Jolly Old St Nick

I've always loved the Christmas season, but this year my excitement is unlike it has ever been before. Even though Avery has no idea what's going on, sharing holiday traditions and the joy of the season with my daughter gives me a whole new perspective on this wonderful time of year. I can't imagine how fun it will be in years to come when she understands what is going on and can actually be excited with us! Yesterday we kicked off what is sure to be an annual tradition... a visit to Santa! Avery's first time meeting the man in red didn't exactly turn out to be the glorified experience I'd envisioned in my mind. For starters, she had a fat lip due to a small run in with a coffee table the previous day. Then we got to Santa's workshop only to find a line a mile long and a not so cheerful elf informing us we had to take a "time slot ticket" and come back a couple hours later. By that time Avery was past due for a nap and not at all thrilled about being all dolled up in tights and a frilly dress. We waited in line for half an hour and of course right when we got towards the front we noticed a certain stench coming from a certain diaper... so poor Santa got to hold a cranky stinky baby with a swollen lip. We made a memory, that's for sure! Erich was able to get a couple cute pictures. We couldn't get her to smile, but I was just happy she wasn't crying!