Aron, Nate & Santa

I pulled this off with a lot less hassle than I projected. Nate is nine months old and is just about to the stage where he does not appreciate his being deposited on to the laps of strangers. Especially big hairy ones.

Aron unilaterally declared a moratorium on Santa visits for the last three years. I have one photo of Aron with Santa when he was 5 1/2 months old and none after that. Of course, he was terrified of Santa, and no amount of coaxing would get him anywhere near the guy. This year he was willing to sit on his lap, and even asked, "Where are the elves?" That's my boy! Question authority! I think I had the same concern when I saw Santa at age four.

My mom provided the matching outfits. Thanks, Mom!

I can't get over how much these photos cost. I paid $20 for one 5x7 and two 3x5s. Happy Holidays, indeed -- unless you have kids, in which case, it's Happy Holidays and get ready to pay through the nose for everything.

So as we motored through the mall, I finally had to face something I've suspected about Nathan for a while: he's a major flirt. When Aron was a baby he only had eyes for me. Nate is certainly mama's boy too, but when there are girls and women around, he'll catch their eyes and give them a megawatt smile. Much cooing and awwing ensues. At the mall's play area he crawled over to a random mommy, stood up next to her and put a hand on her lap. Sheesh! I'll be beating the girls off with a stick.