Christmas Gifts

The week leading up to Christmas break is somewhat a blur now.  It was filled with parties, get together with friends, and lots of wrapping, surprises, and time together.  This year the little kids had a few friends they really wanted to make sure to put on their gift giving list.  We set to work one day making something fun and useful.  A chocolate snowman with gloves for a hat! 

I was really struggling to find something thoughtful for the teachers as well as something they wouldn't just see as another gift to adorn their desk.  When I saw how cute the friend gifts turned out I decided to make some for them but used socks for hats and paired them with some lotion.  Kelsey also made some for her girlfriends.

At Chase's Class Christmas party one of his friends came up and thanked me for the gloves he said he loved them and now his hands wouldn't get cold since he didn't have any.  I didn't know at the time that Chase knew this and was particularly excited to give this gift to him.  Melted my heart :)

Run Gingy Run

This year we were planning to decorate gingerbread houses but were surprised one morning when the elves had brought us a package of gingerbread men to decorate!  Sadi could not wait to get to work decorating this big guy.  If we hadn't run short on decorating supplies I am sure that he would have a lot more "dots".

Chase was sure he needed to use the entire tube of icing somehow on his because then you would know it was a "man".  Luckily it was a small tube :)

As with every project we do Kelsey takes 8 times as long to finish hers making sure it is perfect and then wishing she had done it different although it always turns out to be so cute!

This particular ginger man had all of about 30 seconds to make a run for it before he was dismembered.  If you know my kids, it won't be hard to figure out whose this one belongs too.

Elves

Many of you have asked what our elves have been up to, so I thought it was time for an update on what these three little hooligans have been doing while we are sleeping.  They brought some delicious treats back from the North Pole for breakfast, baked by Mrs. Clause herself.

They have been having fun getting into everything!  One of their favorite places is the bathroom.  One morning we found Jack getting fresh with the cologne,

Suzy was putting on every holiday bow she could get her hands on,

and Jingle was getting his shave on.  Daddy was not amused in the morning when he could not find his shaver.

They had a syrup sippin' night,

and decorated the tree with lots and lots of candy canes.

Jack was content to just chill under the tree while the others were messing with the lights.

One morning we woke to find they had built a fort and were telling ghost stories.  Chase and Sadi were sure they were trying to scare Suzy.

They found my cell phone and were making what I can only assume were crank calls...they had the phone book open to the "naughty and nice" store.

This morning we found they had written down many of the things they have been observing at our house and not all of them were nice things.

Suzy wrote what I assume is a warning: 

 He's making a list,

checking it twice,

Don't be naughty,

Just be NICE!

Sadi made sure to read them all and decided they had forgotten a few things that she has done that are nice (a little worried quite a few of the naughty things they noticed were hers) so she added a few of her own including this gem:

"Do not cut others".  Not sure if I should be worried that this is what she has been controlling the urge to do.  None the less please tell Santa!

Baby it's Cold Outside

On Saturday we woke to a nice big dump of the white stuff.  We typically don't get snow where we live (well enough to even still see by noon anyway that's about how quick it melts).  My kids begged and begged to go out in the snow.  Again since we don't get snow, we don't really have snow gear...to which I TRIED to explain.  Despite my warnings they insisted on going out. Okay....

 It was a fun start, throwing snowballs, making snow angels,

they even made a good attempt to build a snowman.  I think the birds may have not been preparing for winter to well because the second Chase left this guy a huge flock of birds came in to eat his delicious nose!

But just shy of 20 minutes the fun was O.V.E.R.  It was followed by ranting and well....

Anyone else want a little extra snow?  I am so over winter already.

