Christmas Around the Square

Last Friday night we took the boys to the Christmas Around the Square in town. It is an evening parade that is really neat because the floats trucks/trailers are all lit up, plus Santa is at the end rounding up the parade. Santa then goes into the courthouse where the kids get in line to tell them what they want for Christmas.

This year ended up being more eventful then I could imagine. While waiting for the parade I was standing next to our banks booth who was handing out hot chocolate. As I was talking to people, I could see Hunter dancing in the lights over at the DJ stand. I heard someone say, "here they come." I turned around to see the parade was starting. I turned back around to go get Hunter so we could find a place to watch...and he was gone!

I didn't initially panic because I figured he just got in line with the rest of the kids to watch the parade. But I didn't see him. I walked along the group of people on our side of the road, and still no Hunter. Andy then went to the other side of the road and walked. I began to get more and more anxious. It was becoming clear he wasn't there...but where could he have gone. Before I knew it the parade was over and Hunter was still gone. I went into the courthouse and made my way through the line of people waiting for Santa. But he wasn't there. At that point there was a lot of people looking for him. As I was rushing around searching for him, people kept asking if I had found him, I would just shake my head "no" and not make eye contact because I was on the edge of losing it and was trying to suppress the tears welling up in my eyes.

After what seamed like forever, my sister-in-law found him. He ended up being around on the other side of the courthouse. At that point I didn't know whether to hug him or spank him. But it was clear, he didn't know he had done anything wrong. He knew where he was the whole time! This kid will be the death of me!

Here is Andy and Weston before frantic search for Hunter parade.

We ended up missing the whole parade. Amongst searching for Hunter I remembered that Tina had asked me to take pictures of G&W's float. So at one point I just happened to look up and see their float and quickly grabbed my camera and snapped a shot. But that is all I got of that parade.

We waiting in line for Santa for quite a while in a narrow hallway packed with tons of people resulting in it being incredibly hot!

Here is Hunter peaking in just before his turn.

Hunter explaining to Santa that up until an hour before, he had been a good boy this year :)

Ok, maybe that still wasn't completely true! 

Merry Christmas!!