Our Elf, Leo...

...Came to us for the first time last year.. Who and what is Leo? Well, he is EVERY mother's lifesaver from the end of November, thru Christmas Eve!! Elf on the shelf is the formal name for him.. i found him in my FAVORITE boutique in Salem, Oregon, Corky's Daughter-- He was named Leo by miss mini me. He comes with a book, and basically "watches" the kids every night and reports to Santa while the child is sleeping. Every day he is in a new spot- (lemme tell you, bringing this lil sucker out before Thanksgiving, i'm rUNNING out of PLACES!) He's magic and if you touch him, he loses his magic. I told Mini me's teacher about him and she bought one... uh.. BEST THING SHE EVER DID!! i think maybe 4 teachers at the school have one now ;)
.. Now before you go and shake your finger at this little thing.. trust me, when you have kids.. you will LOVE him.. i'm ALL about bribery.. thats how we do things at our house.. if your naughty, you lose privileges, but if you're good, you get a "SPECIAL" treat.. that's all you have to say, and they get excited. Shoot, it could be a piece o' gum for all they care!!!
So.. if you have nieces, nephews.. or a BFF with kids.. BUY this lil' guy! If you're near Salem, you go see Marie over at Corky's daughter.. otherwise, go to Hallmark, or Borders and get yourself a magic lil' elf..
.. funny story.. we had these neighbor girls over the other day and had never seen or heard of Elf on a Shelf.. they almost touched him and Mini me FLIPPED a lid on them and yelled.. "Don't touch 'em!!!!! He'll lose his magic!!!"... ohhhhhhhhh... i love it.

i almost forgot.. this lil elf has his own website as well!!! www. ElfontheShelf.com - there are tons of recipes, projects, etc for kids. Well.. this lil clock project caught mini me's eye and she *HAD* to make it.. here it is with a cereal box.. now.. notice the hands.. it stayed at 630 all day every day.. somewhere between the packaging and us making this sucker a piece was lost. .of course it was lost.. i have kids.. can i keep track of a small miniscule piece? After spending a load of time trying to get the arms working, and giving up.. i come out the MORNING after it was made, and lil muffin had taken it off the table and literally pulled the clock arms OFF!!! .. yes OFF-- she kills me.. so.. its now just a decoration -- we could call it the Faux Elf clock -

Amoungst blog stalking & present making..

I have this idea in my head of some super cool christmas presents- so today i finally whipped out the trusty ol' can of black spray paint-- well, 9 things later i sprayed, this blog may not make any sense.. why? oh.. because apparently even spraying outside didnt help-- i'm feeling a lil', well, A LOT LOT loopy from the fumes. i hate this feeling.. hate hate it.. but, onto my story- ( laugh at me all you want.. i'm an idiot ten fold! Good thing i dont have to take lex to church til later, try explaining THAT one to her friends parents.. oh.. i couldnt come i was too high on paint fumes)

. I'm rather ADD when it comes to projects - i like to cook, clean, do laundry and projects all in one..i cant do one thing at once. So, in between my projects, i go onto blogs and read project ideas- well, i'm in my zone, i peer over at Quincey.. Miss precious. We have a Nativity scene she is absolutely obesesed with, i mean, OBSESSED! i cant do anything decor wise with this table, because she touches it all, including the clock her sister made last night ( that story to follow) She has taken every person and thing out of the nativity and lined them, one by one up..

(When she is asked to put them all back.. this is what it looks like.. i guess that works, right? Its the whole principle of putting things back where you found them, not HOW you found them to the toddler )

Apparently Jesus had a few paci's, a sippy cup, and a Cell phone as well

Thru the eyes of a child.. i *LOVE* that she loves this nativity set,

and did i mention she carries baby Jesus all over the house.. sometimes we find him under a couch, on a couch cushion.. or in a shoe box.. but at the end of the night, they end up in the right spot (the table that is) ;).. i didnt say right order..

Take time to Enjoy!!

The Little Things in life- After coming home from SC, we just literally did NOTHING all saturday (exept house hunting for 2 hrs, but that doesnt count). Luke was watching his sports, see my suprise face?! and so Lex grabbed the computer and went to one of her many favorite kid friendly sites. Quin heard noises from the computer, so had to see what sissy was doing.. Before i knew it, i then had the Dog on my lap with HER toy.. *THESE* are the moments every mommy loves, lives and breathes for!!! And i am so thankful my wonderful husband scrambled around to capture this special moment..
.. This special moment should be shared with you- take time to enjoy the LITTLE things like this, because you may not ever have this chance again.

And Then There was Thanksgiving - -

THis year, i have SO many things to be Thankful for!
*I'm so thankful that we sold our house in Oregon so quickly!
* I'm thankful that God has brought us to Georgia. Its beautiful here, and i have NO regrets. He's so faithful in his plan!

Unfortunately, it would have cost 2400.00 dollas to fly back to Oregon for the holidays, so we stayed here.. well, sort of. My Childhood Best friends Parents live in South Carolina, so we went there. (SHE WAS IN TN with her fiancee' - poo on her, but i'll see her for Christmas)
There are many pics to be seen, so enjoy- and i'll narrate for ya- But before the narration, it HAD to have been about 70 degrees out and sunny! So, we went super casual and sat at a picnic table while the girls and the dogs played and ran outside in the enormous back yard- .

