Yeah, not exactly enchanting

We went to the Enchanted Forest at the Pink Palace yesterday to see all the different Christmas trees and the animated animals in the forest. This is the third year we go to see this specific exhibit and I would venture to say quite likely the last. It was INSANE! I should have just made a U-Turn the minute I pulled into the parking lot and saw the 27 school buses all lined up. Seriously, what a nightmare!

I met up with three of my friends and their six children and we foolishly thought we could hold our own in this endless sea of school-aged children/teachers/parents.

We pretty much ran through the forest as fast as we could so that we could get out of there as quickly as possible. Not to mention that in the process of our "mini marathon" I was reprimanded for taking flash photography. Hmmm,... let's see: (A) I honestly cannot recall seeing any signs that prohibited photography of any kind along the way, (B) the forest is pretty dark so no flash pretty much guarantees no decent photos, and oh yeah (C) are you kidding me? Do you not see the light effects inside the forest from ALL the different flashes going off around you? I am seriously experiencing some déjà vu from my "no photography" experience at The Backyardigans Live show.

Anyway, after we got through the forest at an unbelievably ridiculous speed we ended up visiting Santa. This was the first year that Isabella was not absolutely terrified of the Jolly Old Man. She was actually dare I say, excited to see him and tell him what she wants for Christmas this year. Her list is short and sweet: Moon Sand (ughhh!), a Dora bike with a Dora helmet (safety first!) and a camera (brings a tear to my eyes!).

And what about Sam you ask? Well, I think it's best to let the picture speak for itself:

Yeah, this is pretty much how all four moms felt by the time we got out of there. I certainly wouldn't call this an enchanting experience by any means. Talk about sucking the joy right out of the season,...