It was actually a great morning. I went to the gym this morning (and a SPIN class that kicked my toosh!) but it felt good to get back after 10 days after my sore toe. When I got home, Ruby was wandering around the house in the dark (it's still cloudy). She is getting really fun. For some reason in the past month she has really blossomed with full sentences and big words, as well as singing songs in their entirety. This morning she serenaded "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" word for word while eating her corn pops. I am more and more amazed by my two year old everyday!
Alicia and I decided to take a trip to Cabelas since it is really close by, and it just so happens Santa was going to be there from 10am-3pm. After watching the Polar Express last night (as well as every day this week, gotta love TiVo!) the girls have been really excited about seeing Santa. So we loaded them up in the van and headed north. :)
After about 10 minutes on the road we arrived! Cabelas is a lot of fun because there are so many stuffed animals there and such it is almost like going to an exhibit. On top of that they have a huge aquarium and live fish that the girls love to feed by throwing quarters into a machine that dispenses fish food that they then throw into the water. We actually passed on that today because of the anticipation of a long line to see the Jolly Guy himself.
The line actually wasn't that bad. Ruby screamed hysterically a few times, but it wasn't too bad waiting. Katy was cute. She would walk up and down the center of the line and say hi to everyone. It got to a point where swinging on the ropes almost toppled the poles like dominoes, so Alicia decided to take care of Katy while Hannah and Ruby watched the deer, bears, moose, and other wildlife.
Our moment arrived, and the girls were fantastic! Hannah and Ruby sat on Santa's lap and Katy, like a model, plopped herself down at his feet and literally struck a pose for the camera. I love free pictures with Santa!
Anyway, Ruby proceeded to tell Santa about baby dolls and Handy Manny. Katy did not really speak, but gave Santa the biggest smile which made him blush and giggle. It was cute. While he was handing out candy canes to the girls, Hannah went up to Santa and asked him something that I didn't even realize how important this moment was for her.
"Santa, can I have a bell for Christmas?"
"A bell," he replied.
"Yes," said Hannah. "I want a bell from your sleigh."
I think Santa recognized the question and why she asked for such a bell. Santa then leaned over and reached into a different bag laying next to the candy cane bag and whispered to Hannah, "You have to keep this a secret. I actually have a bell from my sleigh right here, and it is just for you."
He pulled out of this red bag a bell almost the size of a golf ball, and handed it to her. The excitement in my little Hannah Bear's eyes were amazing! She got a bell from Santa's sleigh! How brave of her to ask!
I assume that most of you reading this may be familiar with Polar Express. The premise of the movie revolved around a young man who chooses to believe in Santa and in choosing the gift he would like for Christmas, the one thing he wanted more than anything was a bell from Santa's sleigh. You can see the ending here. I love Hannah's request today, and was grateful for a store Santa that took the time to recognize the faith of a little girl and giving her the opportunity to receive her first gift of Christmas this year.
The greatest news of all?
Alicia and I can still hear it ringing.
Merry Christmas!
2 comments:
That is dripping sugary sweetness! What a special day! She will remember it always.
What a cool Santa! That is a super sweet story. It just goes to show you Hannah, it NEVER hurts to ask! It seems that Santa is always prepared. I am afraid to think of what would have happened if Santa didn't know about the Polar Express. Merry Christmas!
Post a Comment