First: Thank you for your comments on my last post and mama digs essay. Your thoughtful words mean so much to me. You are the best. (also, not sure what’s happening with those of you who are unable to comment! I am trying to sort it out.)
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Santa.
Year One: Margot, nearly 1
She just stared at that man like Hey, how about you? You been naughty or nice this year? Tell me about it fella.
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Year Two: Margot, nearly 2; Ruby, one month
Ruby had just been home from the hospital after her two week icu stay. She was tucked into a sling on me and it felt so great to do something so normal.
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Year Three: Margot, nearly 3; Ruby 1
Both girls were excited to see Santa until the boy in front of us fell, hit his head and screamed while his mom placed and held his arched body on Santa’s lap. Ruby started crying, no longer wishing to see Santa. Margot still wanted to see Santa and, well, the photo explains that she was still computing what had just happened. We talked about that little boy for days.
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Year Four: Margot, nearly 4; Ruby 2
The girls spent over and hour drawing pictures for Santa. They climbed up on the giant red lap and Santa looked right at Ruby with an exaggerated grin and said, “Hello little girl! What do you have there?” and Ruby clutched her glitter crayon drawing and cried. Margot had a blast and continued to chat it up with Santa long after I grabbed Ruby from his lap.
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Year 5: Margot, nearly 5; Ruby 3
I forgot that Santa would ask what they’d like for Christmas so it was great fun to listen in on their spontaneous answers. Margot asked for a leotard and Ruby explained, with a serious brow, that her owl hat was too small. “Because I growing and growing,” she said with her arms outstretched. She’d like a new hat. Which is awesome because I happened to have already purchased her a new hat! This one that is even more adorable in real life.
Also, I asked the photographer if he heard bells in his sleep because Santa has bells on his wrists that jingled jingled jingled all the way. He replied, “Nah. That’s what whisky’s for.”
36 Comments
I think I may have just fallen in love with santa claus.
Great photos and memories! I have yet to take my daughters (4.5 and 15 months) to see Santa this year, but hope to soon! Merry Christmas!
Adorable, all of them. Wow, the same Santa!
Santa looks SUPER happy this year! 🙂
I know! Isn’t he hilarious?
He also looks slightly Asian! LOL!!
…and slightly maniacal!!
Glad I wasn’t the only one who thought so LOL!
Oh my goodness! I love Santa pictures! It’s the only time I ever laugh at pictures of crying kids because oh my goodness the stories in those! What’s going through Santa’s head. What’s going through their heads. What’s going through the heads of the whole crazy cult of Santa picture needing parents (and I say that affectionately because I totally get it!).
*Love* the Santa from last year (and few of the other years before too it looks like) – such a gentle face! This years Santa, gotta love him too – he looks like he’s already been nipping the whiskey to get through the jingle bells…
Oh I hope the crazy cult comment isn’t interpreted wrongly! I get Santa pictures every year too. Love them! But sometimes I wonder at the parents who’s kids are clearly terrified beyond all reasonable sense and still try to wrangle, pin, wrestle them into a picture. But I’ve even been know to chuckle at a few of those. (My best friend’s husband took their daughter on an outing and came back with one of those pictures. She was furous! And then we had a good laugh about it over drinks because – oy!) So, I guess that’s what I mean by crazy cult. I’m in it too…
I totally know what you mean, all around! I love the Santa photos but I am not willing to make my kids do it if they didn’t want to…and, yet, yes, there is something nostalgic and awesome about those tearful pics.
Last year when Ruby started crying I felt bad and raced over to grab her. Now, I am thankful the photographer had quickly snapped a pic. I like that photo lots. It was so great to have them both *so* stoked this year. 🙂
Wow, Santa looks VERY jolly in that last picture (maybe the photographer isn’t the only one hitting the whiskey!). The girls, of course, are gorgeous.
What great pictures. They grow up so fast!!!
This pictures are great! Those girls are too cute.
Those faces are the sweetest ever! I loved slowly scrolling through this post to see their faces each year. What beauties! I love their requests too. Such honest goodness!
,,,”that’s what whiskey’s for”…i dig the photographer! thank you for this post, it brought a smile to my face. the final photo of margot and ruby, Nici…you and andy sure did produce adorable children! xoxo and plenty of FA-LA-LAs,,,
Love every single thing about this.
Holy mackerel – that last photo of Ruby on Santa’s lap is stunningly adorable!! I didn’t think anyone’s photos actually came out that darling.
Your girls are just a delight.
I imagine the commentary makes it even better 🙂
How darling are they?! I love your blog and read every post—-it fills me with breaths of fresh air, which I desperately need in Brooklyn:).
Is Margot wearing her Halloween dress? I adore her. Both of your girls are stunning. This years Santa is a hoot!
Last year when we went to see Santa, my son was strangely NOT excited. Fearful almost. And he’d been fine in past years. I found out later that it was the first year someone told him about the “naughty list”. I guess he wasn’t sure if he was going to be on it. Ha.
Indeed she is! She had her outfit all planned out for the S Dog.
Oh, eensy weensy Margot!
It’s gotta be a good post when I am laughing and crying at the same time.
SO cute. And funny. I didn’t get a chance to comment, but your last post was…appreciated. Writing can be so therapeutic and I appreciate that you share your inner gems with us, the wider world. I look to you for ideas on how to deal with body image when it comes to raising my own girls. Thank you so much.
In completely unrelated news, I have been trying to contact you about winning the Sarah’s Silks giveaway and either my emails are not getting through or you’re crazy busy. If you’re crazy busy (which, duh, I know you are) I’m sorry to be annoying. I was just hoping to get some gifts ordered for my little gals and I don’t have a coupon code or anything : )
Ha ha, love Santa pictures, and your girls look so glam and grown up in the last one. Something about Santa pics that remind us of our own childhood I think. We have started going for a family dress up picture each year too – local museum does western or early settlers dress up in black and white – such fun all getting dressed up and I look forward to see the change each year as we look back at photos.
I was just showing my little girl these photos and we agree. The last Santa is totally the best. We love his jolly self!
Sweet pics.
-Ang
Oh gosh, the one of Margot processing! So funny!!! & she’s got so much sass that girl, it just oozes out of EVERY picture! And Ruby this year, I just want to gobble her up. And I love how Margot’s wearing her halloween costume. PS cool that Santa was a repeat for those three years. This year’s Santa was so funny looking I called my spouse over because I’ve never seen that expression – ever! XD
I love seeing the Santas progress, too. Man that last one is HAPPY. These are great!~
Steph
All I can day is that is one luck Santa to have both my granddaughters on his lap!
Remember when you and Trav gave me a picture of you both on Santa’s lap….you both were in high school!…I cherish ALL of the Santa phot0s of you two….xo
I think you should make them do this as long as you are paying their bills; I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they are teenagers…. ;D
Best Santa pics and stories ever, and oh.my.gosh that last smiling Santa….Hahahaha! What a jolly old man!
I know why they didn’t cry this year! They got the REAL Santa!!! He’s so jolly!!!! They look so sweet.
What a great picture!!! Santa in the last picture made me burst out laughing….man, he was happy!!!
Wow, that last Santa is *ruddy*! He must like whiskey, too. Funny and adorable timeline.
I loved how psyched that last santa looks to have two kids on his lap that are happy and glowing and not screaming. I also love the photo of Margot looking the way I did when I first saw a broken bone.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
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