Tonight we braved the cold wet weather and took the kids down to Portland to visit with Santa and see the Christmas tree in Pioneer Square. We have been bringing the kids down nearly every year since Killian was born, and there have been some changes over the years. They no longer have the monorail ride that they used to, something I am so sad that Rowan wont get to experience. Now that the old historic building has changed from a Meier and Frank to Macy's, they also don't have the 12 days of Christmas window displays that they used too. Even though some of our favorite aspects of our tradition are gone, its still fun to go downtown and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city during the holiday season.
On our way over to the Square, we passed a guy drumming for change. We stopped next to him while waiting for the crosswalk, and he asked the kids if they wanted to take a turn on the drums. Killian wasn't interested, but Rowan was. She banged on the drums for all she was worth. She did notice that the guy was smoking while he was standing there, and mentioned later that he should stick to just drumming instead of smoking. She also said that he would never be able to save up money to go to Disneyland if he kept smoking (after we talked about how icky, dangerous, and expensive the habit is). I loved her logic!
We continued on our way to Macy's, and got there right in time for Santa to take a break and go "feed his reindeer". Rowan asked why the line wasn't moving, and I told her, but she misunderstood me and nearly shouted "He is going to EAT his reindeer"???? The look on her face was priceless while she thought that Rudolph was Santa's evening snack! After a long wait, we finally got to see the man:
This is the first year that I have had the kids pictures taken in regular clothes, instead of fancy dresses and shirts with ties. I honestly felt a little guilty about it, as we had the nice clothes at home and I felt pressure to have a "pretty" picture. But I knew that this was the only day we had free to visit Santa, and that the kids would be miserable walking around outside in those clothes. Besides, I don't think the kids will care 20 years from now that they wore jeans in their Santa pictures! Its all about letting go of that pressure to do things perfectly. Oh, and getting that bow into Rowans hair? You would have thought I was trying to stick needles in each of her fingertips. She was not pleased with the idea at all, and I am pretty sure that's why she couldn't muster up a smile for Santa. My little tomboy will NOT be made into a girly girl if she has anything to say about it!
After they told Santa what they wished for; Flix Tricks bikes for Killian, and a Polly Pocket roller coaster and/or (she isn't picky) the Littlest Pet Shop Adoption Center for Rowan, we headed over to check out the Christmas display adjacent to Santa.
The kids sat in the old Monorail car:
And waited for the model train to come around:
We checked out the reindeer (thank goodness Santa hadn't eaten them!):
And Killian gave Rowan a lift so she could touch the reindeer, she wanted to know what they felt like:
And they made funny faces when I tried to get just one. more. picture:
The kids were ready to get outside after being cooped up in line all that time, so we walked a block to the Square and stopped at Starbucks to get a hot chocolate and cookies for them. They were so excited, they have really been on a hot chocolate kick lately, with the weather being so cold. We walked around the corner to take a look at this years tree. I wish that they would do something fancy, maybe some colored lights, or some giant ornaments, but year after year its just a plain white tree. Its still pretty magnificent to look at though, and we enjoy the tradition of coming down to see it each year.
On the way back to the car, our kids tired and happy, I saw this window display and couldn't help taking yet another picture. It says "Believe" and really sums up what I think the holidays are all about. Believing in the magic of the holiday season, the goodwill of our fellow man, and the amazing miracles that are all around us.
On our way over to the Square, we passed a guy drumming for change. We stopped next to him while waiting for the crosswalk, and he asked the kids if they wanted to take a turn on the drums. Killian wasn't interested, but Rowan was. She banged on the drums for all she was worth. She did notice that the guy was smoking while he was standing there, and mentioned later that he should stick to just drumming instead of smoking. She also said that he would never be able to save up money to go to Disneyland if he kept smoking (after we talked about how icky, dangerous, and expensive the habit is). I loved her logic!
We continued on our way to Macy's, and got there right in time for Santa to take a break and go "feed his reindeer". Rowan asked why the line wasn't moving, and I told her, but she misunderstood me and nearly shouted "He is going to EAT his reindeer"???? The look on her face was priceless while she thought that Rudolph was Santa's evening snack! After a long wait, we finally got to see the man:
This is the first year that I have had the kids pictures taken in regular clothes, instead of fancy dresses and shirts with ties. I honestly felt a little guilty about it, as we had the nice clothes at home and I felt pressure to have a "pretty" picture. But I knew that this was the only day we had free to visit Santa, and that the kids would be miserable walking around outside in those clothes. Besides, I don't think the kids will care 20 years from now that they wore jeans in their Santa pictures! Its all about letting go of that pressure to do things perfectly. Oh, and getting that bow into Rowans hair? You would have thought I was trying to stick needles in each of her fingertips. She was not pleased with the idea at all, and I am pretty sure that's why she couldn't muster up a smile for Santa. My little tomboy will NOT be made into a girly girl if she has anything to say about it!
After they told Santa what they wished for; Flix Tricks bikes for Killian, and a Polly Pocket roller coaster and/or (she isn't picky) the Littlest Pet Shop Adoption Center for Rowan, we headed over to check out the Christmas display adjacent to Santa.
The kids sat in the old Monorail car:
And waited for the model train to come around:
We checked out the reindeer (thank goodness Santa hadn't eaten them!):
And Killian gave Rowan a lift so she could touch the reindeer, she wanted to know what they felt like:
And they made funny faces when I tried to get just one. more. picture:
The kids were ready to get outside after being cooped up in line all that time, so we walked a block to the Square and stopped at Starbucks to get a hot chocolate and cookies for them. They were so excited, they have really been on a hot chocolate kick lately, with the weather being so cold. We walked around the corner to take a look at this years tree. I wish that they would do something fancy, maybe some colored lights, or some giant ornaments, but year after year its just a plain white tree. Its still pretty magnificent to look at though, and we enjoy the tradition of coming down to see it each year.
On the way back to the car, our kids tired and happy, I saw this window display and couldn't help taking yet another picture. It says "Believe" and really sums up what I think the holidays are all about. Believing in the magic of the holiday season, the goodwill of our fellow man, and the amazing miracles that are all around us.
