Adieu to our dear elf, Jolt...

The good news:  It was another warm {that's if you consider high 40's warm like I do}, sunny, gorgeous weekend!  We spent Saturday morning and part of the early afternoon down in Orem at The Scera watching a puppet show performance {the 3 boys, Noah, Cohen and Bentley all LOVED it!} and visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Campbell at their house.  I also remembered to get the car washed and spent an additional 30 minutes vacuuming it out... BOY!  I couldn't believe how many stale KIX, fruit snacks and fries I sucked up with the monster vacuum at the car wash!!! I'm also slightly embarrassed to admit I even found 3 old beef hamburger patties on the car floor--- who KNOWS how long those have been there?!  I do know one thing for sure though- the "NO EATING IN THE CAR" rule is back in action... YUCK!  Sometimes I think our boys think the car is a dump truck--- and seriously, WHY do I even bother to feed them in the car when we're out and about?!  The food ALWAYS ends up on the floor!!!  It's such a waste of $$$.  Moving along, Ian (our 4 year old) went to a friends birthday party Saturday while we were in Orem...  It was his 1ST party he's gone to alone without his older brother Noah.  I was slightly nervous about how he'd do at the party not knowing many of the other kids... would he enjoy himself??? Noah's a LOT more outgoing than Ian is but after questioning Ian in a post party interview, I suspect he did just fine at the party and he said he had a LOT of fun! The boys played for a little bit out back in the backyard before it was time to take naps... I have to keep reminding myself it's still only January and we have 6 more months, with a good possibility of SNOW in the forecast, before SUMMER arrives.  BOO!

Have I mentioned that our ward now meets at 9a.m. on Sunday mornings for church services?!  You're probably imagining I hate it, but matter of fact, I LOVE the new time we meet!!!  Yes, it's true, we don't get to sleep in, and if I sleep past 6:30 I'm screwed and I'll be in a frenzy just to get out the door on time {we leave at 8:30 even though our church building is only just up the street, but we have to get there plenty early if we hope to get a bench seat and NOT be stuck in the back}; it's so NICE that we don't have to WAIT around all day for church to start--- we just get up, get showered and dressed, grab a bite to eat and then we go! By noon: we're home, eating lunch, holding family council and we have the rest of the day to relax and enjoy time together...  We LOVE it!  Last week we watched 2 of the Chronicles of Narnia movies- this past Sunday we watched an Indiana Jones movie... the boys have time to read- put on puppet show performances, nap and color...  we even have time to take Sunday drives or go and visit our extended family.  Sunday is once again, probably my most favorite day of the week!  OH! I nearly forgot... I've been released as Spencer's team teacher in Primary teaching the 8 and 9 year olds and I've been called to be a Cub Scout Den Mom...  Honestly, I have absolutely NO idea WHAT the new role entails, BUT I'm EXCITED about the calling, and slightly nervous too.  My Wednesday's have just instantly become busier with pack meetings... they're in the later part of the afternoon, while Spencer's still working, so between my 5 boys and the boys in my den--- I'll be busy juggling a 3 ring circus! Wish me luck!!! I'm NO ringleader...  Like I said, I'm excited! I knew it was inevitable at some point during my life, well with 5 boys of my own--- I've always suspected I'd be called to part of the Scouting program--- I just never thought it would be NOW!  But I suppose it's good that it's now.  Noah only has another year and half before he starts cub scouts; he'll be followed by Ian a year later, then Cohen, then Bentley and finally, Atticus--- in less than 6 years all 4 of our older boys will be in cub scouts together...  I'll be expected to help my boys at that time earn their merit badges, so I suppose a crash course introduction to Cub Scouts as den mom will offer me an advantage. I do have to admit--- I was sort of hoping I'd get called to Young Womens... only because I KNOW how Young Womens works!  I'm familiar with the program, I've graduated from Young Womens, I'd LOVE to get to know the Young Women in our ward and I could use a little "GIRL TIME", if you know what I mean {okay, if you don't, think about it!  I'm the only girl in our family. I'm surrounded by boys ALL.DAY.LONG!}... Anyhow, I was a little disappointed I wasn't called into Young Womens {to be completely honest, I don't even KNOW that there were ANY positions IN Y.W.'s to be filled, but if there were, I was hoping I could fill one}--- I've given my new calling though a lot of thought- trying to figure out WHY they'd extend the role to someone like me--- if you think about it, it really doesn't sound that practical or sensible since my boys are all so young and needy, but then it dawned on me that if I were to receive a calling in the Y.W.'s like I had hoped for, it would be TOO easy {f.y.i. With all due respect: I DON'T consider the responsibility that Y.W. leaders hold any less important or easier--- I just feel I would have felt too comfortable in that kind of calling.}  I've been hoping to learn and grow this year, by facing new challenges---  now, I believe that by participating in Cub Scouts, I've been given the opportunity.  It's EXACTLY the sort of adventure I've been needing! 

The bad news: It snowed YESTERDAY. Today it's FREEZING COLD OUTSIDE and I just caught a glimpse of the news and they're forecasting a mixture of snow AND rain for the rest of the week!  YUCK! Seriously, after the beautiful weather we had this past weekend,  I'm not sure I can handle SNOW!  I think I'm ready to move to Hawaii- even if all we can afford is in a one bedroom flat, with only 600 square feet.  I'm CRAVING warmth and sunshine!!!

