My favorite Christmas gift

It happened this morning.

Ethan & I left early this morning to beat the crowds to see Santa at the mall. We needed to go to the "good" mall because they have a "good" Santa. My rule, not his. He'd be happy with any man in a beard and fake boots, but his mother prefers an older man with a real grey/white beard & moustache.

This was a special time for Ethan & me. We get time alone, but this was JUST for him. I went on the expressway to get there, his FAVORITE because he can watch the electrical towers and where the wires are going.

We didn't have to wait long and then we saw Santa. The moment is always over too soon.

Since we don't get to go to this mall too often Ethan was fascinated with the ramps and elevators AND the fact that it had a McDonald's INSIDE the mall! We went up the elevator and down the ramp to McDonald's. He was in heaven. We walked back up the ramp and down the elevator.

We walked back to the department store to get to our car. Ethan asked if he could ride the escalator down. I asked if he wanted to ride the bigger one up, he said, "no, just the little one down." So, we rode on the escalator just to go down and come back up again. While we were riding down, he pulled my hand closer to his face and leaned right into it. Then he kissed my hand as only a five=year old can do.

These are the moments you cannot plan, cannot force, and hold on to forever. He was SO happy to just have a few extra seconds doing something that HE wanted to do with me. I LOVED the ride so much that when we were back at our origination, I asked him if he wanted to ride again! He of course said he'd "lub" to ride again.

One minute of pure happiness for both of us.