Our Elf on the Shelf

 Our Elf on the Shelf, Percy, was back at it this year.  Many days he found places to hang out and watch the kids.  But some nights he was mischievous.  He was not greeted with excitement on this day by Micah and Victoria.  Micah was upset Percy used his helicopter.  And Victoria didn't like that her doll had on the wrong outfit.  At least Percy saved Chelsea!

 Percy wanted to be a part of "The Reason for the Season".

 Walking the dogs got out of hand.

 Percy is such a lady's man!

 And the winner is.... Micah's transformer!

 The kids loved finding Percy in this situation.

 Percy even has etiquette... a nice afternoon tea with Batgirl.

Percy's last appearance... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Cookies

 Jackie, John's mother, was gracious to host my munchkins and John's nephew, Josh, for Christmas cookie making.  We were only expecting to decorate the cookies.  However we were pleasantly surprised to find stations; cookie cutting, cookie decorating and container decorating. 

 

 While the cookies were baking, the kids headed over to decorate the containers they would use to bring them home in.  Very clever idea!

 On to the cookie decorating!  We had so many choices of how to decorate the cookies; white and pink frosting, M&Ms, miniature chocolate chips and a wide assortment of sprinkles!

 One of the funniest things to watch was Micah standing over where the finished cookies sat eating and licking off the frosting.

Ta-Da!

It's Soccer & Basketball Time!

 The help with the upcoming winter blues, I signed Micah & Victoria up for soccer.  They both enjoyed picking out their own ball and equipment.  Victoria's pink socks and shin guards make me laugh every time we put them on.

 Practicing our toe taps and trapping.

 Practicing dribbling.  Micah has taken pretty quickly to soccer.  Victoria on the other hand is so focused on perfection she is oblivious to how slow this makes her.

 Instead of signing Izzy up for soccer, we picked basketball.  Though I think this will be a good experience for her, it has been tough to watch.  There are only 2 other girls in her group.  Most of them have obviously played before.  At the first practice Izzy was near last in every drill.  However, at the second practice she improved enough to not always be the last player.  That put a smile on her face.

 Even at Izzy's age they start off with conditioning... 5 laps before starting.  As I said, this will be good for her.

 Practicing dribbling with two hands.

Project of Love

 The Salvation Army's Project of Love has turned into a Thanksgiving tradition.  They provide the teddy bears.  We get to dress them up and then give them back.  The teddy bears are then given to children who are displaced from their families to help with this time of transition.  Its fun to see what the kiddos pick out.  It definitely shows their personality, interests and age.  I'm always impressed how unselfish my children are when it is time to give them back; never a single tear.  They always ask if we are going to do it again next year.

Killer Claus

 What better way after Thanksgiving to get into the Christmas mood then to go to a Christmas themed murder mystery!... Killer Claus.  The story goes that Mrs. Claus was run over by a reindeer.... have I heard that song before....  Intermixed was characters that had speaking parts.  I was asked to play Hermey, the dentist (from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer).

 The 9 reindeer.... John was a trooper to play one... Donder.

 At the end, we were all given paper to write who we thought killed Mrs Claus and why.  Suspects included several lead elves, Mrs Claus (the daughter-in-law to the now late Mrs Claus) and Santa Claus' intoxicated brother (ugly green sweater above).  Turns out his brother did as he was jealous of always being in 2nd place.

The funniest part was at the very end where a few choice entries were read.  For example, one person wrote that Mrs Claus' killer was Mrs Claus... she committed suicide.  Another wrote down on the side they thought one of the elves had eye-catching calves.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 We were thankful to have family & friends spend Thanksgiving with us.  The kids worked hard (with John's help and his pom-pom maker) to create a unique table setting.  I'm not sure who had more fun... the kids or John... HA!  That pom-pom maker has come in handy for the holidays.

 These turkeys were so fun for us to make and required help from everyone.  My favorite part about them is that the kids hands were used to make the tail feathers; a personal touch reflective of their current age.

 Izzy got creative with the Tinker Toys to make another turkey.

 The meal was wonderful and surprisingly easy as there were three ladies who shared this task; myself, Oma and John's mother.

While the food was cooking, due to some nicer weather the men took the munchkins outside for a bit.  John's brother gave us their old bike which was the perfect size for the twins.  Victoria took to the bike surprisingly easy and was making turns in the court yards quickly.  Micah rode it approximately 1.5 feet; enough to let me take a picture.  He preferred his scooter.

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 We took Opa out for breakfast at one of our favorite places, Paris. This place makes wonderful savory or sweet crepes.

 It is always fun to watch young ones grow up.  One of the highlights for this holiday was playing games with Opa.  They enjoyed Candyland, Feed the Kitty and Pop 'N Drop Penguins.  Micah especially enjoyed this time with Opa.  He cried when I picked him up from school after I told him Opa wasn't here anymore to play the games after he inquired.

 While Micah was enmeshed with Opa playing games, Victoria was true to herself... dressing up.  How fitting that she wanted to put together a Fancy Nancy puzzle with Oma!

Micah & Victoria Firsts

 There have been a few Micah & Victoria firsts recently.  I can't believe that Victoria's hair has not been cut in over 4 years!  I was worried that the curls would not longer be.  But I was wrong.  Curls have remained.  At the same time, Micah sat in the chair by himself for the first time.  There was some check in's with mommy but he did great.

 This was also the same week that Micah & Victoria saw the dentist for the 1st time.  Both did amazing.. sitting in the chair by themselves, fluoride treatments and letting the dentist 'probe'.  Both were true to their personalities though.  Micah was a bit sensitive and needed encouragement.  Victoria was independent, taking cues easily from the dental assistant.