More Elf Fun....Days 8-14

 Day 8 found Rudy in the mood for a little fishing.  Goldfish fishing, that is!

By Day 9 Rudy needed to relax and unwind a bit.

Here's a fun update to day 7, when Rudy left Emma a message in M&Ms.  We planted them in a bowl of sugar like directed and look what sprouted!

December 10th was Emma's seventh birthday!!!  Rudy surprised her by leading her on a little scavenger hunt, which ended in the bathtub.  Rudy was waiting for her with a special greeting, a party hat, and her gifts.  She was delighted!  (We had a wonderful day and I can hardly believe the baby of our family is SEVEN!)

The eleventh of December and Rudy, like the rest of us southerners, is ready for some winter weather!  Here's to wishful thinking!!!

December 12th.....the day we have been waiting for all semester!  Sissy and her roommate come home for a visit!!!!  My son Hayden took care of this entirely on his own.  I was completely exhausted and engrossed in a  difficult computer project, so he stayed up super late and put this together to bless me.  It mean the world to me!  Didn't he do a great job??

Day 13....GASP!  He tried to frame our (sweet, adorable, perfect) dog!!!  No one here believed that Penny could do such a terrible thing.

Day 14, and Rudy was feeling rather bright.

We are certainly finding out that having an elf in the house is a tricky task.....we certainly never know what we will find when we wake up!  Rudy has kept things lively and interesting around here.

Elf on the Shelf: Days 6 & 7

I'll admit it, I'm having fun with Rudy.

Even though the last thing I need around here is another thing to clean up after.  ;-)

His messes are somehow cuter than everyone else's.  ha!

There's something about walking by him and catching sight of his impish grin that just tickles me.  It's the little things, I guess....

Anyway, Friday night Rudy opened the mint M&M's that were hiding in the cabinet.  They actually belong to my Mom.  She brought them to a dinner party and we didn't end up using them, so I put them in my cabinet and told her we would break them out at the next social gathering.  I was really proud of myself for leaving them alone for so long.  I told her Rudy opened them and sent her this picture.....

She wrote me back and said at least he went in head first so everyone else could still enjoy some!  :-)

He left Emma a little message.

And also a suggestion.

We completely forgot to do this last night, and tonight Emma went to bed early not feeling too well.  We'll have to remember to plant our M&Ms tomorrow and see what happens.

This was last night....

Ahhh Rudy.  You're really something!!

Elf on the Shelf Takes Up Residence

We didn't realize when Rudy took up residence here that he would be quite so mischievous.  Seems that having an elf in the house is a bit of a tricky proposition!  We never know what we will find first thing each morning.

Tuesday......

Rudy decorated our pantry door and built a snow princess for us.

Wednesday....

All eyes were on Rudy!

Thursday.....

Now, this one was especially challenging.  I stayed up half the night Wednesday into Thursday working on a computer project, and I completely underestimated just HOW BADLY I would need a caffeine fix early in the morning.  Rudy and I had a little negotiating to do so that I could make a cup of coffee (or two) before Emma came downstairs!

Friday....

Rudy took a joy ride down the stair case and into the den.

I snapped this picture of our cat, Leo, trying to figure out what in the world was going on!  He was really giving that toilet paper the stink eye.  :-)

Looks like we are in for a busy month.  Elves sure do make fun houseguests!

Dawn of December: Elf on the Shelf and Truth in the Tinsel

December First!!!  HOORAY!!  I absolutely love the holidays, and I'm looking so forward to a month of fun, food, fellowship, friends, and family.  This year we are doing Elf on the Shelf for the very first time.  Our elf, Rudy, arrived this morning and we celebrated with a North Pole Breakfast.  

We had snowballs (donut holes), homemade hot chocolate with chocolate dipped marshmallows, and cinnamon twists.  Rudy brought a few surprises to town with him....an elf plate and a monogrammed ornament.  Emma bit into a snowball and lost yet ANOTHER tooth!  It's crazy.  If she keeps this up we are going to have to put dentures in her stocking! 

Our distinguished guest.......naturally.  Although, Rudy told us in his letter that he is scared of dogs.  YIKES!  Penny is sure to win him over.

Rudy is very fun, and I have found lots of cute ideas on Pinterest for elf mischief.

HOWEVER...

Preparing our hearts and minds to observe the birth of the Christ child is our TRUE reason for celebration around here.  This year I downloaded an advent study from Truth In the Tinsel.  That study will be the main focus of our homeschool this month.  Each day, we will do the devotional together, then make an ornament to hang on our advent tree.  We are also reading applicable stories from our various children's Bibles.  I will share more about our advent tree in the next few days.  Our advent focus will most likely replace FIAR studies for the next few weeks.  (I'm still debating about doing one book.)

We also started a new read aloud today....The Boxcar Children. Such a beloved classic!

A tremendous cold snap blew into town this morning, so we stayed inside ALL day, reading and crafting.  I even skipped a Faith Keeper meeting tonight.  (No guilt, which is rare!)  I was so incredibly wiped out from Thanksgiving that I just hit a wall late this afternoon.  The boys had a meeting tonight, so Emma and I stayed home alone.  We curled up under a fuzzy blanket by the light of the tree and watched Winnie the Pooh Christmas and made foam snowflakes.  (Thanks Oma, for the ornament kit!)  IT WAS DIVINE, and I said a little prayer that the peace and relaxation and gratitude that I felt tonight would set the stage for the next 31 days.  :-)  

I tend to get energized by the chaos of the holidays.  I know not everyone loves the extra bustle, but I delight in the baking and crafting and decorating socializing and list making.  I think it is super important to keep Jesus at the center of it all and put the brakes on (like tonight) if it stops being fun and starts to feel overwhelming.  Otherwise, I relish the arrival of December the first and gladly slip into the vortex of the Christmas storm!!