You might not know this, but Santa goes to my church. We're tight like that. We go way back. Rick and I used to serve on his greeting team when I was pregnant with Harrison. He and Mrs. Claus are two of the kindest people around. He starts growing out his beard in the summer (speaking of summer...he is also the one who helps organize the Teddy Bear Parade we go to every year on the 4th of July) and when December gets here, he is a busy man making a lot of kids very happy. And the best part is, he does it as a ministry outreach and teaches/reminds kids the real reason we celebrate Christmas. He stopped by our house when Harrison was just 2 weeks old and we have made it a point to keep the tradition to see him every year since. It makes it that much more special when your kids are sitting on the lap of a man who really does listen and care about what they have to say to him.
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This year, I called to see if he would drop in at our friends' Christmas PJ party and surprise the kids. I could tell you about the excitement, but I videoed it so just watch it for yourself. Lots of very happy, squealing kiddos!
He took his time talking with each child and it was so fun to see their excitement. Harrison was the first to go and he was a little bashful at the beginning, but by the time Santa left the party they were BFFs.
And Harper. Oh, Harper. What's a girl to do when you're sitting on Santa's lap and all of the sudden you get your panties in a bunch? Literally speaking, with a big fat wedgie? Well apparently, you pay no attention to the crowd watching you and camera filming you, and you dive in and take care of that business. HA!
Harper decided to switch things up at the last minute with the whole asking for a Pocahontas dress. That was news to me, and I'm the one who helped her write her letter to Santa. Poor girl is going to be disappointed because the Disney Store isn't carrying them right now and this elf is not paying $50 for a used one on eBay. Not happening.
Also, I guess Harrison wanted to one-up his sister with the awkward wedgie-picking, because here was his random, awkward comment when all of the kids were taking turns telling Santa how many teeth they've lost: "I lost 2 of my foster kids. They had to go live with their grandma and I really miss them." Did I mention awkward?? Talk about quieting down a room. Thankfully, Santa had met Lily & Violet and was aware of our situation and handled it very well. Harrison has been really worried about the girls lately and keeps asking how I know that they're safe and that they're going to get any Christmas presents, so I'm sure he was just making sure Santa doesn't forget about them.
And speaking of the girls, I got some wonderful news tonight! I had texted their CASA worker to see if it was okay if we got the girls a small gift and gave them some of the pictures and cards my kids have made for them. I didn't hear back so I figured she must not have thought it was a good idea, which I get. But she called me tonight to let me know that she had visited them today and checked with their family. They are okay with it and even said she could pick the girls up and meets us somewhere to visit! I immediately felt the tears and was smiling so big my cheeks hurt...I seriously had to put a lot of effort into trying to play it cool until I could get off the phone and do a big fat happy dance. I really didn't think we would ever see them again. It will be a joyful day if we do in fact get to hug their necks again soon! (!!!!!!!!!!)
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