Video Messages from Santa!

The boys both got video messages from Santa last night!  Enjoy the Magic!

 
To watch it, click the following link or copy it into your browser's address bar.

To Parker:
http://www.portablenorthpole.com/watch/g7DlhAIaXWmoHnWJuC2L_xw

To Emmitt:
http://www.portablenorthpole.com/watch/gZPfFq4PtnnUIfjpRUWYZnA

Call to Santa 2012

Photo Card

Christmas Label Christmas

Shutterfly Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

I think I can, I think I can, OH wait...I can!

Bella

Bella.  Bella Lou.  Bella Cita.  And sometimes Bellatrix.  What would we do with out you?!  This little pup has worked her way into our family too perfectly.  She is feisty and lovey and smart and fun.  The boys had her outside all day Saturday playing in the snow and running and chasing snowballs until she stood by the door begging me to let her in so she could sleep.

She really is smart.  I have worked commands with her and she gets them so easily.  She can sit, wait, down, come, paw and is currently attempting to roll over.  She is fully trained to ring a bell to go outside.  I over and over, took her paw, said paw, rang her paw on the bell, gave her a treat and put her outside.  Then she caught on and rang it herself!  We were so impressed.  Then one night she rang the bell and sat waiting for a treat with zero intention of ever going outside!  OH NO!  So I had to change it up and give her the treat after she had gone potty!  Told you she was smart.

The worst part about her is the play biting.  She chases after the kids (usually Emmitt who runs away from her screaming and clambering up on a piece of furniture).  Well she thinks it a game and he is her ultimate prize and goes tearing after him. She can officially get on the furniture now, which causes more screaming by Emmitt and more biting from Bella.  She is better, but once she is broke of that habit I think it'll be even better.  She does other naughty puppy things like dig holes in the sandbox and comes in super dirty. But she is getting used to her baths and let's me blow dry her! After the big snow came, she forgot that the deck is not a place to poop or pee.  We MUST stop her from that! Ick! 
She jumped over her playgate about 2 weeks ago and officially lost that freedom.  She is crated during the day while we are gone.  I come home at lunch to let her out and feed and play with her.  She can't really help but go nutty at night when we are home.  On the weekends when we are home all day, she is much better.  She sleeps in her crate at night too.  After that first week home, she has been holding it all night and gets up with me in the morning to go out.  She really is a good puppy.  The boys have done really well with her.  Some days I wonder if they really knew what getting a puppy was all about and other days, it's amazing to watch them with her.  They whine about picking up the poop and when she attacks them, but some of her puppy ways are so short lived that they have made a life long friend in her...

Tis the Season

 Tis the Season for busy little elf work.  We jam packed our weekend to get the most out of it.  But at the same time tried to relax while doing it instead of stressing out.  Looking back at the weekend overall, we accomplished just that. 
 Saturday we were able to enjoy a nice breakfast together and get outside (before the fog and rain came).  We built the outdoor rink together.  It was mostly just dad with mom's help.  Every so often I would ditch Bear and help the boys with their giant snowball fort. It was the perfect snow for snowmen and forts.  We made a Frosty and decorated him all up and by the end of the day he was smashed to pieces.  Emmitt did manage to get himself all dressed up like frosty though!

The boys and I also tackled an Advent calendar this year.  It was a kit I had ordered and seemed daunting every time I looked at it.  But with some help from my little guys we did it! I quickly filled the number one slot with a note to say "make advent calendar with mom" and with everything else we did this weekend, I think they were okay with it.  Anytime I drag out my scrapping supplies, they quickly get the stuff they like and start making projects with me.  It keeps them entertained at least.  We also released "Chippie" from his box.  He made his appearance on Sunday morning with a little treat for the boys from Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.  They had to show Bella Chippie and Chippie Bella.  After the introductions, they talked to Chippie all about the things we had done together.  That little elf brings lots of fun to the season.

 

 Day Two: says to get our tree from the tree farm and to go eat Lutefisk!  Or LunaFish as Parker called it!  After church we packed up at headed to Littlefork Lutheran for their annual Lutefisk, Meatball, Lefse, feast.  The boys were by far the youngest attendees that actually ate the Lutefisk and impressed all of the passersby.  Most were amazed they would eat it, but mainly they kept encouraging the boys to eat more of it and they will grow up to love it.  I love how my boys know how to react in a way that will just melt older people.  They both were like, "yeah, we love it, it's so great!"  They boys also flirted with two older ladies over the lefse platter at our table.  Papa Milo has turned them into Lefse eating machines and as soon as they both saw that giant plate of Lefse their eyes lit up.  Then they proceeded to chat it up over how much they loooovve Lefse!  Milo and Bear were the two soul eaters of the Lutefisk.  Peg, Tolle, the boys and I ordered the meatball dinner plate.  But of course once we tried it, we ate a little more of it.  Parker (my texture issue boy-THANK YOU Auntie Debbie!) got one gooey piece and he was done.  Emmitt just kept pounding it back.  We were a bit surprised, but overall glad that they try new things.

 After many trees, our family decided on one.  Some kind of Colorado white spruce, I think!  It's a shade of lime green and has a crazy top.  Crazy top for a crazy family.  It's a bit of a Grinch tree and fits in perfectly.  Parker wanted to be the man and cut down the tree.  He tried, but it was super hard to keep the saw in the right spot and eventually said his knees were getting wet and wanted dad to finish. 
This is our best attempt at a family shot in front of the tree.  Last year I vaguely remember dragging my tripod with, this year I am luck I remembered my camera!  Bear has the longest arms which means he is the lucky fellow that gets to arm shot our family.  Shot captured!

 Our little elves demanded to haul the tree out of the woods themselves. They accomplished it for the most part, but the snow was so wet and slippery that we had Emmitt running back to us in the truck saying, "I guess we need help."  And home we went. 

I am not sure I want to even put this in writing, but that little 11 week furball of a puppy we have has completely ignored our tree.  I was planning on gates and tying it to the ceiling and so far she has eaten a few stray needles off the floor and only tried to chew the lights when they were a pile of shiny things on the floor. 
Today is Day 3: decorate our tree with our ornaments.  And Chippie is in the tree watching you...