I mentioned getting professional pictures taken together in my list of great visit ideas. However, this one is slightly different. I'm not sure you can count pictures with the Mall Santa or Easter Bunny as professional pictures but they're a great keepsake for parents and kids alike.

We started with this idea this past Christmas season while D and the kids were in for Nick's birthday week. We bundled up all of the kids and took them to our mall to get pictures with Santa. It didn't go well. There was screaming. There was crying. And the picture came out looking like this. HA! While it's not a good picture, it's definitely one to keep and remind the kids in the future that they were once very silly.

Today's trip to the mall went much better. The Munchkin was having great conversations with the Easter Bunny. Nick didn't scream or cry and, as you can see, eventually showed the Easter Bunny who was boss by grabbing his nose. JD was happily playing with Easter eggs, which he dubbed "balls." (Both boys are in a stage where they will drop anything to play with a ball.) Two quick snaps and we came up with the perfect picture. JD and the Munchkin are smiling beautifully and while Nick isn't smiling, per se, you can tell he's having a good time. Plus, the comedic value brought forth by the grabbing of the nose is magical.

After we walked away from the Easter Bunny, which involved the Munchkin blowing kisses and Nick waving his little arm off, D decided that we should get these taken every year, Easter and Christmas. Of course, that involves visiting in those time frames but that usually works for our family. Santa is usually readily available by Nick's birthday week and nothing says a visit like the beginning of Spring!

Just another wonderful open adoption visit idea that I wanted to pass on to you... sometimes I learn these things as I go, too!