Mac & Cheese Deluxe, LOVE Park, and Santa Claus!

Mega macaroni is happening at LOVE Park!

Would you believe me if I told you that we went to Love Park to see Santa in his hut yesterday - but when we arrived a ginormous Kraft Mac & Cheese noodle was waiting for us? No? Well, how about I stand in front of it? OK, then. I thought Tristan was dreaming. It's been about a month since I've had to make a box of the stuff so perhaps this was a giant hint? If so, point taken.

Santa was the hardest guy to find. I looked and looked. I even dredged the lake. No, Claus. Finally, I asked. She thought I was nuts. "Right next to the fried dough................!"

Except, he wasn't. Now I'm pretty OCD about stuff like this, especially if I'm taking Tristan on the bus so I stood looking at his shut-hut and read the sign over and over. Yeah, Friday, the jolly man goes on at 11 a.m. It is 11 a.m. WHERE IS THE JOLLY?

There were a lot of whispers and such coming from the side of the hut. What's up? "Oh, I uhhhhhhhhhhhh I forgot my camera. I don't know how I did that, but I left it at home. I don't live far, I'm going to get it." So, you're telling me you're a professional photographer who has The Real Santa in a HUT and you somehow forgot to bring your camera to photograph me and my child's first visit?!?!?!

We'll wait.

We wandered, but there's only so much you can do in a crowd with a toddler. It was fun. Tristan's a super chill dude so he was diggin' it. He saw "skirrels!" everywhere. They were all birds as far as I could tell. "That's a bird, Tristan, birrrrrrrrrrrrd."

Lovin' at LOVE.

Back. What the heck, photog-man? Finally he returns. Right after Tristan tripped and fell face down in the mud. I pulled him back together but he was no longer amused. His adventure was over. "He still hanging in there?" Photog calls out from The Hut. Uhh, not really. So we bustle in and MAGIC! The real Santa Claus had been sitting there the entire time!

THIS was why I waited. I had to go to Love Park. I'm obsessed with that sculpture. ...and I'd seen Photog's work and new 1. he was really good and 2. he had Real Santa.

Tristan did awesome. He really, really wanted to run over and press all the buttons on the equipment and then was triple confused when Photog pulled out a toy camera he uses to get kids attention because it blinks and beeps. Except Tristan has that toy so he was like, Photog! whatcha doing with my camera?!??!? Hence his expression in each of the three shots he took. The final one shows him slipping from my arms and from there he charged the man.

Now, speaking of charging - after allllllllllllllll this - Photog's printer wasn't working yet. "Come back in 15." OK, fine, we've been here this long...I'm not leaving with my $2 off/Friday Real Santa Claus photo hopefully in a really cool but tacky envelope thingie!

15 minutes later. NO PRINTER TODAY. Thanks, Photog. You forgot your camera, my baby fell in the mud chasing "skirrels" and I don't get my cold, hard picture now? and you're not offering me a complimentary photograph? Really? 

Now I have to order one online and wait for it to arrive. So I took an Instagram shot of it. TAKE THAT, PHOTOG!

Whatever. I totally left him a voicemail but he didn't return my call or send me an e-mail (even a quick one to acknowledge the message). I understand that mistakes happen. I get that, I really do. But......really?

Otherwise it was one of my favorite adventures ever with Tristan.

Oh, and as we were leaving he pointed and said, "Birrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd!"

What gives, Photog? HO HO NO! (Santa, you were magic, though!)

I forgot to mention that Tristan grabbed a girl's toosh right after the mud and she whipped around ready to bop some guy but saw little Tee and laughed instead. Tristan's dark eyes went wide with surprise - all ladies' legs look the same when you're 30" high. So he froze in a bent-ninja position. He does this when he is shy and thinks it makes him invisible. The girl and her friends couldn't get enough of that!

Oh, son. I love you so much. We'll do it all again next year if you want! Or skip it, stay home and drink melting snowmen (hot chocolate with marshmallows). Whatever, as long as I'm with you!