I know him! I know him!!!! SANTA!!!!!!!!

I love the movie Elf. By far my favorite holiday movie. And I think that scene is my absolute favorite part. That and when the taxi bumps him. Cracks me up every time.

Anyways, Makenzie got to visit Santa for the first time today. This morning we attended a holiday party with the Mom’s Club. I slept in again, then got little Miss M decked out in her holiday gear. How adorable is she?!!!

I can’t get over it, either. I also can’t get over how fantastic Teri’s Pumpkin Gingerbread tastes!!! It was a huge hit with everyone and with good reason.

I made sure to munch on some, along with fruit, a couple of donut holes, and an egg/ham/cheese casserole. I love breakfast food!

Once we all finished breakfast the excitement began. SANTA!!!! It’s quite humorous to watch the reactions of the kids. It’s like 50/50 of screams of joy and screams of terror. I didn’t know what to expect with Makenzie – would she cry out in fear or not want to leave his side?

Totally the latter. She LOVED Santa! She kept trying to sneak closer to him during story time or back in the line to see him again.

Then, when he passed out a present to all of the kids, she became a huge fan. I told Peter we’re in trouble because now she will expect a gift from every Santa we visit.

And little miss needs to grow a few inches before hugging Santa again. That first picture looks totally inappropriate!

I’m so thankful Peter agreed to the whole Santa thing. His family never did Santa, based on religious purposes, and I can completely understand the foundation of their decision. Christmas is not about a jolly guy in a red suit and getting lots of presents. However, the magic of Santa is so special for children. I remember the excitement of Santa and didn’t want Makenzie to miss out on it. Plus, I didn’t want her to be the kid who ruins it for the other ones.

We came to the conclusion that Santa will be a part of our Christmas traditions, but that he will also have a meaning. Santa likes to give out presents to all the children of the world because he likes to show love like Jesus and give to others. That is who Santa is in this house. He hopes for the children to show love to others too and be thankful for Jesus. We also include traditions to say “Happy Birthday Jesus” and more often talk about Jesus than Santa in this household. It’s important to me to have the meaning, but also to have the fun and magic. So, there you go. More than you likely cared to know about our stance on Santa.

• If you celebrated Santa, what is one of your best Santa memories? Or how long did you believe?
• What’s your favorite meal of the day? Breakfast, lunch, dinner?

We had snow flurries here today!!! That calls for some excitement in Georgia. Especially before Christmas. And on our holiday filled weekend. I already told you all about my Christmas cookie exchange party on Friday night. Well, last night we had a holiday dinner with our friends from small group at church.

We all have kids in this group and decided that spending the evening out to dinner together sounded more appealing than any one person hosting a party. We all wanted to get out for an adults only evening and a nice dinner. I would say we succeeded.

For our dining venue we chose Maggianos to do the family style dining together. Plus, Italian tends to be a meal most everyone can agree on. I had never been to a Maggianos, but I was pleased with our meal. I was also pleased with my special beverage. I got a taste of an alcoholic drink! It was non-alcoholic, but tasted great – mint, lemon, raspberry sangria. Yes, I loved it that much.

We started with appetizers and salad – stuffed mushrooms, tomato caprese, and spinach salad. And of course, soft bread. I think I could have made a dinner out of the spinach mushrooms and spinach salad. Love.

The main course included traditional lasagna, a sausage angel hair pasta, mushroom ravioli, and a chicken dish. I put a sample of the sausage pasta, lasagna, and mushroom ravioli on my plate.

Last night was one of those times my stomach feels full very quickly, so I didn’t eat much of the main courses. I really only liked the mushroom ravioli anyways, so just ate the portion of that.

Dessert, though? I saved room. Cheesecake and tiramisu? Yes, please!

I could not have asked for a better evening. I was especially happy because Peter managed to make it to dinner. He flew up to New York and back yesterday. His grandmother’s health has started deteriorating even more and he decided it would be better to visit quickly to say his goodbyes rather than go up for the funeral, whenever that happens. I can’t travel at this stage, especially with all of my contractions, and he didn’t want to leave me for long, so he made a day trip of his visit. I hated not having the option or chance to go, but sometimes life just happens that way. I hope she knows that I care and have been praying for her. Prayers matter across any distance. I’m happy Peter got the chance to go, though.

Well, we will be heading out soon for another holiday evening. Part of which occurs outside. It should be interesting for this chick who hates the cold. Stay tuned for the fun, tomorrow!

• Do you like Italian food? What’s your favorite? I actually prefer my sauteed veggie bowls with a bit of pasta and lots of marinara over things you order at most Italian restaurants. I don’t like how heavy a lot of it tastes.
• A powerful quote to share - Prayer may not change things for you, but it for sure changes you for things.  ~Samuel M. Shoemaker