North Pole Breakfast 2013

Our mischievous elf friend, Elfie, has officially made his debut and decided to surprise us with a North Pole Breakfast to kick off this Christmas season.

The boys came out this morning to find a note that Nathan promptly read aloud to his siblings.

They practiced their best "CHEERS" while I put together all the goodies that Elfie had been gracious enough to bring for our special breakfast.

He brought all their favorite special treats - strawberries, sausage, donuts and eggnog. Oh boy!

There is so much to be thankful for on this December morning, so we remembered to say grace before digging in to the feast.

Be on the lookout for all the creative, messy, silly things this elf is likely to have in store for us this year. Happy December everyone!

**This is our second experience with a North Pole Breakfast. If you want to read about the first one, check it out HERE.**

First Day of Summer Magic

I just love that my kids are at an age where they believe anything is possible and they are able to find magic in even the small things. Around Easter time I saw this post over at See Jane Blog. I had bookmarked it knowing that it could easily be adapted to fit any time of year. So as the first day of summer started to draw near I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to share the magic with my kids.

I got all of my supplies at the dollar store. I started with these "magic gems" which I found with the other stones that you might put in the bottom of a vase or fish tank.

I wrapped a couple of them up and attached a note that said:

Summer Gems

On Summer's Day Eve, plant these gems in soil, cover them and add water.

Come back in the morning for a truly magical surprise!

My husband placed them in the yard while he was doing some stuff outside. He then came running in the house to tell the kids that he had discovered something amazing that they had to see:

I have to tell you that Nathan (our 4 year old) was really into all of this. He had grand dreams of a beanstalk growing overnight that he would climb to find a great surprise. As my husband was tucking him in at bedtime and telling him to sleep good he replied with, "I will try dad but I am just so excited about those magic gems!" 

The moment we got up in the morning Nathan informed us that something had grown from the gems (he had peaked out the back window). So we put on our shoes and rushed outside and what did we find?

It wasn't a beanstalk by any means but they were still plenty excited by their Tootsie Roll Blooms!

~Happy First Day of Summer everyone~

Elfie's trip is coming to an end

 Friday is Elfie's last day here before he heads back to the North Pole with Santa. He has been one busy guy! I wanted to share some of the pictures from the last week and a half. Not everything got documented with mommy being sick (it took everything I had to just move him some nights!) but he did make it to a new spot every night. His big finale on Friday morning will include him bringing the boys their new Christmas Eve pajamas. It sure has been fun including him in our Christmas tradition, looking forward to spending the year coming up with new ways to use him next year!

A toy parade!! (Ignore the dirty carpet, waiting until Spring to deep clean it)

Elfie brought green waffle batter

The finished product

A movie (Got it free with my Disney Movie Rewards!)

Hanging out...Jeremy says he must not be a real man if he's sitting like that;)

Popcorn and m&ms for snack

Chillin' in the tree

What's that elf been up to?

Another week of fun as Elfie found new ways to entertain us every morning. Here's a look at what he's been up to:

Mommy forgot to get out the Christmas books so Elfie dug them out of my closet for me:)

Hanging out with the Nutcrackers

Parachuting back from the North Pole and got stuck on our light fixture (Nathan says he must have blown in through the window!)

Getting handy on the boys' tool bench

Brought the boys hot chocolate and marshmallows, Jordan was VERY excited!

Spending some time with his old pal Mrs. Claus

Puzzles (I got them free with my Disney Movie Rewards) with a note saying that Santa sent them after Elfie reported that they were so good for daddy the last two nights while mommy was at Christmas parties

Let me say that I think Elfie is just as fun for us as for the kids. And they are really starting to get into it. Every morning they ask where he is and go on a hunt if he isn't in plain sight. If he is up high or on top of something Jordan often yells at him to get down. This morning was the cutest, after putting together our puzzles Jordan walked up to Elfie and thanked him for bringing them. The only downfall is when we forget to move him...twice this week I have had to do it at 2:00 am when I woke up with Isaiah and realized I had forgotten. But it's worth it! Stay tuned, who knows what Elfie will do this week:)

Elfie is here!

This year we are starting a new tradition in our house. We are going to have a little visitor for the month of December that I am hoping will help keep the kids in line. Hey, a mom needs all the help she can get!! I am talking about our new elf, Elfie. He was assigned to our family by Santa to watch the kids and report their behavior directly to Santa each night. He showed up this morning with a little gift for the kids:

Elfie with the advent calendars

I got this idea from Hallmark who sells Elf on A Shelf, a book and creepy little elf doll. I decided I would rather have this chubby faced elf to look at each day so I bought my own. Not to mention, I got it for $8.00 versus the $30.00 Hallmark was charging. I set this up by telling the kids last night all about Elfie and how he was going to show up each morning while they were sleeping and watch them throughout the day. Every night when they fall asleep he will go back to the North Pole to tell Santa how they did that day. The rule is that they are not allowed to touch him because he will lose his magic and won't be able to get back to the North Pole and Santa will assume they have been naughty. On Christmas Eve he will go back home with Santa for good. I also told them that he may occasionally bring back gifts from Santa. I have to say this morning was a little anti-climatic...I got up and the kids hadn't even noticed him. We went on a hunt and when I finally pointed him out Nathan exclaimed, "He's not real mom." He was looking for a REAL elf. Not as excited as I thought they would be but I am hoping as each day goes by they will get more into it.

I have gotten some really cute ideas on different ways to set him up each day so I am going to have fun playing around with that. Expect a weekly update with pictures of Elfie and his adventures. What are some traditions you are starting in your house this year?