just been sitting there.....but we know better.
so santa visit 2008 was a huge success and hayden can't wait to see what santa brings him in just 7 more days!

hayden reading everyone his letter to santa:

talan. so happy to see justin again:
playing with the snow globes:





grandma assuring him he won't bite:

helping santa read his letter:



tell me the truth. should you really be on the nice list?!:
talan decided to try it out for a few seconds:
hayden still patiently waiting:

take two for talan:

present time!:
rainah's turn:
no tears, just trying to break free:

glad that's over with:

cowboy laser tag

on dave's 30th birthday we decided to invite all of our friends for dinner at buddy's pizza and then laser tag. it was so much fun that we have done it every year since.
dave's birthday fell on a saturday this year but since jessica and justin were in germany we decided to wait for a week so they could join us as well. we decided to make it a packed weekend by having dave's work christmas party on friday, going to see the glory of christmas at northridge church on saturday afternoon and then going for dinner later that evening.
this year dave decided to have a cowboy theme and have everyone dress up as an outlaw or a lawdog. hayden decided he wanted to be a lawdog, most likely because he's so bossy. i of course was an outlaw and dave decided to be a lawdog as well so he could be on the same team as hayden.
while at dinner jim probably said it best when he looked at dave and said "no dave, you aren't 12. having your birthday party playing laser tag after a pizza party dressed up as a cowboy. apparently dave is getting younger with each year that passes.
hayden had come down with a stomach virus earlier in the week but was feeling much better just 24 hours after it hit him (actually he felt fine right after he threw up that morning but we kept him out of school for the day). after gettinghayden home from mom's house friday evening he ended up throwing up at about 1 in the morning. once again, he felt perfectly fine but we then had to break the news that he might not be able to play laser tag the next day.
because he was feeling ok we decided he would have to skip going to see the glory of christmas and the pizza part but we would pick him up and take him to play laser tag. thankfully mom came over to our house for almost the entire day so the boys could take their naps and get some rest. she also gothayden all dressed up in his cowboy gear so we could just run home, pick him up and head out.
we had around 25 people show up and i think everyone had a pretty good time. i know hayden did. he actually left his cowboy hat on the entire time he was playing laser tag.
in the end, the lawdogs won both games. but us outlaws put up a good fight. i ended up coming in 3rd and then 6th so i say that i was never apprehended.
happy late birthday, dave!!!

eatin' dinner:


so glad to not be puking and to be playing laser tag:


jeff hunt, andrew, ellanore and heather wood:



ellanore (hayden thinks he's going to marry her), heather and andrew wood:
the lawdogs:
the outlaws:

they love me even though we're on opposite sides of the law:

he loves laser tag, but he couldn't wait to play games and win more tickets:






it's a horrible picture, but he had spurs and everything: