The Elves have arrived!

After sending the Head Elf photographic proof that it was safe for elves in the Olson household, we woke up to find that Alabaster, Jangle and Glen (who is earning his "Elf Name" this holiday season) had arrived ready to 'par-tee'!

Jolly". 

Needless to say, the kids were all excited.  The note that was left told us to remember that if we were to maintain our status as a host family we had to maintain a high level of Christmas spirit and good behavior. In their words- "Be good and Be 

Starting the 2014 Elf Season

So our elves haven't "officially" arrived yet. Apparently when they do their home checks to make sure everything is safe for the Visiting Elves, they found something that caused concern at our house...an antler-less reindeer. (I may be jumping to conclusions here but I'm assuming they mean our new dog, Charlie).

Can you read "Elf Language"?

So in order to prove to the elves our home is safe for all elves, we are required to wear Authenic Elf Uniforms and send the Head Elf photographic proof that we are all safe. Only then will they dispatch our elves to our home.

The Head Elf left us something to open!

I never realized that there were so many precautions one had to take in order to have Elves visit your home at Christmas time!

But like any good host family, we did as we were asked and donned the uniforms and sent the proof to the North Pole. Now we just have to wait...

Breakfast - elf style

We woke up to the smell of pancakes yesterday! What a nice surprise. The elves must have heard Sam say he hoped the elves would make pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Although, the elves weren't quite sure why we call it "break" fast. They asked if we break things while we eat? Well, um, not since Jack outgrew that phase!

Glen was busy mixing up the batter... 

 

While Jangled manned (ahem, I mean elfed) the griddle. 

Looks like Glen found something yummy. 

Uh oh. I guess Alabaster needs to take over. 

All done and with Christmas sprinkles even!

Elf lesson #2 - Snowball fights

If you've ever seen the movie "Elf" with Will Farrell, you know elves are very good at snowball fights. That must have been what Alabaster and Jangle were trying to teach Glen when we were all gone at work and school. 

I'm not sure who won, but when Jack and Sam found them they sure joined in! Thankfully mom was gone all night so she didn't have to see the mess the elves (and boys) were making in her house!

I find it amusing that the sign they chose to use as a barricade has a quote that says "Remember, as far as anyone knows, we are a Nice, Normal family". How appropriate. 

Oh and I guess for good measure they redecorated mom's quilt rack. They took down her Christmas quilt and put up our underwear!  (And the Incredible Hulk was using one as a swing!)  I just don't understand the elves' fascination with underwear!

Teaching an old dog new tricks

The elves enlisted the help of their trusted reindeer to take part in their little shenanigans the other night. Mom just about stumbled down a flight of stairs when she woke up! After turning on the light and going blind for about 15 seconds, she realized why.   

The reindeer were all lined up for some reason.  But she didn't have time to figure it out- there was coffee to be made. Soon, Sam woke up and as the smell of coffee wafted through the air, waking up brain cells, mom saw him reading something on the stairs. Still not fully functional, mom went about getting the coffee into a cup so she could finally form a coherent sentence. By then Jack was awake. Between the two boys they found Glen. But not Alabaster and  Jangle. Glen was stuck about 10 feet up in the air on our chandelier!

He was tied to Lucy's dog bowl and was holding one of her treats. How he got way up there is beyond me and what he was doing was a mystery. Thankfully the elves left a note which Sam quickly took and deciphered in the mirror ( in case you forgot, elves write backwards so you need a mirror to decode it). Turns out the elves were trying to teach Lucy our dog, how to fly! But they were a bit disappointed in her effort. They said that no matter how many times they pushed her off the top step, she couldn't master the takeoff. I believe the reindeer were grading her and based on their scorecard she did not pass.  And seeing as though Lucy was no where to be found, I'm assuming she wasn't quite as happy about trying to fly as the reindeer thought she would be. 

The boys also discovered a whole bunch of grinch pencils the reindeer left them. It appears even the reindeer were watching for good behavior the night before - of which there was little! The reindeer told the boys that they could only use grinch pencils in school today because they had been so grouchy the night before!

Then I heard Jack shout "they left another note!" And off he ran. 

Well, we found out where the other two elves were. 

They were digging in the cookie jar! They must have found Lucy's dog treats and thought they were cookies ( Worst Cookies Ever apparently). They left mom a note saying she needed to find a new recipe for cookies because these were disgusting. 

Elf Vices

This morning mom woke up to a race track in the middle of her living room. Literally. 

Seems the elves were having a bit of a contest to see who was faster. 

(Are the elves LOSING?)

And the reindeer were gambling on the outcome. Naughty, naughty reindeer! I wonder if there is a naughty list for reindeer?

When mom got home from work that night and asked the kids who won the race, Jack said the elves did...with a little sheepish grin on his face. Then he said that the elves cheated and used the sleigh! And everyone knows sleighs are lightning fast. 

I think a note to Santa to tell him his elves aren't behaving might be in order. 

Elf training - Lesson #1

This morning we woke up to find a letter in the elves' mailbox from Santa. He explained that the new elf, Glen, came with Alabaster and Jangle because Alabaster was a Master Elf Trainer and Glen needed some big-time help in that area. Plus our household was known for being patient with elf messes and Santa knew we could handle him. If Glen is able to pass all his Elf courses, he will be rewarded with an Official Elf name. 

So after reading that, Sam went to check on the elves and they were MISSING! He looked everywhere an couldn't find them. Mom was heading out the door for work and walked passed the bathroom and gasped! This is what she found: 

Alabaster was instructing Glen on Present Wrapping 101. (We are pretty sure Jangle failed that class as you might be able to tell from this next picture. 

The note Alabaster left said that Glen was practicing his skills and wrapped something for us. But he couldn't lift it to get it under our tree. He told us not to open it until Christmas.  Fat chance, Mr. Elf. 

We found the reindeer reading a book together very nicely. Last night Jack read them all a story about the Pigeon wants a Puppy, and tucked the reindeer into a nice cozy blanket and pillow. 

Maybe that's why the reindeer were so well behaved. 

Oh, and when the kids came home from school those darn elves were into mischief again! They made a rope ladder out of poor little Jack's undies and climbed the boys dresser to try and get into Sam's safe.  Stinkers!