Santa Visit + Our First Public Meltdown

This past Monday we took the kids for their annual Santa visit.  Last year, we took them on a Saturday evening which was obviously a mistake because we had to wait in line for over an hour, so this year we thought that we would swing by the mall after work on a Monday to try and avoid the long lines.   

Brian picked Olivia up from school, I picked Jacob up from school, and we met right at 5 o’clock, just before the evening rush.  It worked like a charm – when we arrived, there were only three families ahead of us.  Ah-mazing!   

During the wait, Jacob happily pointed at the “snow” and other decorations around Santa’s chair, and Olivia ate raisins with her freshly manicured fingers (seriously the cutest).  All the while, I prepped her for the big introduction – I spoke excitedly about sitting in Santa’s lap and we discussed how she could tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas.  She nodded in agreement the entire time, her little eyes shining from excitement.   

After that, everything went downhill.   

Right as we moved up to be next in line, Olivia ransacked my purse, opened my makeup bag, pulled out my brush, and proceeded to “brush” her hair AKA rip half of it out of the rubber band so it was sticking straight up in the air.  I scrambled to clip her bow over it just as the elf was coming to escort us to Santa so she wouldn’t look like a hot mess for her picture.  Sigh… 

As we approached, Olivia started leaning into my chest while Jacob trotted right up to climb on Santa’s knee.  I assured Olivia that I wasn’t going to leave her, and I tried to sit her on Santa’s other knee, but she clung to me like a koala bear clinging to a tree.  Double sigh… 

I tried and tried to reassure her, and Santa tried to convince her to sit on his lap, but she was not having it, so Santa finally had to slide over in his giant seat so Olivia and I could both join him.  Triple sigh…  

My first picture with Santa in probably two decades (because yes, I did take one in high school with all of my girlfriends). 

After our visit, we took the kids to the food court for Chick-fil-A and some time on the rides per Jacob’s request. 

When it was time to go, Jacob promptly jumped off of the ride, but Olivia just sat there, pretending to ignore me.  When I asked her to get down the second time, she looked at me and said, “NoOoO!” in her whiniest voice.  

I tried one more time to get her to come down on her own, and when she wouldn’t, I had to go in after her.   

She went nuts. 

We’re talking kicking, flailing around, falling on the ground, and screaming so wildly that I’m sure people were positive that I was beating her.  I grabbed her off of the ground and hightailed it outta there with what felt like hundreds of judging eyes on me.   

I thought for sure that she would settle down once we started walking, but her screams grew even louder, and she was flailing around so much that I had to hand her over to Brian because I was afraid I was going to accidentally drop her. 

She continued to scream at the top of her lungs all through the mall, and finally Brian ran ahead of us to get her outside before the mall police could stop us for child abuse.  (Later, we laughed that people probably thought he was kidnapping her since he was jogging through the mall and carrying her like a sack of potatoes while she was screaming bloody murder.)   

I was relieved to see that she had finally calmed down once we stepped outside, and she was pointing at the moon as if nothing had happened. 

We loaded her up, drove her home, bathed her, and put her little self straight to bed, thirty minutes earlier than usual.   

When I was getting her settled in the bed with her paci she said, “I tired.”   

Ya think?!  Your ten minute long tantrum was probably equivalent to running a half marathon.  Of course you’re tired!  I’m surprised you didn’t fall asleep in the car on the way home! 

I kissed her goodnight, and then let Calgon take me away went downstairs to clean, check Jacob’s book bag, and get everything ready for the next day. 

Granted, she does have two ear infections (one really bad one) and she has a tooth coming in, so I guess we’ll give her a pass this time. 

And hopefully this is the last ear infection and tooth she will ever get so that can be our first (and only) walk of shame through the mall. 

Yep, we were those people at the mall Monday night.  But we survived.  And now I have this funny story to share with all of you!  

And because this was originally supposed to be a post about our Santa visit, here’s a look back on pictures from Santa visits past... and I love that we see the same Santa every year!  I'm going to be sad when he retires...

2011 - totally oblivious

2012 - not amused

2013 - not too sure what to think

2014 - so excited