A visit to Santa....

As many of you are aware, our visits to Santa are always an event all their own. Take for example the year Tyler asked, every day for a month for a train set. When the time came to see Santa (and I might add this was about 1 week before Christmas because we were idiots and didn't know any better) he jumped right up and we, as stupid first time parents of a talking child at Christmas, waited for the magic words that would in fact re-enforce the notion that we were, in fact, the perfect parents for already having gotten what he was about to say...."I want a train for Christmas".

In stead of that blessed phrase the words we heard tumbling from out child's mouth were....."I really want a rocket!" Uh....excuse us??! A ROCKET?! When have you ever seen or heard of a rocket? so the moment finished off like this...
Mom: "um, Ty honey, don't you mean a train track? Remember??!! With the train that goes by itself?"
Santa: "Oh, did you want a train?"
Tyler: "yeah, but I really want a rocket that goes (and makes a motion with his hand in the looks of a rocket taking off)"
Santa: "ok, well, I'll see what I can do!"
Mom to Dad: "What the, where the, uh, rocket? Where do you get a rocket?"

This was followed by a trip to the toy store to figure out what the heck he was talking about. It turns out that rocket started a good two years of rescue hero toys being shuffled around our house. We should have known. This was a sign of the future. It was our future.

Flash forward to Black Friday, 2008 precisely 4:47am. Alarm rings, Kelly rolls out of bed to get to Target to stand in line for the Lego Mars Mission rock climber thing Jake is dying for. Oh yeah, and the Lego coast guard tower that Tyler is dreaming of. I leave, get to Target at 5am, right on schedule, get in line, wait for 1 hour in 33 degrees because Target is the only store to carry that stupid coast guard tower and they are sold out online. I run, pushing other well meaning parents out of my way, I grab, I go, triumphant to the line, I pay and I sing.....all the way home! I have done it! I have conquered! I have gotten my children exactly what they.....AREN'T GOING TO ASK SANTA FOR!
Suspect number 1. Tyler. Sitting innocently on Santa's lap looking like a doll, telling Santa all the nice things he's done this year. And what does he say, yes you guessed it! The Lego Fire station! Of course! Because they only have it at Toys r us and they are sold out online and everywhere in the valley and out (yes I called Provo too). Except for 1 store. Toys r us in sugarhouse, 30 minutes away on a nice night with no traffic. However, it is 1 hour and 23 minutes away on a snowy night at 6pm. I would know, or rather Brian would know. :)

Suspect number 2. Now that one has innocent to a science. Look at that face. That I've been really good face. That Santa please the only thing I really want this year is....."an R2D2 watch that has the thing that does this (motions with hands) and looks like this and does that thing and you can only get it online, is that okay?"

Santa: "oh, it has the thing that does this (motions with hands)? We'll see what we can do.

Fortunately this is not sold out online. And I will say, at least we've learned. The Santa visit happened 1 1/2 weeks ago, so we had plenty of time for this sort of thing. But I do regret the hours of sleep I will never get back that fateful Friday after Thanksgiving!