We got Santa Pictures!!

2012 is a year for the memory books for the Willis family!  Little R has ALWAYS been terrified of Santa!  He has had an enormous fear of being anywhere near Santa...even being in the same mall was too close for our little guy!

R and I are pretty much experts on Santa fear.  A was also terrified of the jolly man.  I have one picture of A with Santa, when she was almost a year old.  She is SCREAMING!!  We didn't try Santa again until A was 6 years old!

But this year was a bit different.  Little R began showing some interest in Santa.  Then we saw him outside the PX when we were in the van.  Little R didn't cry.  Then we saw Santa across the food court while we were eating dinner.  Little R kept his eye on him, but he didn't cry.  So I made the decision that this was going to be our year for our first Little R Santa pictures.

I had this great little outfit I had bought on clearance at Target before we left the States.  A had a pretty hand-me-down Christmas outfit from T.  So we dressed them both up, and told them we were going to see Santa!!

As I put Little R's outfit on him, I was almost in tears!  He looked so handsome!!  I took him to the full length mirror in my room to show him how handsome he looked.  He was so proud!!  He kept looking at himself and getting this little grin on his face...it was too cute!  He said numerous times throughout the night "I look snazzy"!! 

A & Little R at home, before we left.

He had to show off his reindeer ornament he made at school.  It's his footprint!  I LOVE IT...and so does he!

So off we went to the PX.  Little R and A both went up to Santa...Little R sat on his lap...and.didn't.cry!  He didn't talk to Santa...not one word...but he didn't cry!  This Mama was proud of her big boy!!

My very handsome little man...with Santa!!

And A was so sweet to go along with him.  I am pretty sure he wouldn't have done it by himself.

And she wasn't afraid to talk to him!

When we got back to the car, Little R was still pretty hyped up by the experience, and looking so "snazzy".  From the backseat he says "Is this what I'm gonna wear when I marry Piper?"  Oh, my heart melted!!  Piper is the daughter of some of our very best friends back in Oklahoma.  And while we talk about this family A LOT, we don't specifically talk about him marrying Piper.  It was just very sweet that he still remembers her, and the fact that he thinks he is going to marry her just shows that he felt the love in this amazing family!  So my answer was, "Yes, Buddy, I think that would be a GREAT outfit to wear when you marry Piper."