Here comes Santa Clause

Today was the Parker Carriage Parade. I thought I would be a good, festive mom and take the kids downtown Parker to see Santa and watch the parade. Mike was working today, so I was not too excited about the prospect of braving the crowds with the 3 kids by myself - especially when 2 of those kids have no fears about wondering off and away from mom! It turned out that Mike was able leave work early due to a low patient count, and got home just as we were getting ready to leave. (I do believe in little miracles!) I'm so glad he was able to come with us. He's had to work on the day of the parade for the last few years and has never been able to come with us, so it was really fun for the kids to have dad there too. We started the day by going to see Santa - of course the highlight! It's amazing the new toys they come up with once they are face to face with Santa - which never seemed to be important at the time we wrote him our letter! After making sure Santa knew what they all wanted, we went to find the perfect spot to watch the parade. As we were walking along Mainstreet, the kids were able to catch a glimpse at a couple of reindeer. Sam is convinced they were Donner and Vixen. Personally, I think those two are up at the North Pole getting ready for their big ride, but you never can tell! One thing is for sure though, we knew they definitely were not Rudolph!
It was a little chilly, but I think the candy canes and popcorn made up for the wind and the wait before the parade started. There really isn't much to the parade, but they loved it! There were a few bands, lots of horses, and of course Santa at the very end. I was really proud of how good and patient they were during the parade. They must know that Santa's elves are watching! I wonder if I can still use that excuse to get good behavior out of them after Christmas is over???