Breakfast with Santa

What?  We're back in Utah?  Yup, that's right.  We drove home on Sunday and through the middle of a white-out blizzard, just in time to turn around on Friday and fly in for Breakfast with Santa.  Why?  I guess because we can.  It was another quick and wild trip, but worth it.  While I slept in as long as I could because my cold made me feel so horrible, but Jeremy was up before the sun cooking hasbrowns and eggs with Bruce.  What handsome men in aprons.  

I'm sure it tasted delicious (I couldn't taste a thing), then before we even had time to clean up, Santa came!  

This is the best part of the morning.  I mean, look at those kids' faces!  

When Santa called each kid up to sit on his lap, he surprised us with something new, balloon animals!  I think I would even dare to use the word, magical, to describe what he could do with those balloons.  Like blowing them up to start with!  Dantley tried, but it was a rough go.  

And Cambrie tried her absolute best, but no one could do it like Santa.  He could even blow them up in the middle only, or starting from the end and blowing towards the middle.  Needless to say we were all very impressed.

  

Here are some of my favorite shots of my kids with Santa:  Daxton wasn't too thrilled with sitting on his lap, and while I do have a crying picture I like this one better.  

Kelton was very excited to sit on Santa's lap, but when it came time to ask for what he wanted for Christmas, he became really shy and didn't have an answer ready.  I'm pretty sure he ended up asking for a car.  

McKenzie wanted a hedgehog.  Santa told her that he didn't make those up at the North Pole, but you never know.  

His balloon creation for McKenzie was pretty amazing.  A hat?  A flower?  A flower hat!  Yes, it came home with us on the airplane.  She wore it all the way through the airport.

  Cambrie still loves Santa.  I'm glad she loves the magic as much as I do.  Even I don't get smiles like that from her too often.  

She asked for a telescope and walked away with a balloon elephant for now.  

When it was time for family pictures with Santa, my boys were pretty tuckered out, which was a shame because I really need to update my Santa frame.  

But here's our group Rogers' shot ready to go.  

After Santa left we did our Christmas story.  Normally Santa reads it, but this year Jan read a new book, "The Mismatched Nativity."  Each family brought a piece from their personal nativities that we used during the story.  At the end of the story we had a full nativity set up that was completely mismatched.  The kids had a good time with it.  

Then it was time for the cousin gift exchange.  Kelton received some Play Dough from Anya.  Yea!  

McKenzie received a hedgehog calendar, book, and Lego set form Keiran.  Hip, hip hooray!  

Cambrie received a science kit and frog sewing kit from Parker.  Yippee!  But when told her to give Parker a hug, she became super shy and self conscious...like a teenager!  Ahh! 

And Daxton slept through the gift exchange, but we snagged him right before Brynlee walked out the door so she could give him his gift, a car set.  Hooray!  

But Breakfast with Santa is hard work.  The boys took a break to just play with their cars while they waited their turn.  

They also hid in the pantry and scavenged for food since the adults were too busy to feed them.  

Jeremy fell asleep on the stairs, and everyone rested later in the afternoon.  

A quick trip, but it's worth it for the twinkle in Santa's eye and these cute smiles wouldn't you say?