A visit with Santa Claus

Friday night was my company holiday party. We needed a babysitter, but I just couldn't get myself to want to leave Rachel with just anyone. So I asked my dad and Margie to come down and babysit. They were happy to oblige - they hadn't seen her since her baptism in October, so it was a good time.

Friday night was crazy - David and I both worked, Rachel was at day care and my dad arrived at our house around 6PM. David and I needed to eat and get ready, so my dad and Margie got us some to go food so we could scarf down dinner before getting ready to leave. Around 8PM we were off to Sequoia for the MicroStrategy holiday party. We got home around 130AM...I didn't think I would make it past 11PM I was so tired!

We were trying to decide what to do yesterday, and I thought of going to visit Santa Claus. So we all packed up and drove off to the Tyson's Corner mall. I thought it would be fun to see this Santa because he's been the Santa there for about 18 years - and recently he was the center of controversy when some people wanted to replace him. But petitions were signed to keep him and he was reinstated - I figured he was kind of a landmark and icon, so we should go see him. The mall is also right next to my office, so I thought we could swing by there and show my dad my office.

Santa's took a break from 1-2PM so we tried to line up at 1230PM. Unfortunately they had stopped the line and we were told to come back. So we wandered around the mall, I returned a dress I had bought for the holiday party, we got free samples from Godiva...and went back to wait in line for Santa around 130PM. Bad idea! We should have been there at 1PM...there were so many people!

But we waited, and waited, and waited...and the line wound around and around. My dad and Margie walked around the mall a bit more while David and I waited in line. We finally got up to see Santa after about an hour and 15 minutes. Rachel was great! She had been so patient waiting and was such a good girl. We handed her off to Santa and the photographer. They allow you to take a few pictures of your own, but of course they want you to buy the ones they take - which we did.

We asked Santa if Rachel told him what she wanted for Christmas and he said she wanted lots of love from her parents - that's a gift we can deliver on!

After the mall we went to a nice dinner at Coastal Flats. My dad and Margie volunteered to babysit again Saturday night, so David and I rushed off to a movie - we saw Four Christmases with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. It was really good and a nice treat to see a movie.

We appreciate my dad and Margie coming down to babysit. It was a nice weekend. I'm not sure when we'll see them again though. I have to do a better job keeping up with this blog so they and everyone else can keep up with us!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend...