Lovin' December

We've been lovin' our December at home.  Knowing that we don't have to travel for the holidays makes the season that much sweeter and more relaxing.  My parents will come next week for Christmas, which is perfect.  The kids are craving some grandparent time and I'm pretty sure Nana and Papa are ready to dish it out. 

For the first time in 10 years, Mile High Vogels didn't make the trek up to God's country to get a Charlie Brown tree.  Instead we drove 1.72 miles to delectably delicious Whole Foods and bought ourselves a real gem.  Full branches, soft green piney needles, fresh Frasier fir scent....we'll be back to Charlie next year, so we're enjoying every minute of owning this princess of a tree.  Fortunately, Squirt has agreed to respect our wishes/demands of keeping her adorably chubby paws off. 

Given the jam packedness of December, we did our family Christmas night with the Syers fam early.  This is night we (the adults) look forward to all year.  We open gifts with the 5 kids and promptly ditch their little booties with babysitters.  We then go to our annual Italian restaurant, get waited on, sip on a whole lotta wine and beer and eat food worth oohing and aahing about for as long as our hearts desire.  And we talk.  And talk.  And it's so lovely.

And we'll conclude with a summary of our mischievous little Elf on the Shelf, aka, Elfie.  I know, super original.  He appears in a new location each morning after reporting back to Santa on our behavior for the day.  Elfie wants to make sure we're being kind and loving during the Christmas season.  Just like Jesus would want us to do.  We're doing our best to tie Santa and his elves in with Jesus and his birth.  Just roll with it.  It seems to be clicking.   
 

Elfie finds himself in HILARIOUS predicaments each day.  He ate a bunch of Dude's gumballs throughout that day, drew mustaches and beards on us below, had a snowball fight with other stuffed characters....it's a treat every morning to search for his where-abouts.  Squirt has only touched him once (he loses magic if touched).  Dude about shat his pants when he saw him laying on the floor, but we calmly explained that babies are allowed to touch him since they don't understand.  Crisis averted.

Hope you and yours are enjoying your December.