Preparing for the photo was, in itself, something of an adventure. Hannah didn't want to wear the boots I'd bought to go with her dress, but her back-up pair of shoes didn't look quite right. There were tears and sweaty curls, and Brad had to bribe her with the promise of a Pokemon card. As we headed downstairs to leave, she looked at us expressionless, went into her room, and closed her bedroom door. It wasn't looking good, until she sullenly came downstairs (taking the less traveled path to the kitchen) with her boots on after all. Jack's picture shoes were a bit too big, and after some frustration about not being able to tie them tight enough, we were finally ready to head out the door.
Both kids looked adorable (they had better, after all that!), and while Hannah was very shy and never did end up telling Santa what she wanted for Christmas, Jack shared his list (which he'd jotted down on a daycare business card for fear he'd forget).
Brad and I joked about the fact that while we've already started our Christmas shopping, both little lovelies had surprises on their lists for Santa. We're never quite as prepared as we think we are :)
After the kids sat on Santa's lap, we went to have dinner at the food court and the kids played happily on the indoor playground and the merry-go-round. It wasn't until we got back to the car that Jack realized that not only had he misplaced the business card with his list, but he'd also forgotten to tell Santa about the ever-important Minecraft Lego sets that he was hoping to receive. I promised to help him write a letter to Santa and he seemed to feel better.
Well, today when I picked Jack and Hannah up from school, he announced that I didn't have to help him write a letter because he'd already done it and he just needed my help sending it to the North Pole.
This is what he pulled out of his backpack when we got home:
There are so many things that I love about this letter. I love that he just continued their conversation from last night. I love that he's still learning where to place the punctuation when addressing a letter. I love that he drew his own stamp and wrote the address as simply as we refer to it.
And then there's the obvious part about a second grade boy who's not quite sure what he believes, but who's smart enough to know what he doesn't want to know. My ever-practical little boy.
He can make us smile and laugh and break our hearts at the same time. Hopefully, he can hold onto the magic of Santa Claus for a little while longer.
Fingers crossed.
