I'm back.....

..... for now.....

Much has transpired since my last post. I guess being back to work fulltime, I never realized how busy I would be with my new role as a mother. I have a greater appreciation for all those working moms out there, especially moms doing it alone! KUDOS to you!

Dale and I were doing a little reminiscing in the Santa Line today at the mall. We laughed, remembering the days we used to walk by and laugh at all those lame parents standing in line. We would never do that, we told each other. Well today, we became those people. Not only did we become one of those people, we upped the anti. We had one of 'those' kids. Annie did NOT like Santa. IN retrospect, she probably thought we were going to abandon her with Santa. IT all kind of happened so fast ( except the waiting in line part), and it went something like this:

1. Get there at 10:50, Santa arrives at 11. We were probably the 15th family in line. Annie in her Sunday best of course. But not in the cheezy Christmas dress, we wouldn't stoop to THAT level.
2. Annie meets some of Santa's helpers, seems happy. She learns to colour for the first time. SHe enjoys waving at her new friends and trying to eat the wax crayons.
3. Mrs. Claus, who may have left her Christmas spirit in the North Pole, calls Annie's name.
4. We walk over to Santa. We had been telling Annie all about Santa earlier, and she was even trying to repeat the sound "santa". I was not anticipating...
5. Crying. Sheer look of terror on her face. As I handed her over to Santa and stepped back, it was like I had told her I would never see her again, and instead, this stranger with a big beard (real!) would have her now. I wasn't sure what to do. I wish the photographer would have snapped a picture, but instead, she told me to get in the photo too to help the manner.
6. Dale and I sit down, trying to put an end to the tears and 'straight legs' and arched back (parents- you KNOW what I am talking about!).
7. We end up with a pretty funny picture, a true classic in my eyes for sure.
8. $20 later, we are happy as can be, eating chicken strips and fries in the food court.

Is Dale trying to over compensate for Annie's stranger anxiety? Is he trying to model for Annie how to smile?!
Had we known we were going to be in the photo- perhaps Dale wouldn't have worn a Sleemans shirt?!!!