I remember reading about the Elf on the Shelf last year, and I wanted to start that tradition in our family. Things got busy, though, and I forgot all about it. Last week, Abbey blogged about their elf, and that jogged my memory. I made a special trip to Hallmark the next day.
On Friday, we got a package under our tree from Santa (*wink*) that contained our very own Elf on the Shelf. Clayton was beyond excited! We read the book together and it explained everything that we needed to know. The elf sits in your house and keeps records for Santa of everything that you do - good or bad. At night, he flies to the North Pole and tells Santa of his findings. In the morning, you wake up and have to look for the elf because he is in a new spot.
Clayton has had so much fun naming our elf (he named him Nick since he is friends with St. Nicholas), talking to Nick, and finding Nick each morning. I think this will be a fun tradition for many years to come. :)
Monday, November 30, 2009
A New Christmas Tradition
Posted by Sarah at 11:04 PM 5 comments
Leo the Lion
Clayton is in the Lion class at preschool. At the beginning of the year, the teachers sent home a letter with details about what they would be doing in class - objectives, fun activities, etc. Among other things, they explained that they have a "class pet" named Leo the Lion. Each Thursday, one of the kids would get to take Leo home for the weekend. Clayton has been chomping at the bit for his turn. Every Thursday I would pickup a very forlorn Clayton and would be greeted by, "it's still not my turn..." accompanied by a sad pouty lip.
Clayton & Leo at the seal show
Waiting for the Shamu show
Riding in the golf cart
Posted by Sarah at 11:54 AM 3 comments
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving with Shamu
We just got back from an impromptu Sea World vacation. It was super spur of the moment and totally spontaneous, which is so out of the ordinary for Wade & I. Wade had taken off on Monday-Wednesday to spend some extra family time. On Friday night he remembered that he had 4 free hotel nights (that he had earned through traveling for work) that were going to expire at the end of the year. He decided that we should go somewhere and use them. So... the idea of a family vacation was born.
We decided this on Friday night, mind you, and we left on Sunday afternoon. Crazy, huh? It worked out really well, though. The boys did sooo good - so much better than I thought that they would. The ride down was a piece of cake. Our driver (aka Wade) decided that we had to stop in Austin and visit that other school. Boo! Hiss! I wasn't thrilled with the idea, but Wade & Clayton thought that it was a great way to start our mini-vacay.
Sunday evening we checked into our hotel and got a good nights rest before our big Sea World day on Monday.
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The Shamu show was everyone's favorite. We saw it on Monday & again on Wednesday when we went back. On Wednesday, Clayton & Wade sat on the front row of the Splash zone. Crazy fools! They loved every minute of it. The show was set to Christmas music, which I loved. It made me so pumped up for Christmas. Yay! Watching those huge creatures do amazing tricks is awesome no matter how old you are. :)
Even Drew loved the shows. I was really worried about how he would do, but he was so pleasant! He really did watch the shows. He would play in the aisles and walk around while we waited for the shows to start. Then, I would put him in the Baby Bjorn during the shows. I guess it was the music/lights/movement combination that he enjoyed. Either way - I was glad that he did well. :)
Clayton LOVED feeding the dolphins. I think that was his favorite part.
Since Sea World already had all of their Christmas shows playing, they had the Polar Express (a condensed version) in 4D. The seats shook when the train was moving, they piped in the smell of hot chocolate for the cocoa scene, and at the end they had "real" snow (more like bubbles). Drew was totally mesmerized by the snow. He held his hands up and laughed so hard. It was pretty cute. ;)
Clayton and Diver Reyna (or Diarrhea... whichever you prefer)
At the end of the coral reef exhibit, Santa swam out in a wet suit. Who knew that Santa was into scuba diving?!?!
Can you see Wade's red hat on the front row? They are nuts, I tell you!
Clayton also fed the sea lions and seals. I don't know what he enjoyed more - actually feeding the animals or grossing out his Mama with the dead fish!
