On Pinkie...On Moo...On Zhu Zhu's...

Well, Christmas is just a few days away and apparently our Elf was in the mood for practicing to be Santa.  She managed to wrangle up 9 "rein-Zhu Zhus" and got them all set up with antlers for fun.  You'll notice she even turned the Kung Zhu one into Rudolph.  It was quite an event...and she did it all alone while we were sleeping!  I think Christina Popinkins will miss hanging out at our house when she returns to the North Pole on Christmas.  She's such a fun Elf!

Rock Band vs. Elves

Elfs Rule apparently is the name of our Elf's rock band!  It makes sense.  Why else graphiti that all over the place...self expression and PROMOTION!  Today our elf and her friends stopped over for a gig.  Luckily, they did a good job of keeping it quiet...or else we'd have all had a very long night.  Apparently, they play carols.  Who'd have guessed?

Twilight Film Festival

Elves love two things more than anything else...spending time with a GOOD FRIEND...and CANDY!  Today, Christina managed to take part in both of those things and even fit a movie in!  She and Edward from the Twilight movies (Barbie version) watched Twilight and ate their fill of snacks from the snack cabinet.  It was quite a scene.  Now our daughter is convinced that Christina has a crush on Edward.  Poor Bella!

One of the best parts about being an elf is that you get to raid the fridge after everyone else goes to bed.  Christina's usually all about sweets and sugar.  However, on rare occasions she manages to enjoy an apple.  This morning we caught her in the act.  She apparently has spent a lot of time around our family because she also had the salt shaker out.  Not everyone likes to salt their apple.  Our family loves it!  Enjoy Christina...even though it was the last one. 

Card Sharks

Being an Elf on the move evidently makes for a lot of lonely evenings.  Today, Christina showed up and she was playing solitaire like a champ.  It's good to know that not only is she talented enough to fly a plane, go fishing, but also she's a card shark!

Every once in awhile, Elves like a day off.  Yesterday, our elf disappeared.  I suspect she was involved in some sort of secret elf rendevous with Barbie for shopping or some such nonsense.  Well, the next day when she showed up she apparently thought she better let the big man up in the North Pole know why she took the day off.  So she composed and email.  Hey, Elves gotta check in now and then with the boss.

Wrapping?

This morning we came to the living room and went on a long, long search for our favorite Elf.  We looked and looked till we were so tired we sat on the couch.  Then our daughter looked over and said "Mom, is that her there in the gifts?"  Lo and behold, our Elf was wearing her Christmas Camo!  She wrapped herself!

She's quite the wrapper!

Elf International Kitchen Airport

Tonight, our kitchen became as it's never been before.  Our elf makes the journey back to Santa every single night so when she heard our daughter discussing paper airplanes with a new friend she was intrigued.  After all, magic paper airplanes to the North Pole surely make better time than just plain 'ol elf travel.  So our kitchen apparently had to become a landing strip.  While we slept all the toys decided to fly out of the airport.  Some of the planes even crash landed in our christmas tree and hovered waiting for permission to land.  Edward from Twilight (the Barbie version) helped by donning his Elf traffic control gear and guiding the paper planes to safe landing.  It was a lot to take in for sure and it made our daughter exclaim loudly "Elf!  This is a kitchen!  Not an airport!"

Christina coming in for a landing...Edward looks handsome as ever in his bright orange pinney with his twizzler batons!

She definitely needed goggles for this landing.

Edward takes good care of the landing strip...you'll notice even if it's a bumpy landing they have a soft spot to land in.  Can't have elves hurting them selves. 

Shaving???

One of the things our daughter loves the most is her theme pencils that we use for schooling.  As home schoolers we keep everything tidy and on hand in storage boxes that our daughter brings to the table.  Apparently, the elf decided that pencils and art were interesting to her also.  This morning we found Christina Popinkins covered in lead pencil and sharpening away the tips of several of our daughter's pencils!  Thankfully none of her favorites!  The elf masterpiece as always says "Elfs Rule" which I think is sort of Christina's way of thumbing her nose at correct use of plurals.  So here's the mess we found.  Oh my!

She even broke our electric Pencil Sharpener!  Naughty Elf!

Here's a close up of her messy face!

Elf Movie Night

Some of the most fun elves have involves very sugary snacks and using other people's things.  Christina is an elf that likes to keep up tradition.  She decided it would be super cool to eat a little girl's fruit snacks and drink mom's raspberry cider from amish country.  A huge jug full.  While watching the move The Santa Clause in our playroom.  She made herself quite at home.  Even spilling and mopping up the cider with a paper towel...which was better than some of the messes she makes that we have to clean up!  Nothing like movie night for elves!

Please ignore One Eyed Willy the Turtle.  He apparently makes a great bean bag chair for elves.

Vacancy

Apparently, Grandma and Grandpa's house is more fun than our house on weekends.  We get all kinds of begging and pleading from our daughter to spend the night and inevitably that turns into two nights...she really knows how to blow a grandparent's weekend.  Ha!  Well, as luck would have it apparently Elves try to keep up their business for the kids but they enjoy a night off now and then.  When our daughter came home from Grandma's this is what she found:

Snug as a bug in a rug...in our daughter's bed.  No vacancies in our house that night!

Cleanliness is Next to Elf-liness

Today, someone in our family got the great honor of sharing a tooth brush with Christina.  Apparently we interrupted her in the middle of her daily hygene.  She looked quite surprised to see us.  Don't you agree?

She's Elfin Fresh now.

