November 27th

The holidays were a big deal at my house growing up.  Any reason to celebrate was embraced and every celebration had its own traditions.  I don't remember what I received as a gift each year as a kid, but I do remember the times we had to answer a holiday trivia question before we could open a present, or hauling the ladder in the house so Kyle and I could both climb up to put the topper on the tree together at the exact same moment, while posing for a picture.  One of my favorite things about being a mom is getting to start our own family traditions.  This year we started Elf On A Shelf.  It's this darling little book that comes with an Elf sent from the North Pole by Santa himself.  Every night the Elf flies back to Santa and tells if you have been naughty or nice that day.  Every morning the Elf hides somewhere in your house and you have to find him.  You can't touch him or his magic might rub off.  Our Elf was introduced to Zach today through a special breakfast that was waiting for us when we woke up.  He made snowman & Rudolph donuts, and gave Zach a placemat, plate, and cup along with a note he wrote.  Zach was so excited.  I can't wait to see what else Elfie has planned for us!

We also took Zach to the theater to see a movie today for the first time.  We saw the new Muppets movie.  It was really cute, but with the previews and a Toy Story short film before hand, was about 30 minutes too long.  He loved the popcorn though, just like his daddy!