Oh...Hello, Santa.

So this happened last night:

Turns out that Santa is the scariest monster out there and the only way to get James to kind of go near him is to physically hold him down and force him to take a family photo. The kicker - exactly 47seconds after this photo was taken, James went and gave Santa a high five.  I feel as though I was played.

Andrew was unfazed.

Merry Christmas!

As Predicted...

We went to visit Santa today.  James got all gussied up in his fancy shoes, shirt and tie and was ready to meet the big man in red and tell him what a good boy he has been this year.  We made our way through the Ice Palace and said hello to polar bears and penguins and owls.  We even got some snow in our hair.  All the while, James was laughing and smiling.

Then this happened.

As predicted, James gave us the traditional "Screaming Kid on Santa's Lap" photo this year.  Instead of feeling sad about it, we laughed.  We knew it was going to happen this year and decided to pick THE BEST screaming picture out of the lot.  I think we nailed it.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

All I Want for Christmas...

Today James had the pleasure of meeting the big man in red - Santa Claus! It was exciting for all of us and I'm happy to report that Santa did not scare the ba-geezzus out of James.  :)

In an effort to stay sane, we decided to avoid the Santa lines over the weekend.  Both Ed and I had an extra day to burn before the new year so we thought why not have a family day today. With all of my recent travel and Ed working weekends we started to feel a little disconnected.  Spending the day together cured that!

We began the day with breakfast at IHOP.  Since James' day started a bit earlier, his IHOP experience was more about dreams than about pancakes.

After cleaning up and dressing in our finest, we headed to Fair Oaks to meet the big guy.  Of course, by the time we got there, Santa was on break.  We killed time with some last minute Christmas shopping and then joined the small line that started to form.  This year, the Santa photo theme is based on the most recent Ice Age movie.  The setting was cute and sure did keep some of the older kids occupied as we waited for Santa to return from lunch.

Finally Santa made an appearance and it was time to meet the man of the hour!  There was a bit more waiting.  Actually a lot more waiting.  Apparently Moms are really particular as to how their kids should look in their Santa pictures.  From what I remember when I was kid, you sat on his lap, told him what you wanted, they took a picture and off you went.  I guess times have changed.

James (and Ed and I) started getting very antsy in line so we decided the tickle monster had to make an appearance. And since our little man is all about exploring these days, we put him close to the floor which brought on the smiles.

Finally it was our turn!  The nice little Elf-lady gave us some newbie advice: execute the Drop and Run technique.  Apparently, the best thing to do with little ones is to drop them slowly in Santa's lap while having them face you and quickly make your way back to the camera without losing eye contact.  It was good advice because IT WORKED!!  We are happy to report that we don't have the "Screaming Kid with Santa Photo" but instead the "Contented Kid with Santa Photo".

Even though there was no smile, we were pretty pleased with the outcome.  And look at that Santa - he's one good looking guy!  We removed James from Santa's lap before he realized who was holding him and quickly told him what we wanted for Christmas this year.  James has been an exceptionally good boy and I believe that Santa will bring him everything he wants! :)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

A Mangiaracina Christmas

This year, Christmas was extra special for us since it would be the last time that our little family would be a threesome. Don't get me wrong, we can't wait for the little guy to be here, but there was something special about celebrating this last Christmas season with just each other and Lucy.

Our holiday weekend began on Friday night with our traditional Christmas "morning". Since we planned to head up to NJ/NY on Saturday morning, we had to celebrate our family Christmas on Friday night. Ed and I started the evening with a wonderful dinner at Clyde's of Reston and stopped by our neighbors house for a little holiday shin dig (thanks Suzy and Glenn!). After a quick drink (for Ed of course), we headed home, put on our Christmas jamies, pumped up the holiday tunes and started opening gifts.

Lucy started with her BIG gift ~ one that Ed was SOOOO excited for. We wrapped it up with some treats so that she would tear into the paper which she did. She grabbed the treats and ran which wasn't quite the reaction Ed wanted, but she grew to love her new bed later that night. Along with some treats and toys, Lucy was a happy camper. :)

Ed and I didn't do to shabby either. I got some great stuff including new Ugg snow boots, the Cook Like a Rock Star Anne Burrell cookbook (new fav Food Network diva), some goodies for my camera (making the bloggers life easier), an iTunes gift card to upgrade my operating system and lots o' money to get prenatal massages. SCORE!!

Ed's Santa loot included a new pair of Cole Haan shoes, a manly circular saw with extra blades, a Bob Marley onesie for James, sexy message collar stays and Apple TV.

All in all, it was a great Christmas morning for our little threesome. Life is going to be very different next year, and we can't wait...but it was nice to take advantage of our time together this year. Next up...Christmas Eve in New Jersey with the Basile family. Stay tuned!