Here Comes Santa Claus...

When we lived in Louisville, we always took Rylan to see Santa Claus at the mall. Well, where we live in GA there isn't a mall that close, so Nate looked online to find other places that would have Santa. As Rylan's dream come true, we found out that Santa was going to be at the fire station on Sunday. So we planned nap time around it, and met Nate there after he got off of work at 2:00. I got Rylan down for a nap easily because he knew he was going to see Santa AND a firetruck! He was yelling "Woo-hoo, I'm going to see Santa! Woo-hoo, I'm going to see a firetruck! Woo-hoo!" We told him that he had to tell Santa what he wanted and then he would get it on Christmas day. He had planned out saying he wanted a blue train & he wanted Austin to have a blue truck. Well, we pull up, the excitement is escalating, he sees Daddy pull up next to us, he sees the fire truck...but wait....there is Santa. Suddenly he wants to go home. "Rylan doesn't want to talk to Santa. Rylan go bye-bye." I tell him it's fine. Santa is nice, he just wants to know what to give him for Christmas. So we walk up, and he starts walking slower & slower. When we get to the firetruck, there is only firemen there with Santa. Apparently this isn't a hot spot to take your kids to see Santa, so EVERYONE is watching us. Rylan has this face where he'll stare at me or Nate with no expression, like WHY AM I HERE? TELL THIS PERSON TO LEAVE ME ALONE! So he's staring at me, and ignoring Jolly Old St. Nick. Santa keeps asking what he wants for Christmas & of course, he has no reply. All the firemen around are telling us each kid is different and you never know what to expect. Well, Nate & I are just thrilled he's not crying. That has been what has happened for the last 2 years. After ignoring Santa for a few minutes, he gets his candy cane & then heads over to the side of the fire truck. The fireman puts the fireman helmet on his head & Nate sets him up in the driver's seat of the truck. Rylan again does the stare & wants down. About this time he hears a train, and the fireman tells us that the tracks are right behind the station & we can see the train, so we head to the backside to watch the train. Which is a thrill for him. Once the train has passed & we leave, Rylan is yelling out the window, "Bye Santa, bring me a blue train please!" Maybe next year he'll sit on his lap and talk to him!