Breakfast With Santa!

This past Saturday was the annual Breakfast with Santa at the mall. Karen & I brought all the cousins and 2 of Emma's little BFFs joined us as well. The kids were all really well behaved while waiting in line. And then the big guy in the red suit showed up! Emma was so excited to point him out, but was unsure about actually approaching. TJ ran right up for a hug and Lucy, of course Lucy, had to inspect his beard for authenticity. Emma DID eventually run up for a hug with Sophia & Hayden but of course my memory card ended up being full right at that point, so I missed getting the shot! Figures. Anyway, the kids all got a goody bag full of trinkets, a muffin, and a juice pouch for breakfast. Then they got to paint ceramic ornaments. Emma made me laugh as she painted her CHRISTMAS ornament to look like a HALLOWEEN jack o' lantern! That kid is funny. After that, Karen waited in line for 45 minutes (ridiculous) to get balloon animals and face painting for all the munchkins while we started their scavenger hunt. That's always lots of fun. Each kid is given a map with breakfast and the have to visit 8 stores to get a stamp & a goody. When they complete the whole thing, they turned it in for a prize - a little Santa mug with candy canes. We finished up the morning with a photo at Santa's workshop. I had originally told Katie & Lucy that they were welcome to come along but would not be expected to sit for a picture. Karen told them I lied and to get up there and smile. Lol. So we got them all in a group shot. It took forever to get the final pictures (some kind of computer glitch) but ended up getting some free copies for our troubles. Not too shabby for the morning.... ornaments, breakfast, goodies, treats, balloon animals, face painting, extra pictures, and it didn't cost a penny. That's what I call a good morning!