Spencer had the day off yesterday due to it being a holiday {Martin Luther King's birthday}--- so we slept in, spent the day in our pajamas, I spent most of the morning snuggling with Atticus in bed {sadly, I RARELY ever get the opportunity to do this and he's growing so quickly!  I want to have and hold these moments with him forever!!!} our boys either played in the basement on their bikes or upstairs in the toy room and I did much of NOTHING all day long, while Spencer graded papers {it's the end of the term so grades our due by this Friday- which he also happens to have off! Hooray!}...  By doing NOTHING all day long, I'd normally complain about being BORED, but it was actually quite nice... it was exactly what my body needed after being sick most of last week.  I needed the day to relax and refuel...  we have somewhat of a busy week ahead! Did I mention Bentley has his very first playdate alone with another little friend his age tomorrow?  We shall see how that goes... you never know when they're both only 2...  he seems so bored here at home alone with me while the baby naps and his brothers are all off to school/preschool--- I've recruited a friend from the neighborhood to bring her son by to let the two play together...  Bentley was starting to get a tad bit chunky after eating snack after snack while his brothers are away at school; he NEEDS a friend to distract him from food!  My fingers are crossed. I hope this new plan works.  I'm getting desperate because I really can't handle watching the Whinnie The Pooh movie one.more.time and because it's exhausting feeding him for 2 hours straight, not to mention, it's an expensive habit he has too!

Alright, so as I promised--- here's the rest of our Elf on the Shelf pictures...  Jolt, our family elf, was certainly one very busy little elf at night, who had a sweet tooth for mischief and adventure!

On this particular morning below, Jolt found his way into our boys toy room the night before and made them paper airplanes to fly... He knows the way to our boys hearts!

The following morning, Jolt found the candy jar on the kitchen island and decided to hide in it... Ian's pretty darn certain Jolt ate half of the candy that was in it!

The very next night, it looked as though our elf Jolt went to war with the boys toy martians over his candy loot!

It appears as if the martians put up a pretty good fight, trying to overtake Jolt's fort and candy, but alas, they lost a few of their own in the battle {the poor martian souls suffered a gruesome ketchup death} and in the end, were far out numbered by Jolt and his soldiers, so they were forced to surrender.  Our boys were eternally grateful (that day) too Jolt for saving our candy supply. {Of course, it didn't stop the boys from taking the candy for themselves}.

Another morning, our boys awoke to find Jolt sitting on our kitchen island--- he'd dished out scoops of peppermint ice cream into their bowls of cereal! SWEET!!!

One morning, our boys found Jolt, hiding out in the ti-pee, along with WALL-E, Buzz and Rex playing a game of Old Maid and eating popcorn!

I reckon they hired the nutcracker to keep watch...

One night, Jolt was up to no good and tried to trap our boys inside their bedrooms!

His plan didn't work.  Ian just tore right through the crepe paper... while his brothers chose the less conventional way of crawling under it!

Another morning, our boys had terrible luck trying to find Jolt... that's because he was hiding outside on the back porch!  That silly Jolt he made it snow again a little that day... up until yesterday, the only other days it's snowed have been on this particular morning below when Jolt decided to build an ice castle and a morning before this when he made the decorative snow for our windows (click here to see).

One morning, shortly before Christmas, our boys awoke to find the elf playing a quaint little game of croquet... {we weren't home much on this particular day, so I forgot to take a picture until the very next morning, after our elf Jolt had already moved on to adorning the Christmas tree with the boys underwear!!!}

Christmas Eve was the last time we saw Jolt... he flew home to The North Pole with Santa Claus that same evening when Santa came to deliver presents.  Our boys REALLY enjoyed having Jolt join our family for the month of December...  they looked forward to seeing what kind of silly mess Jolt would get himself into during the night...  I don't think our boys will ever forget what kind of mischief he brought to our home--- Why just the other night while we were eating waffles for dinner, Ian reminded us all that the reason we were nearly out of syrup was because Jolt drank it all!  As a parting gift, Jolt left a real miniature train under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve morning...  our boys have wanted a REAL choo choo train for.ever!  This one moves, makes sounds, lights up AND it even blows out steam!!!  {I'm not trying to discredit Jolt here, but that was the.best. $20 I've ever spent on a toy!!!  I looked all over for trains like this one and I couldn't find anything for less than $100!!!  One day while I was checking out at Walgreens, I found THIS train below for $19.99 and what do you know?!  It's a real gem!!!!  Our boys have LOVED it!!!}

Okay, just in case you may have been following our advent Christmas calendar book countdown... these books below were the last books we unwrapped and read for each night leading up to Christmas .{I'm posting a picture of all of the books minus the book we read onChristmas Eve--- I'll let everyone see that book too, but not until I post about Christmas Eve in another write up.  Sorry, you'll have to wait, but trust me, it was a good one!}... We unwrapped and read some pretty great Christmas/holiday season books--- I'd suggest any of them... a lot of them weren't even the ordinary ones most people have heard of--- some may not even be in print or available any longer too, since most of them were lent to us by my mother in law...

This book above called "Stories of Jesus for LDS Children" by Jane Lund was a favorite, along with Peter Spier's "Christmas!"... There's no words in this book, just busy little illustrations for my kids to look at.