An Elf's Escapades: Try as we might......

We just cannot seem to keep our Elf off the pole....

This morning the girls found Gelk wrapped around a candlestick with a note:

You better watch out

You better not cry

You better not pout

I'm telling you why

Santa Claus is coming to town...

and clean up your toys!

Love,

Gelk

Below the table that Gelk was dancing on was a neat pile of all the toys and shoes and coloring books that the girls had left all over the living room the night before. We shall see if this has any impact.... Grace also has an email waiting for her from the Portable North Pole telling her that Santa expects her to do a better job of cleaning up her toys and play things when she is finished... I know I am a wicked mother!

Off to figure out Gelk's next move.  The good news is...... HUBBY IS COMING HOME TOMORROW!!  It's been a LOOOOOOOOOONG two weeks, but it's over and we should have him home now until after the new year!

An Elf's Escapades: Gone Fishin'...

I must admit that even though I have been so sick this week, this little project has helped. It's been a distraction to the fact that Hubby has been on the road for two weeks and that I am feeling so crappy. I was very much looking forward to this little "Escapade" but I simply could not set up the shot to my satisfaction.  The tank is in a awkward place and the lighting really poor.... But the girls got a huge kick out of finding Gelk on top of the fish tank with pole in hand!  Gigi was a little worried that Gelk might actually catch and harm one of her fish, but Lula {bless her heart} assured her Big Sister that "He's not mean. He just being silly."

 

An Elf's Escapades:Shenanigans

Okay.... I'm not sure who's shenanigans though... Gelk's or mine? I know upon first glance this post will make it seem like I have too much time on my hands. I assure you - I DON'T!  I am just really really really good at procrastination and well.... this seemed more fun than cleaning up the kitchen or finishing the laundry.

The last thing you expect is to walk into the kitchen and find your Elf on the Shelf hosting a wild party. Pizza, Jack Daniels, Southern Comfort and Tequila, but that I just what I found last night. 
{Okay - I did warn you when we started this I was a little twisted *smirk*}

I think Gelk must be preparing me for the teenage years.... First a party and then I find him shopping online with MY credit cards!!!  He does have good taste though.
Finger's crossed I find those Paris Pink Lululemon Wunder Unders are under the tree for me Christmas Morning!!

 

The truth is I am not such an evil mother. I would never let the girls wake up to find Gelk wrapped around a bottle of Vermouth or passed out drunk, smelling of Jack Daniels and snuggling with Bob the Builder after a night of boozing. Instead when the girls woke up they found Gelk playing with their beloved Toy Story toys. 
The girls found the fact that he was riding Bullseye was hysterical.  Lula was however a little bit bummed that it meant she was unable to play with Bullseye today but wholly amused at how silly her Elf on the Shelf is! 
Mission Accomplished. Afterall - Isn't that what this is supposed to be? FUN!

An Elf's Escapades Banister Sliding

Have you ever been tempted to slide down the banister before?  Maybe you even have. I have. I had a friend growing up that had a great banister for sliding.... and parents that didn't throw a full on conniption or maybe there weren't there.... either way poor Gelk tried to slide down a banister wrapped with garland and lights..... Not the most successful of slides as you can see!

An Elf's Escapades Cock Fighting?? Really GELK?!? { Oh - and the Girls' Pony too }

Okay... So I want to be witty, but I am exhausted. The girls were up at the crack of dawn raring to go!Sunday means Sunday dinner with my Aunt and Uncle and the girls get to ride their pony, Wendel, my Aunt's horse Oberon and also play with my Aunt and Uncle's four dogs and one cat.  It's my girls version of a farm. And well... Farm makes me think chickens and chickens reminded me of my kitchen rooster and the rooster plus my mischievous GELK made me think Cock-fighting {Something I am wholly against!} But.... and now that we're here I cannot think of anything witty to write about GELK and the rooster.  My brain is fried from an afternoon of riding with the girls and an evening visiting with my Aunt and well....there were a few mimosas. I'm sleepy........

I shall try to do better tomorrow. GELK is already nestled into his new hiding place.  Hopefully a little more difficult for the girls to find, but.... I doubt it. Gigi found him in no time at all this morning and the rooster on top of the kitchen cabinets is not exactly in her eye line.... She does love a good game of hide-n-go-seek though!

Here are a few shots of the girls riding today! {and p.s. I know this should be it own post.... But have I mentioned that I'm exhausted??}

Sweet Dreams......

{ Wendel }

I don't know why... there are a few really sweet photos of the girls grooming Wendel, but this one.... The posture the turned head and the hand slay me.  I wish I knew what she was thinking at this moment! :)

Grinning from ear to ear yelling "Yee-Haw!" as usual!

Thumbs up.
Really Daredevil?!?
Why don't you keep your hands on the reigns. 
Then again she started out riding a year ago bareback and doesn't even ride with stirrups -
so.... why not? We'll make a trick rider of Lula yet!

