Peyton Meets Santa

We took Peyton to meet Santa for the first time! This was such a wonderful mommy moment for me and I loved every minute. I wanted to take Peyton to the mall where I used to go as a kid. On the same stage where, two decades ago, my family watched me visit Santa year after year. It holds so many special memories for me and I want to do the same for Peyton.

I wanted Jared, my mom and whoever else wanted to come to be able to join us for this occasion so we waited until the week of Christmas to do so. Of course, the mall was super crowded but that was just what ended up working out best for us. I'm sure we will plan better for next year. We had to stand in line for two hours and by the time we got to the front of the line it was almost time for Peyton to eat, she had a wet diaper and she was sleepy. Well you better believe that I wasn't about to get out of line to take care of any of that so I just had to cross my fingers and hope that she could deal with it. I figured that I had no idea how she was going to react to Santa anyways so I wasn't really counting on getting a great picture in the first place.

She's not real sure about what the heck is going on and hardly in the mood to have her picture taken. 

However, when my mom placed Peyton on Santa's lap, she was instantly mesmerized. She loved him. She perked right up and was as happy as could be. I was pleasantly surprised. 

The photographer's assistant was a rock star. I have no idea how she managed to get Peyton so smiley and happy for the picture, but she did a great job. 

This literally melts my heart. How sweet. What can I say, Peyton's got a thing for dudes with beards. I guess I have to thank Jared and his beard for helping Peyton not be afraid of Santa...darn it. 

As if Peyton meeting Santa wasn't enough fun in itself, I decided that I wanted Peyton to wear a very special outfit for her first meeting with the big guy. My mom did a great job of keeping and taking care of some of my special baby clothes. She kept all of her favorite outfits of mine, and considering they are 27 years old, they are in great condition. I wanted Peyton to wear my 1st Christmas dress and my Christmas shoes for her photo with Santa. I was only 2 months ahead of her in age at my 1st Christmas, so everything fits her perfectly. This was such a sweet moment for my mom and I, getting to see Peyton in my Christmas outfit.

Peyton and mommy. Same dress, same shoes. Christmas 1987 to Christmas 2014