The Elf..revealed

My Chloe has been freaked out by The Elf on the Shelf since last Christmas.

So, we definitely did not even try it again this year. In early December, we were at Kevin's sister's house for her newest daughter's baptism lunch, and her middle daughter was running around holding their Elf on the Shelf doll. Chloe kept telling me that the elf was not going to be able to go back to the North Pole because Mae was touching it (which, according to the book, is against the rules). I just kept changing the subject.

Then a couple of days later, we came home late and with it being dark in the house, Chloe asked me to turn on the light in the living/play room before she'd go in there. I told her that there was nothing to be afraid of and to just go on in and turn them on herself because I was trying to get Mary Britton settled. Well, she just wouldn't go in there. She finally told me, through tears, that Mia had told her that Cindy, the Elf on the Shelf, was in there waiting for her. (That stinker!)

So, she was officially freaked out...again.

I had to make an executive Mommy decision and tell her the truth about Cindy the Elf. I just couldn't let her be tormented by her anymore. So, as I am trying to explain to her that Cindy is not real (like Santa) but that she was a doll and it is all part of a game, she kept saying:

Chloe: "No! It's not true! Where did she go at night when we were sleeping?"

Me: "Nowhere. She stayed here in our house because she is a doll."

Chloe: "Well, how does she end up in a different spot each day?"

Me: "Moms and Dads move her."

Chloe: "Where did she go when you told her to leave last year?"

Me: "Wal-Mart."

She was so confused, but after we talked it out, she finally believed me.

I was nervous that it was a slippery slope of a topic, but I just couldn't watch her get so upset about a little bendable felt-covered, rubber-faced doll anymore.

A Gingerbread Village...really...

Kevin might be the most fun dad on the planet. He is always cooking up fun things to do with his gaggle of girlies.

(For instance, tonight he spent a half hour having a tea party with Quinnie and her new tea set from Santa.)

A few weeks ago, Kevin decided that he wanted to build not a gingerbread house, but a gingerbread village with our girls. I quickly told him that this was "his thing"...because if it was up to me, I'd go to Target and buy the boxed kit. He agreed and started making plans. He asked the girls to draw up some blueprints:

Then they began making the gingerbread pieces---walls, roofs, etc. Everyone was very "helpful" in this part of the process (smile):

we had to strip Quinn down to her diaper for this kind of job!

some of the walls

"Is it ready yet?"

look what we found in Day 4 of our Advent calendar box---a little gift from Quinnlan---gingerbread dough

A few days later, I got Quinnlan the Destroyer out of the house so Daddy, Mia and Chloe could start the assembling and decorating...wow...pictures can only describe the mess/chaos/fun that was had by all:

I am in love with this fabulous father, and they sure are too!