Our mall has a great play area so we got there about twenty minutes before the mall opened and let the kids play before it was flooded with kids. They had fun playing but I think Aurora is almost too big for it!
Santa wasn't scheduled to arrive until an hour after the mall opened, so when the stores opened we went to Hallmark first to pick out ornaments. Every year they get to pick out an ornament to put on the tree. When they grow up and move out of the house, they can take their set with them. Hallmark had some great ones this year and it was hard for them to decide! Aurora finally decided on Bolt and Alex got another Rocket (big surprise)!
After that we did some shopping and had lunch, and then the kids got to ride the Christmas train! It's a little track with a kid sized train that is there only at Christmastime. Alex is so into trains right now, he was crazy excited and loved riding in the engine and ringing the bell.
Then we went down to get in line for Santa. Good thing we were there right away - we were third in line and it quickly filled in behind us. I'd say there were at least 25 kids behind us by the time we got up there! I wasn't sure how Alex was going to be. This is the first year he is really learning who Santa is, and he didn't look too sure about going up to the big guy! He followed Sister's lead though and got up there and told Santa he wanted a "choo choo train" and a "dinosaur." The he smiled big for the camera! I was so proud of him!
Aurora told him she wanted "play-doh" and "bendaroos" - she's a pro at this now. They got candy canes and coloring books and were on their way! They talked about Santa and the train and their ornaments all the way home. It was a fantastic day.
