Hello and see ya later

Hellos are wonderful. Even strangers out on walk enjoy the polite hello as you pass by. The other dreaded side of hello is good bye, or as we try to say; see ya later or until next time, is not so fun.  Today we did both.  Talk about a roller coaster!

We'll start with the farewell. My mom was able and decided to stay after my c section. First off, she just loves to hold and rock babies. Not to be left out, she also enjoys her other grandchildren just as much.  Currently, all of her grandchildren live in the same town, actually the same house and that happens to be my house! It works out well for all!

Our little baby is one month old now, and since Grandma was still here, I was able to take him to his check up and only have CJ along, so I could drop her off at gymnastics after the appointment. Grandma stayed home with the middle two and they did a Christmas craft.  It was one of my last opportunities to have that kind of support in regular every day life, so I took it!  I am, we all are, very grateful for her extended stay!

Both catching a snooze!

The quick stats on his 1 month check up, he is doing fine, gained over a pound since his last visit and now weighs 8lbs 10oz! He has also grown a full inch in the first month.  I don't know who gave him permission to grow so quickly, but I have my suspicions it was Grandma!

As many of you may remember, my favorite season is Advent! We have lots of Advent traditions. One is unwrapping winter and Christmas books all Advent long. Tonight, I will pull out those books and we will get to visit our old friends.  This morning, we began a new tradition.  You may have heard of the phenomemon, The Elf on the Shelf.  In case you haven't, here is a quick run down. The elf is sent from Santa. Each night the elf reports back to Santa about your daily behaviors. The next morning the children have to find the elf, in a new location, and sometimes, the elf gets back early from the North Pole and does some trickery while we sleep. The children are not allowed to touch or play with the elf, however talking to the elf is encouraged.

 She showed up today and brought us a North Pole breakfast. It's a great way to start! The kids had to name her and now she is known as Emma. Emma the elf.

The kids are already enjoying her presence.  I have struggled with the Santa Claus idea through the years, not so much for the Santa, but wanting to make sure our family doesn't fall into the trap of materialism. We have established that Santa, while fun, is also pretty practical and our focus is on Jesus and the Christmas story. Life is about balance. The wonder and innocence of children, make Emma the elf on the shelf at our home, magical even for us parents.