Milk Vandalism

There's three kinds of milk I love.  Chocolate, Strawberry, and Regular are all faves.  In our house, we like them all.  We do not however enjoy GREEN milk.  It's a coloring that makes it hard to eat on cereal or in oatmeal or just with dinner.  Unfortunately, our Elf had to help us figure that out!  She also has a penchant for stealing markers and making Elf graphiti!   

Yum.  Green.  Ewwwww.

Flour Elf Angels

Just when we thought maybe our daughter's elf had decided to return to non-destructive types of hide and seek she chose to make a huge mess in the kitchen!  We woke up to find her making flour elf angels on our kitchen counter.  Her little footy prints were even on the floor and counters and cupboards.  It was a big 'ol elf of a mess.  Oh, Christina!  What are we going to do with you??

This Elf has way too much fun!  She even tracked flour from the bag all over!

Scuba in the Aquarium

This morning upon waking our little one had to really look hard to find her Elf.  She was in the last place any of us suspected she'd be!  Look and see for yourself!  She was swimming in our Aquarium!  (Actually she's pressed between the wall and the aquarium...but you sure couldn't tell.  Her smooshed face even made it look as though she was holding her breath!)

Holding your breath all day had to be a difficult task...but nothing stops this Elf!

Missing Elf...

Sometime our elf gets a little tired of our house and wants an adventure.  Sure, you'd think it's a whole lot safer...and warmer...inside.  However, Christina likes a challenge.  Today, our daughter got up and could not find her elf!  She went all over the house searching and no such luck.  She was convinced that her elf had been waylaid by Santa as a punishment for her bad behavior.  It could be true.  She is awful naughty.  So tonight when we went out for a road trip...who showed up?  Christina!  She'd been waiting to take a ride ALL day!

On, James!  Home!  Christina commands to her Chauffer...my husband.

When all else fails...Fish!

Our elf was apparently in need of some recreation.  This morning our daughter found her fishing in the toilet.  While I must say, at the holidays I certainly understand her need to get away...I think toilet fishing might be pushing it.  Daughter said to me today "Mom, I'm pretty sure Santa has no idea the kind of Elf he sent to our house."  She's appalled by Christina's tenacity.  I say, "Do your worst, Christina.  Do your worst!"  You will be happy to know that only a handful of goldfish crackers were harmed in this Elf prank.  Thank goodness they weren't the ones from our fish tank!

Warning to Elves:  Do not use real hook.  Sometimes adults or children alike sit down without turning on the light or looking.  Ouch.

It's a bird, It's a plane, It's an Elf in a makeshift cape?

Tonight, I think the elf's creative process was waining.  She seemed tired.  So she chose to try an adventure apparently.  She borrowed a skirt from Barbie and went for a hang.  I thought it was especially cool of her to use a paperclip and silly band as a safety harness.  Daughter immediately shouted "SUPER ELF!"  She thought it was pretty cool that she was brave enough to hang around all day.

Note:  Barbie wrap around skirt required.  ;)

Using our Christmas Garland was super effective, Christina!

Vandalism via Elf

Apparently, elves are excellent artists.  Who'd have imagined we'd ever have to find that out.  I was amused that my photo received the most demented part of the doodles.  (I think someone's paying me back for having to go buy more toilet paper!)  Our elf seems bent on destruction this week.  We had to admit though that this was a complete masterpiece.  A real piece of work....that's our Elf.

Thank goodness, she used dry erase!

Note:  Daughter suggested that she needed to visit Santa and tell on the Elf at this point. 

The Night Before We Ran Out of TP.

When you have children it seems like little things never last as long as they should.  Shampoo for instance comes and goes so quickly that I often hear myself say things like "Didn't I just buy you a bottle?"  One of the things that seems to dissappear before it should in my house is toilet tissue.  Toilet paper is my husbands stocking domain.  He likes certain kinds and since I have no TP preference I let him make sure it stays stocked with his "favorite" kind.

Recently, a certain naughty elf in our house decided to play a trick on my husband and all of us.  Apparently, she likes to strike right where it hurts...our supply of toilet paper.  I heard my daughter exclaim when she got up "Christina, you are a bad elf.  You are making us all look bad.  Dad is going to be super mad you used his favorite butt paper for your tricks."  I managed to keep a straight face for most of the "telling on her elf" she did when we both rolled into the room sleepy and wishing it was later.  My favorite part was when she said "Mom, I think maybe I taught my elf to be bad by acting up."  Hmmm.  Elf...listen up...Dad says "No more toilet paper using tricks!"

Caught Elf Handed...

She really should be a quarter back...look at that ARM??

She covered it completely!

Mom, I lost my Glasses!

I don't know if it's like this in everyone's house but in mine someone is always losing things.  It seems like the more organized we get the more we lose.  At the holiday time, this triples.  No one can ever find the tape to wrap with.  There's gifts we bought last year in boxes in the attic that we've found over the year in weird places.  Our daughter is the queen of losing things.  Today, she lost her advent calendar goodies just moments after opening the dates container.  I think if her head wasn't attached...we'd be looking for it ALL THE TIME!  Immediately after losing the advent calendar items she lost her glasses.  It's not even an issue because she can't SEE them when their off because their only for distance reading!  Maybe they were too far away and she never got close enough to find them?  I haven't the slightest clue.  However, sometime that night her Elf came back from Santa's place and found them.  The next morning, this is what we found on top of our microwave in the Kitchen....

Oh, Christina Popinkins!  What are we going to do with you!