Hug or choke hold??? You decide.
We spent 2 days at Sea World and really enjoyed every minute. They were running a special and the season pass ("Fun Card") that is good through December of 2010 was only like $10 more than a 1 day ticket. So... we will probably go again in the spring (maybe even again next fall). We'll see...
Posted by Sarah at 11:34 PM 4 comments
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wade's Mini-Me
I've noticed lately that Clayton tries very hard to imitate his Daddy. He wants to do everything that Wade does. If Wade is working in the yard, Clayton wants to help him. If he is watching football, Clayton wants to watch too. If he is eating a snack, then Clayton wants the same thing. It is pretty cute to watch.
There are 2 silly skills that Clayton has mastered lately that just make me realize that he is Wade's little Mini-Me. First of all, he learned to whistle. And, he does it all. the. time. In fact, he is whistling as I type. Last week he came into the kitchen and said, "Mama, does our town have a whistling team?" When I broke the news that, no, we did not have access to a whistling team, he was very disappointed. He said, "Aw, nuts! I guess that means that I'll have to practice by myself."
Wade tells me all of the time about how his mom banned him from whistling in the house or in the car. She told him that whistling was an outdoor activity. Ha! Now I get where she was coming from! Wade still whistles a lot, and now Clayton is following in his footsteps. They are two whistling fools! ;)
For as long as I can remember, whenever Wade has given Clayton a bath, he blows him bubbles with the bath soap. He puts soap on his hands, mixes in just the right about of water (I'm told that the soap:water ratio is a highly scientific skill), and blows bubbles. Not just little bubbles, mind you, we're talking huge bubbles. Well, Clayton figured out how to do the same thing a few weeks ago. It has dramatically increased our soap consumption, but the smiles and giggles are worth it. :)
Posted by Sarah at 10:02 AM 4 comments
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Feast Day
Today was Feast Day at Clayton's preschool. Our little Indian (er, uh, Native American, to be politically correct) was stoked about his vest and headdress.
Posted by Sarah at 9:55 PM 3 comments
Monday, November 16, 2009
Feels Like I'm Falling for Fall...
Noggin, anyone? Gotta love Moose & Zee. :)
A cold front just blew through last night, and now it is really starting to feel like fall. We've had BEAUTIFUL weather with highs in the mid 70's for the last few weeks, but now it is starting to feel more like November. It's time to bust out the coats, rake the leaves, and cook up some comfort food. I love it!
I am not a cook, by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, feeding my family is something that I really struggle with. Tonight, however, I tried a new recipe and it was really good. I mean really, really good - like makesyouwanttoslapyourMama good.
(Don't worry, Mom, it's just an expression. I'd never lay a hand on you! Ha ha!)
I saw the recipe on the Big Mama Blog and knew that I wanted to give it a try. Since it turned out so good, I wanted to share with all of you.
Tortilla Soup from The Mansion
3 tablespoons olive oil
4-6 corn tortillas, diced
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
4-5 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon of cumin
2 tablespoons of chili powder
Saute all of the above until tortillas begin to crisp.
Add the following to the above and simmer:
1 cup onion puree (I just chopped up a small onion and pureed it in a mini food processor)
1 large can (29 oz) of tomato puree
2 quarts of chicken stock
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste
To serve: top with any or all of the following: diced grilled or baked chicken, avocado, shredded cheese, crisp fried strips of corn tortilla.
I bought a rotisserie chicken, shredded the meat, and added it to the soup, too. Then topped it with a dollop of sour cream, avocado, and strips of fried corn tortillas.
Yes, I fried them myself. I'm not usually this domestic... I don't know what got into me tonight. But, here is a picture of the finished product.
It was sooo good! Y'all gotta try it.
And... Because a post just doesn't feel complete without pictures of the boys, here's a couple of fall pictures of my monkeys. :)
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Happy Fall, Y'all!
Posted by Sarah at 9:39 PM 5 comments