Just a girl and her pony - Lost in thought

Okay so Lula is my equestrian. There is no doubt about it.
I was sure with how much I love horses and how much I lived to ride and simply be in the barn when I was a girl my girls would feel the same. Gigi, well Gigi takes a little time to warm up to riding.
She is never really sure at first if this is fun or terrifying.

Okay... No.... this is fun!! 

Gigi thinks Lula is standing too close to the pony.... I know a few people who are going to see this might think the same thing, but Lu.... Not Lu. She has NO FEAR.

Lula is pretty impressed with herself!  I'm impressed with her too! She's quite a natural.

An Elf's EscapadesDeck the Halls with....

I was pretty sure placing GELK within reach was going to pose a problem. You know the temptation to touch to great to resist and all..... BUT this being the year that at least Gigi *gets it*...She was quick to remind us that we cannot touch GELK. That if we did he would lose his magic and no longer be able to report back to Santa weather we have been good or bad! So placing GELK on the cutout in the boughs of holly proved far less disastrous than I had anticipated. 

And......

Since we are talking about Elves and their escapades, the girls and I spent a glorious and yet freezing 3 hours at the park today.  Thanks to the city opening a brand new park and playground right around the corner from us the girls were able to ride their bikes to and from. Added bonus, because us Desert Rats think that 52* is FREEZING , we were the only ones there!

An Elf's Escapades Would you like to Swing on a starCarry moon beams home in a jarand be better off than you areor would you rather....

It just so happened that a friend of mine sent me a link to a hysterical Elf on the Shelf post a few nights ago. It was because of that post that I had the Nutcracker love triangle and the Vermouth in the Christmas Village photos. So thank you Baby Rabies it's because of you that I had photo to post for December 1st!

  I am sick as a dog today and unfortunately also without a husband this week, weekend and next week as well, so "yay me!!" she says has half heartedly and sarcastically.  If I weren't feeling like death warmed over I might have spent some time trying to make this photograph pop somehow but today.... this is what you get.

I don't know if GELK is swinging from the chandelier because of his Vermouth bender or if he's trying to avoid some nasty confrontation with the Red Nutcacker over his escapades with the Blue Nutcracker..... But swinging on a star is where the girls found GELK this morning.

And all the monkeys aren't in the zoo
Every day you meet quite a few
So you see it's all up to you
You can be better than you are
You could be swingin' on a star

Alright... I'll Play. "An Elf's Escapades"

Meet our Elf, GELK....

Okay, So GELK is not really a home-wrecker, but I couldn't help myself....
I definitely got a juvenile chuckle out of this one.
Some of my posts might be a little twisted this year...
It's all in the name of fun people.... 

GELK is our Elf on the Shelf. He's been our Elf since Christmas 2008.  He joined our family right after Lula did and has been getting into all sorts of trouble .... and reporting on all sorts of trouble ever since. GELK got his name from The Girls' initials and he shows up each year right after Thanksgiving to keep an eye on Gigi and Lula for Santa.  

If you don't yet know about the Elf on the Shelf it's a wonderful game / tradition / tool to frighten your children into submission .... Ah... I mean remind your children to make good choices during the holidays.  If you ever wondered how Santa knows who has been naughty and nice, it's his Elves.This is actually the first year that the girls "get it".  Each evening GELK flies back to the North Pole and reports to Santa. He lets Santa know all the good or bad things the girls have done that day. Then he flies back here to our home and finds a new perch somewhere in the house for the girls to discover the next morning..... This always poses a problem for me. You see..... that requires REMEMBERING to move  before I go to bed, or like this morning.... finding some excuse to keep the kids gated upstairs while I fly downstairs to move him before they notice he is sitting exactly where he was all day yesterday.  My evenings generally end with me about to drift off to dreamland and then sitting bolt upright, slapping my forehead and exclaiming--- to no one --- "Oh CRAP!  I forgot to move the damn Elf!" But please do not misunderstand.... I love this tradition, I think it's fun. I know the girls love GELK {I do too} and to some extent.....it's a great behavior modifier!!

So my dear friend Mel is going to chronicle the adventures of their Elf this month and well....If you would like, you can follow the "Adventures of "Calvin"  and see what her Elf does this season.  I'm "in"  on this because first of all,  it's FUN and also because; It's a chance to help me to remember to move GELK each night, a chance to force me to be creative with GELK's placement, a chance to help me try to get back to my blog and most important, it's a chance to play around with my camera!  Since Santa will be bringing me some new camera equipment if I am a good girl, I had better show GELK just how much I love my camera and deserve the new toys!!

I did say that some of these might be a little twisted...
NO, I did not let the girls find their Elf this way... But I wanted to start off with a bang!
The girls found GELK in a sconce.