A Great Day!

Thursday was a great day for us. David took the afternoon off of work so we could go to school and see Gemma perform with the rest of the 2nd graders. Since we attend public school - they don't have a Christmas Concert. So instead, the school has a Winter Concert. The school band played a few pieces - which reminds me - I need to apologize to my mother for listening to my 3 years of "delightful" clarinet playing! The band did a great job, but the highlight was the 2nd graders. They signed the song "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". All the children wore black clothing and white gloves - the lights were off in the gym and only a black light was on to illuminate the children's hands. I'm not sure who was singing this version of the song, but it was just perfect. Gemma was one of 3 children asked to introduce the piece. They each had a paragraph to read - and she did a great job! I don't think I'd be able to talk in front of 500 + people! You Go Gemma!

After the wonderful performance, we loaded up the kids and headed to The North Pole, (Macy's in Minneapolis) for the annual Christmas display and visit with Santa. This years theme was Santa's Workshop. It was adorable. The kids really enjoyed it. I then insisted on getting our cookies to eat while we waited in line for Santa. (I love the gingerbread men. I don't know if they are really that tasty, or if it's just nostalgic for me.) We waited 20 minutes in line and made friends with those in front of us and behind. Gianna was really patient considering we couldn't let her out of her stroller to run around.

Once it was our turn to visit Santa, the photographer snapped this picture at the perfect moment. I was shocked when Gemma so willingly hugged Santa! It was such a sweet moment. Spencer on the other hand was fine not getting to close. As you can see, I ended up in one of the photo's too. After this pic was snapped, Gianna broke out into a very loud cry/scream. Oh well, she won't remember!

Just before leaving, we ran into Mrs. Claus and were able to get a quick picture with her!

After our visit to Minneapolis, we were in rush-hour traffic and decided to grab a bite at Perkins. Nothing fancy, but better than McDonald's!
It was such a nice afternoon/evening. The kids were great and had a lot of fun. I can't wait to go back next year!