Insanity!

So...my kids have yet to see Santa this year. I decided that we should head to the mall to see him today - all by myself! It was insane! Actually, the line for Santa wasn't that bad. We got there at the same time Santa arrived. We waited maybe 15 minutes. It worked out quite well. I got a quick picture with all three kids before Santa chatted with Austin and Macy. Paige didn't cry. None of my kids have ever cried on Santa's lap. They are just very curious. Sometimes I wish there were some level of stranger anxiety within my kid's brains. Anyway...Austin asked Santa to surprise him, and Santa laughed and said, "I think we can find something for you." Macy asked for "New Cinderella." To start with, I have no idea what "New Cinderella" is - do any of you? Secondly, up until a couple of days ago, she was asking for Island Princess Barbie. I'm pretty sure Santa prepared for the barbie thing. I hope she's not disappointed! I heard this story over and over again in the car. Macy used a high-pitched voice to describe what she said, and a low-pitched voice to describe what Santa said. Apparently, Macy thinks that the girl elves select presents for the girls, and the boy elves select present for the boys. Pretty funny reasoning!

The insanity started when we tried to leave the mall. On our way out, a mom with four kids was making her way in. She looked at me and said, "Are you just as crazy as I am?!?" We got in our car at 4:55, and by 5:10, we had moved from Macy's to Dillard's at Fashion Place Mall (they are one store away from each other). There were so many cars, and everyone was trying to merge into the lane to exit. At that point, I flipped around and headed the other way. I was out of the mall parking lot in 5 minutes. But the traffic around the mall was just as crazy! I tried to remain calm because I knew it would be like this, but it was pretty ridiculous. I was just grateful that we weren't at the mall to shop. I got to my parent's house 45 minutes after we got in the car, and they only live a couple miles away.

Oh well...it was worth it to hear the excitement in my kid's voices. Merry Christmas!