Let the Pre-Christmas Preparations Begin!

Ok, so you may or may not remember the last time we had the Elf on the Shelf in our house and it was a total bust...at age 4, Kayli was totally disgusted with the "snitch" that had moved into our house, and not at all convinced that Santa would approve of this behavior. According to Kayli, "Santa and God both know that I am doing my best!" (Can hardly argue with that logic) Anyway, we sent that elf packing, and just last night, there was a very cute show on t.v. about the Elf on the Shelf, and it redeemed Kayli's faith in the little elves. Since she has been privy to the magic of fairies, she now understands that they are really working on her behalf, and only wonderful things can come from someone that travels by the magic of pixie dust. We found our elf, put a Barbie skirt on "her" and named her Tayli! We registered on the official website and placed Tayli on Kayli's bedside table last night.

Sure enough, she magically re-appeared this morning in the pile of presents under the tiny tree in our library...

What? Presents, under a tree, already? Well, another pre-Christmas prep activity we decided to do this year was to wrap 25 Christmas themed books, and place them under the small Christmas tree in our upstairs sitting room/library. Beginning on December 1, and leading up to Christmas day, every night, Kayli will get to "open" one book-present before bed, and we will read it together! This is as much a gift for me as it is for her since one of my favorite times of every day is the end-of-the-day-reading-books-at-bedtime time!I Just Love it! Christmas Season Here We Come!!!

Growth Spurt!

"Hey, Mom, You have GOT to come and see this!" Kayli yells to me this morning, after I sent her in the bathroom to brush her teeth. So, I hurry in, wondering what amazing thing I am going to see...

Look! I can reach the faucet without the stool! I can reach the cup, and my toothbrush, and, and, and I can scoot these things forward a little bit...can you belieeeve it?!!!

Seriously...I think she grew an inch last night!!! Let's check out the growth chart...

WOW! 43 1/2 inches! She's grown 2 inches since her birthday at the end of February! Amazing! AND soooo exciting! Still, a mom has to ask, "how did this happen so fast?"
Looking back, it started with this...

then...

Some of this...

And then this...

and today....................TaDa!    There's no stoppin' her!

Simon Says...

Ready...Sprinkles?

Simon says, "Lay down"...

Simon says, "Heads up"...

Simon says "Lick Kayli's face!"

Sprinkles says "Ok, I'm going to play with my new holiday toy..."

We bought this dog toy/ string of Christmas lights at Target this weekend. It's the kind of dog toy that you don't mind lying around on the floor because it also serves as Christmas decor!

Puppy Graduation!

Tonight was our last "puppy class" and an "official puppy graduation!"

There was a "final exam"...walking on a leash...

"Stay"

"Sit," "Look at me," "Down," "Drop-it," "Leave it," and the grand finale was to let the puppies off the leashes, and when they got good and distracted, we were to use our final command "COME!" Oh yeah, Sprinkles came straight to me (of course I was holding some pupperoni in my hand!) I don't think they really want to know how when I tell Kayli to get Sprinkles in from the backyard, I find her chasing Sprinkles from one end of the yard to the other, calling out "you come back here," while she darts and dives, and Sprinkles ducks and runs, narrowly escaping Kayli's grip, over and over, and I'm no help because I am laughing hysterically, like I'm watching a greased pig contest! (I'm a believer in getting the most entertainment value from kids and pets?)  

The instructor congratulated us and handed us Princess Sprinkles' graduation certificate...a proud moment...

then, it was "puppy pile fun" for the two puppy graduates! Too cute. Kayli hovered nearby, just in case Sprinkles needed rescuing. Looks like she's doing just fine...

A Sign That Winter is Coming...

Would this be the bare looking trees? Would this be the acorns buried in my flower beds? How about the fact that we've added soup to our dinner menu? How about the fact that Kayli has added tights to her clothing ensemble? All these things are indeed signs that winter is near, but this morning, when Kayli said to me "Mom, it's time to put some mittens in my pockets for recess." I knew. This is it. There is no denying it. "Mittens in pockets" is truly the sign of all signs that "Old Man Winter" is just around the corner...Brrr! 

Sprinkles wants a closer look at those "red things" on Kayli's hands!

What do I love about Winter coming?  Snow Days, Hot Soup, Hot Chocolate, Crackling Fires, Flannel "jammies", Snuggling on the couch with my sweet pea while we watch our favorite Nick Jr characters play in the snow,  Mounds of our own snow to play in, Baking, Holidays, Christmas Movies, and anything and everything to do with the magic that surrounds the Christmas holiday!

What do I hate about Winter coming? Sloppy Slushy Frozen Roads, Being COLD, Having to wear a coat...I hate having to haul a coat with me all the time, as if I don't have enough to carry! Having to put Kayli's seat belt on because she can't maneuver it with all the extra bulk (I feel like I'm belting in a giant marshmallow, as the belt clips disappear into the folds of her coat, and my fingers are freezing, and we're running late for wherever we need to be, and I get cranky, and shouldn't be using the word "stupid" to refer to the seat belt but I choose that over other more tempting words, like every good mom would do! ) Finally, having to shovel my driveway when I'd rather be playing!

Busy Tooth Fairy!

We sure have kept the Tooth Fairy busy this year! Another tooth came out this weekend...

and once again the tooth fairy left Kayli a FABULOUS "trinket" (Ariel charm necklace) along with a crisp new dollar bill!

THANK-YOU, Tooth Fairy! We hope you weren't scared of our puppy. You probably figured out that she was securely zipped in her portable kennel as she watched you drop off the goodies!