*sitting at the table and looking up- peaceful & Beauty in one picture*

* She dressed herself and i'm such a proud mommy. She told me she Loves the sleeves on this sweater cause they "go out" - my fashionista*

*Lil Muffin was OBSESSED with the fish in this pond and could not stay away from it- i think i may have heard her say fish at least 80 times here*


*Well, it was a nice photo op THOUGHT- the terrible 2's have already kicked in. Muffin's excitement is so impressive. *

*The easy, yummy dinner ( that jello is fantastic. i'm not a jello salad fan, but this rocked! kraftfoods.com and it has pineapple, apple,cranberry sauce, rasp. jello and walnuts, but i HATE walnuts, so none of those suckers in there*

* Got these at one of my Fav. boutiques in Oregon- they are fun, and a good edition to a laid back day. If you come across them, or online, buy them! ( by the box girls)*

*of course, someone had to get hurt- my drama queen showing her splinter- you would have thought she'd been on her death bed, she was screaming so loud*

*Daddy doing his best to get the splinter out- what a cute lil moment between

them*

*The turkey Chef *

I always love driving out there because it really is in the middle of no where's ville so you can relax to the hilt! EVERY time we go there, lil' Muffin takes the longest, 3 hours plus naps! ( But she's not the only one.. i always sneak one in as well)

Will i Be able to Cut the Diaper Fund Soon?!

(Oh.. before i start this post, lemme set the scene for you) Luke is on his laptop working and i'm criss cross apple sauce on the couch. All is quiet in the house (why, yes, of course, the girls are sleeping, can i get an AMEN?! ) All of a sudden, our upstairs neighbor - or as Luke refers to as "Two Ton Tilly", gets up on the couch and like stomps across the floor.. so excited to hurry up and buy a house already!
Onto the Potty talk- - - As of beginning of last week, Quin was watching her usual morning disney cartoons, and i hear the diaper come off. As i walk to put it back on, i think she's just bored and took it off. The next day rolls around and exact same scenario, exept this time, i hear her making some business in the living room. .. i let her finish and look over in dismay and see that she's left me a little present on my living room floor- - ok.. 2 days in a row, NOT SO MUCH A COINCIDENCE! off to Wal* Mart we went and luke had the job of picking out the seat. Now.. let me just say this- POTTY CHAIRS RANGE IN PRICE AND LAVISHNESS. There is the cheap-o 16 dolla one, which i would have bought.. then there was the step up from that which is all pink, with a cushy seat. I *HATE* cushy seats. They remind me of a grandmas house that when you sit down the air goes : "phhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh out of it, ya know?! GROSS!! Then, there was the 40 dolla potty that friggin plays music when you go in it.. uh.. NO.. i dont need a band to play to my child. A marshmallow will do just fine!
And so..after 3 days of just sitting on it for fun, She made her Pink Cushy seat toilet do its job! (i HATE THIS toilet, but daddy picked it out.. my question is.. is he cleanin it too?! )The potty prize of choice? A marshmallow- - Now.. we listen for the key phrase : "po- dee"

With all of her success, she's also had another rough week. Lil' Muffin seems to be my baby that's in and out of the Dr. Office, oh.. every week- i think i should have a frequent member club card and rack up points or something so i can get a mommy prize~! She's come down with yet ANOTHER ear infection- - I have been referred to an allergist and we will have her tested for milk allergies that may be causing her CONSTANT sickness for the last few months. Due to this ear infection, she's had a lack of sleep, and the other day i caught this moment on the couch, granola bar in hand- - -PRICELESS!!

A Race to Be Won!

Every Year, Lexi's school has a race right before Thanksgiving. They train for this race for over a month- and rumor has it, it totals over a mile. Well, she BEGGED me to run, so i agreed. ( NOT knowing it was this long) Seriously, i thought my lungs were on fire, my side hurt for 3 days and i thought i literally might just be dying. But as we ran together, i kept pushing her as she wanted to give up.. She was racing against ALL 1st graders which had to be well over 40 PLUS- As of the week before the race she was coming in at 8th place.. which is still i think pretty cool- She started giving up, but my lil precious kept on truckin and came in at SIXTH place for girls- woot woot, sista you rocked it at the run!
Here's the best part- they had an awards ceremony directly after the race- The PE teacher would call each childs name and then they would come up. Now keep in mind, each child knew what place they got right as they finished the race. So.. the PE teacher says, and i quote : " AND in 6th place we have"... Not any sooner has he said that, Lex has already stood up, walked to the front and grabbed her certificate.. i was DYIN- - - NO * LACK * OF * CONFIDENCE, and i just LOVE that about her!

Lex's teacher getting her school camera fired up.. bet cha didnt know i got THIS pic, did ya? Now.. pay me back and send me the pic you took of me lookin like an IDIOT running BEHIND my child -




Cheers to my sweet girl that overcame her thoughts of wanting to quit at the end..!!