Today's Happenings
Just for something different here is a real post!!
Today I had arranged with Jason that Mackenzie and I would venture into the city to have lunch with him and go see the Myer windows and Santa. I had been told that the city Myer Santa was fantastic and really worth the trip in.
So this morning I let Mackenzie know what was happening today and asked her to let me get lots of work done so that we could go and see Santa. She was very obliging and I only had to have a couple of quick play breaks :)
Then we jumped in the car and headed in. I arrived at Jay's office at 12.30 (late due to a client not showing up for their appt, meaning I had to spend time trying to contact them and reschedule then chat to Carmel and so forth). Jay works at Jeff's shed, which for non Melbournites is a convention and exhibition centre on the edge of Melbourne. We loaded Mackenzie into the pram and walked into the city along Southbank and across the Flinders St bridge. It was a lovely walk :)
We arrived at Myer just before 1pm and the queue for the windows was long, so we decided to go straight to Santa and check the windows afterward. I started to have my first moment of doubt. When we arrived at Santa's grotto I was severely dismayed to see a big line snaking along the wall back into the book section. Jason and I estimated it would take a good half an hour to see Santa. Jason walked around and looked at things with Mackenzie to keep her amused while I kept our place in line. It was very tedious.
After half an hour we were half way along the line and I was just about ready to leave. But Mackenzie was having fun and was still excited about seeing Santa. She had spent ages looking at books and Jason decided to take her on the Santa train - all the while talking about seeing Santa and having a photo with him.
When we got to the front of the line (2pm...), Jason and Mackenzie came over to me and the girl looking after the line chatted to Mackenzie. She immediately went shy and clingy and a small voice in my head said "fuck". She only does that when she is tired and since it was now 2pm and she had only had 20 minutes sleep in the car, it was no real surprise. But we soldiered on and were duly taken in to see Santa.
Myer have it set up so that there are three separate Santa's in various rooms. You are shown in to the room and never see anyone else once you have gone into the area. We got to the door and the helper asked Mackenzie to knock, she just buried her head and refused :( We took her into the room - it was sooooo cute! There was the photographer at one end, Santa on his big chair at the other, with a tree, a fireplace and a sleeping animatronic Rudolph in between!
Mackenzie was now plastered to me, a living breathing second skin. I tried everything to get her happy, but she was not having a bar of Santa. HE finally coaxed her to play with an Elmo he had, but there was no way she was letting go of me and forget smiling for the camera! So they took what photos they could and shuffled us out.
Nevermind, we decided not to spend $40 on crap photos, so headed down to the windows. Mackenzie was now happily chatting about Santa and showing off the keyring she was given. So even if the photos were a wash out, she seemed happy to have seen him. I'll try her again at Southland next week I guess.
I'm not sure what it is with Mackenzie and photos.. (we've tried to have a family photo at Portrait place 3 times!) she is a happy confident girl until there is a stranger involved. I wonder if it is the time pressure as if you give her a little time, she is very confident normally but gets shy around strangers (particularly men) but will warm to people given time. Generally within minutes she is dancing a jig and singing up a storm but we haven't managed it in a photo situation yet.
Anyway, we headed for the windows (wonderful!) and then back to Jay's work and in the end Jason had a three hour lunch break! He'll be working late all week! Next time I'll make sure we are in there a *lot* earlier! (if there is a next time)
Today I had arranged with Jason that Mackenzie and I would venture into the city to have lunch with him and go see the Myer windows and Santa. I had been told that the city Myer Santa was fantastic and really worth the trip in.
So this morning I let Mackenzie know what was happening today and asked her to let me get lots of work done so that we could go and see Santa. She was very obliging and I only had to have a couple of quick play breaks :)
Then we jumped in the car and headed in. I arrived at Jay's office at 12.30 (late due to a client not showing up for their appt, meaning I had to spend time trying to contact them and reschedule then chat to Carmel and so forth). Jay works at Jeff's shed, which for non Melbournites is a convention and exhibition centre on the edge of Melbourne. We loaded Mackenzie into the pram and walked into the city along Southbank and across the Flinders St bridge. It was a lovely walk :)
We arrived at Myer just before 1pm and the queue for the windows was long, so we decided to go straight to Santa and check the windows afterward. I started to have my first moment of doubt. When we arrived at Santa's grotto I was severely dismayed to see a big line snaking along the wall back into the book section. Jason and I estimated it would take a good half an hour to see Santa. Jason walked around and looked at things with Mackenzie to keep her amused while I kept our place in line. It was very tedious.
After half an hour we were half way along the line and I was just about ready to leave. But Mackenzie was having fun and was still excited about seeing Santa. She had spent ages looking at books and Jason decided to take her on the Santa train - all the while talking about seeing Santa and having a photo with him.
When we got to the front of the line (2pm...), Jason and Mackenzie came over to me and the girl looking after the line chatted to Mackenzie. She immediately went shy and clingy and a small voice in my head said "fuck". She only does that when she is tired and since it was now 2pm and she had only had 20 minutes sleep in the car, it was no real surprise. But we soldiered on and were duly taken in to see Santa.
Myer have it set up so that there are three separate Santa's in various rooms. You are shown in to the room and never see anyone else once you have gone into the area. We got to the door and the helper asked Mackenzie to knock, she just buried her head and refused :( We took her into the room - it was sooooo cute! There was the photographer at one end, Santa on his big chair at the other, with a tree, a fireplace and a sleeping animatronic Rudolph in between!
Mackenzie was now plastered to me, a living breathing second skin. I tried everything to get her happy, but she was not having a bar of Santa. HE finally coaxed her to play with an Elmo he had, but there was no way she was letting go of me and forget smiling for the camera! So they took what photos they could and shuffled us out.
Nevermind, we decided not to spend $40 on crap photos, so headed down to the windows. Mackenzie was now happily chatting about Santa and showing off the keyring she was given. So even if the photos were a wash out, she seemed happy to have seen him. I'll try her again at Southland next week I guess.
I'm not sure what it is with Mackenzie and photos.. (we've tried to have a family photo at Portrait place 3 times!) she is a happy confident girl until there is a stranger involved. I wonder if it is the time pressure as if you give her a little time, she is very confident normally but gets shy around strangers (particularly men) but will warm to people given time. Generally within minutes she is dancing a jig and singing up a storm but we haven't managed it in a photo situation yet.
Anyway, we headed for the windows (wonderful!) and then back to Jay's work and in the end Jason had a three hour lunch break! He'll be working late all week! Next time I'll make sure we are in there a *lot* earlier! (if there is a next time)