Santa, Shopping and Silly Smiles

I've been having all too much fun shopping lately. Yes, I have bought Christmas Gifts (but also some stuff for myself this year), we're pretty much finished with Emma and some family gifts. I have a few items to make yet now that I'm making jewelry as gifts for some people and lots of wrapping to do in the next 13 days...wow, 13 days!!! Christmas is all of the sudden coming so fast! It's extra fun this year with Emma, she talks about Santa all the time! She says he's going to bring her presents and she'll say "thank you santa" and he'll say Ho Ho Ho to mama and daddy. When we went to see him at the local mall on Friday the minute we got in line and she spotted him she waved and yelled "hi santa!" She was thrilled when he waved at her so when the rope opened and it was her turn she ran up to him, literally ran! He picked her up and she was all smiles. When he asked her name she even responded and told him her name, last year she was a little more timid and unsure about the whole thing. At $9 each we just got one photo which we will reproduce for family members, she has her standard smiley face that she makes lately when you ask her to smile, with her eyes almost shut. It's so funny! We have our family pictures tonight so we're hoping she smiles in a way you can still see her pretty blue eyes! haha
THIS YEAR (very happy):

LAST YEAR (not so sure!):

I just can't wait until Christmas Eve to put out cookies and do the whole Santa thing, last year she was still kind of little and this year she gets it! It's so fun!