Cookies & Milk with Santa

One of our favorite events of the year came today - Cookies & Milk with Santa at Shannon Hospital (to benefit the Children's' Miracle Network). For $5 per child, we go up to the hospital (where Bill works), watch Santa fly in on AirMed1, have milk and cookies in a room with Santa, and then the boys get to spend some quality time on his lap for pictures and a little talk about what they would like for Christmas. This is our 5th Cookies & Milk we've attended, and it's a tradition we will keep as long as they have it!

I was a little concerned about Connor. He's been VERY apprehensive about Santa and the whole sitting in the lap part this season. He keeps telling us, "Santa good guy." However, when we ask if he's going to sit in his lap and tell him what he wants for Christmas, he usually fusses and says, "NO! I no wike him!" Well, I think this helped things quite a bit... on the way to the room where cookies and milk are served, Santa stopped to say hi to Connor and give him a candy cane.

That, I think, led to him being quite anxious and excited to go see the big man in red! We were number 8 in line to see him, and while we were having our sugary snacks Connor kept saying, "I see Santa! I see Santa!" - telling us he was ready right then. We tried to explain that we had to wait until they called our number - number 8. So, he sat there a minute, and then he began calling out VERY loudly, "NUMBUH EIIIIIIIIIGHT! NUMBUH EIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!" He decided he'd just call out our number for us so that it would be our turn! And, when it was, I was SOOOO proud... he walked right up to him and hopped in his lap.

They had a good conversation - the three of them - about what would be nice for Christmas...

They even posed nicely for a picture.

And, when all was said and done, Caleb ever so gently yanked on Santa's beard... just to make sure it was real... and it WAS!!!