Trimming the Tree

This year we debated about buying a real tree or an artificial one(We had a bit of a mishap with our tree last year and I was worried we would repeat it).  The selection looked slim at our usual place of purchase, it seemed to far to drive to gamble on a tree farm out of state, and all the artificial ones looked...well kind of drab (and way overpriced).  As soon as Thanksgiving was over the kids were ready for a tree and we still hadn't found one.  So I gave them a choice to put up their little trees or wait for the big one.  No surprise they wanted to put up their own trees.  So we opened the much anticipated ornament box, and let them deck the trees.  Sadi's of course is pink, pink, pink!

The deal was their trees had to go in their rooms and Chase was more than thrilled with this idea(although he thinks he needs some extra presents to go under it).

 Kelsey's tree is the most full with ornaments from years past.

We started a tradition (or rather Matt had a tradition when I moved out here that we adopted) of letting the kids pick out an ornament each year to put on the tree.  We have had a dispute for quite a few years now about one ornament in particular.  Kelsey swears it is hers.....as does Chase.  To be honest I'm not sure whose it is, but every year it is the same feud.  We pull out the box, we talk about whose we think it is, we pull out photos from Christmas past trying to prove who it belongs too.  We have narrowed it down to which year it came from, however in all photos from that year both kids are blocking their trees so you can't tell whose tree it is on.  So...for the past few years it goes back and forth from tree to tree.  We are now photo journaling ornaments......

We did eventually find a gorgeous tree a few days later, a real one, and it smells amazing!  Of course I had lots of helpers decorating this tree too.

Back from the North Pole

Last night as we were getting ready to eat dinner, the doorbell rang.  We were all a bit puzzled at who could be at the door.  Well when we opened the door we were all surprised and shocked to see who it was.  Our elves were back!!  And they brought another one with them!

 We first brought in the letter from Santa which read:

Dear Kelsey, Chase and Sadi,

Jingle and Jack were so excited to get back to your house again this year.  They have been talking all year about all the fun things they did and saw at your house last year.  They told me last Christmas Eve how hard it was to say goodbye to each of you and they also mentioned how Sadi had wished for another elf so that you each had one to hold.  I'm still not sure if it is a good idea or not but Jingle begged, and begged, and begged to bring another friend with him this year.  I decided the best decision would be to send one of my sweetest girl elves to stay with you.  She will need a name and remember that for them to return to the North Pole each night to report to me about how good or bad you are being they cannot be touched too much.  I have sprinkled a bit of magic on your parents fingers that should last for the whole month in case they need to ever move them (I know how naughty Jingle and Jack can be and sometimes get carried away).  Please take good care of my very special elves, and remember they are watching all that you do.  Love,

Santa

Amazingly when I looked down at my hands they were glittering with magic!  We then brought in our elves including our newest addition who was quickly named Suzy (Suzy Snowflake).  Isn't she sweet?

Chase was convinced that Santa must have sent us the "sweetest" elf to keep Jingle and Jack out of trouble.  Well this morning we found them all in the bathroom.  Chase says he's sure Suzy was trying to put the t.p. back on the roll...I'm not convinced yet.

 Oh boy, it's going to be a long month with these 3 living with us!

Dear Santa,

A few nights ago the kids wrote out their lists for Santa.  Sadi had been making her list for weeks, but when it came time to send it to the big guy she couldn't find it :(  We found LOTS of other papers in her room crammed in drawers, under her bed, and in every facet of our house.  Still she managed to come up with a pretty consistent list.

Dear Santa, 

Kelsey wants:  Gap Sweatshirt, Nicholas Sparks new book, Scarfs, Shower gel, earphones, Toiletry bag, Movie the Proposal, and some Starbucks

Chase wants:  Nintendo DS, DS games:  Mario cart 7, Pokemon Black, Pokemon White, Animal crossing, Frozen, and Lord of the Rings, and a gift card

Sadi wants:  Puppy Lego set, 3 Chocolate bars, Monster High 13 wishes movie, Monster High Dolls:  Ghoulia, Spectra (that glows), Frankie Stein (that glows), Operetta, and the 13 wishes monster girls with pets

 Signed, sealed and on their way to the North Pole!