Firetruck Santa

So last night was the night when Santa comes by on the firetruck and the Fire Station collects food shelf items.  Keegan was very excited and so was I :-)

Only this year it was a bit more complicated.  Santa was supposed to be by between 5:30-8:30pm.  Quite a large window, we knew that previous years he has come by around 7:30-8pm...so we figured this year would be similar.  What complicated this all was that we had swimming lessons until 5:45pm and then Keegan wanted to get tacos at Zantigos.  So we didn't get back home until 6:30pm.

At this point we had no idea if Santa has already been by or not, but we assumed not since we didn't hear sirens in the area.  While Lyle was getting Keegan ready for bed, I was scavenging through the pantry trying to figure out what we had to give to the food shelf.  I had meant to pick up some stuff earlier but forgot.

Then things got more complicated.  I wanted to get something out of my purse.  Hmmm...where is my purse.  Then I districtly remembered leaving Zantigo with a feeling of emptiness despite having just had tacos.  A couple there distracted me when they started talking to Keegan about Santa on the fire truck.  He of course had walked up to them to tell them all about how he had to eat his tacos fast so he could go home to see Santa.  So apparently my purse was enjoying a night at Zantigos.  Off I go to Zantigos to pick up my purse.  Which I found, with everything intact.  Yay for me :-)

I rush back home and Santa still has not stopped by.  It is now 20 after 7pm.  Keegan is in bed, Lyle and I are alternating freezing as we stand by the storm door and listen for sirens. 

Well Santa decided to take a different route this year.  He came in the back way, the way we can't see from our house.  So suddenly there he is trucking down the street.

Of course, for the first time in weeks, Keegan fell asleep by 7:15pm.  So I throw my coat on, race downstairs and grab Keegan.  He is very asleep.  He really wanted us to wake him up if Santa came.  So I am yelling "Keegan wake up Santa is here, he is here!"  Lyle throws Keegan's winter coat on and Keegan and I race down the driveway with Keegan in arms in the extremely cold temps.

Santa is already past our driveway but you can kind of see Santa and you can definitely see the fire truck.  So I am like "Keegan Keegan do you see santa!!!"  He mumbles "NO".  I am like "Keegan Keegan do you see the fire truck!?"  He mumbles "Yeah".  We get candy canes and give canned goods and run back inside.  We are freezing and my arms are about to fall off from lugging around a 35 pound toddler who is a half-asleep dead weight.

We get inside Keegan says "Mom, why did you do that? I want to do back to bed."  I carry him down to bed chattering the whole way about "Wasn't that exciting? You got to see Santa!!"

The majority of the night was wasted looking for Santa, stressing about missing him, and trying to get Keegan out to see him.  But we did it, we got out there to see him so it was all worth it.

Then what is the first thing that happens this morning?  Keegan wanders into the bathroom almost in tears, "Why didn't you guys wake me up to see Santa?"

I just stared at him.  Took a couple of deep breathes and said "We did Keegan, you saw him and I have the candy canes to prove it."

He says "No I didn't get to see him, you guys are so mean."  I walk him out and show him the candy canes.  He says "Oh...mom those are mint candy canes...I hate mint."

Thus began my morning...