« 4.30: In the bag | Main | The key to getting your preschooler to sleep in »
December 7, 2009
Clip clop
Friday night we went to our HOA's annual Christmas thing. Santa and Mrs. Claus are there to hear what kids want for Christmas, read a story and sing carols, cookies and hot chocolate are noshed upon, and a horse drawn wagon does laps around the neighborhood to show off the Christmas lights.
I asked each girl to write a letter to Santa: Jamie jotted off a quick note asking for more princess dress up gear, Katie asked Santa what kind of cookies he would like us to put out. I don't think she quite gets the gimme gimme concept of Santa yet, and for that I'm grateful. (I did tell her she could ask for something from Santa, and she wrote "Barbie." She left off the Barbie car that I had already told her was too much. Apparently her dreams are easily shot down.)
We got there right at the shindig started, hoping to avoid waiting in line for the horse ride like we did last year. It was freezing cold, and we didn't want to hang out outside any longer than we had to. Santa was there right on time, and Owen ran right up to him and sat on his lap like he owned him. The girls followed, listing their wants with a surprising lack of greed. Santa kept asking Owen if he wanted a truck, and Owen kept insisting that he wanted a Barbie. *sigh* We spent some time catching up with some of our neighbors and friends and promising the kids that we would finish up soon and go get dinner.
The guy with the horse showed up half an hour late, and we ended up waiting in line for another half an hour (outside! freezing!) while he hitched the horse up. The ride itself was lovely and uneventful, aside from Owen's obsession with the "neigh." He spent most of the ride leaning almost prone so he could see around the driver and catch glimpses of the horse's ass. The driver was kind enough to let Owen hold one of the reins, and every time it slipped from his hand he would pitch himself forward over the rail to get to it. I think the only word he said during the entire ride was "neigh," his word for horse.
I guess it was worth freezing our asses off, since what I remember about the night was the fun the kids had.
Posted by me at December 7, 2009 10:12 PM