Elf on a Shelf

We came home from the parade and there was an elf sitting on our kitchen bar... Well you can imagine our surprise, but luckily he had a letter with him taped into his book that said the following:

Hello Tyler 11.26.11
Your grandma told me I should come see you. I am an elf on the shelf and will be watching over you during the holiday season. Every few days I will head back to the North Pole to report to Santa. You will be able to tell when I have reported back because I will be in a different place. On Christmas Eve I will head back home with Santa until next year – I will return after you have donated a gift to another child.
My name is Scout because I will be scouting out your good and bad behavior.
Love,
Scout

Looks like Scout is on board with our family emphasizing the importance of donating to other children. So glad Grandma told Scout to head our way. All kids good and bad need an elf to watch over them at the holidays.

I have heard that these elves can reappear in some interesting places and situations. Stay tuned for any Scout antics.... Keep in mind kids can't touch the elves or they lose all their powers! Welcome to the family Scout.


LOTS OF NEW POSTS BELOW SCROLL DOWN TO SEPTEMBER TO SEE THEM ALL!!!!

Children Giving to Children Parade

Every year Austin has a Children Giving to Children's Parade. We went last year and decided to make it a family tradition. This year put us (a bit) to the test on tradition. It was cold and raining, although the rain pretty much let up by the time we got there.
We want Tyler to know how important it is to give to others and that there are many children that do not have what he has. The message is important but, the parade is fun so double win.
An exciting addition was Nanny and cousin Kennedy came up for the parade. We got there early anticipating the crowd of last year, but the weather seems to have kept some families away. Sad for the donations,but they did seem to get a HUGE amount of toys. As you can tell we were all dressed for weather and everyone was a trooper! We also got a great spot. Kennedy donated her gift and so did Tyler.
Tyler really enjoyed it! He clapped and danced and really liked seeing Santa. His newest thing is pointing to things and saying 'this?' wanting to know what things are. We would hear him giggling to himself about things I assume he liked.
It was a lot of fun!

Thanksgiving

We hosted our first Thanksgiving this year. Grandma, Grandpa, Alan, Sonja, and Unlce Billy were all here for it. And of course Piper - her parents were still at the hospital with Teagan.
Will fried a turkey if you have seen any of the 'bad' videos on YouTube you can imagine both our nervousness. I made stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and a desert. Grandma was nice enough to make the gravy (something I dare not attempt), mashed potatoes and two deserts!
The food was great Will did a fantastic job on the turkey and I didn't burn anything so we felt like a great success.
It was fun to watch Piper and Tyler play. They had a territorial tift over Grandma's high chair that she brought for Piper to sit in and they both wanted the popper. It was funny to watch them try to figure things out. I never got a good 'argument' on video but it was pretty funny. Overall they got along great and it was so fun to have her with us.
We tried to get in a small photo shoot with Piper and Tyler and their Christmas cookies. Although the pictures are cute they didn't turn out like the photos we had in our head... I think I have posted that before :)
Unfortunately we didn't take more pictures, but I love the first one. Tyler looks like he is looking at Piper as if she took his cookie.

Teagan

Our newest niece and Tyler's newest cousin Teagan Star was born November 23rd. She was 7 lbs 3 oz and 18 & 3/4 inches long. Mom (Tori) and baby are doing great. Tori and Christian are very excited about their new addition.
She has a full head or dark hair.
Oh, how Piper's life is about to change :)
Grateful for our new niece and cousin.

Halloween

Tyler was a gnome for Halloween (specifically the Travelocity gnome).He looked super cute and everyone loved his costume. He wore it to school and won (unofficially)staff favorite. His teachers loved it so much they took him to every room to show off.
We took him in the wagon to a few houses to trick or treat but mostly sat out front and handed out candy.

Pumpkin Patch

We went to the pumpkin patch at the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm. It's the same place we get our Christmas Tree from every year. It was a lot of fun with a lot for kids to do. Tyler pet a minature horse he wasn't really sure what to do but liked it in the end. We took a ton or pictures of him in the pumpkins and had a great time. We bought three pumkins and carved one of them for Halloween.

First Steps!!!

Tyler took his first steps - of course being bribed by the opportunity of a phone. I 'tricked' him into it and then he didn't walk again for almost a month. As of now (11/26 when I am posting this) he is a full time walker and almost running! He is past the 'Frankenstein' stage as someone called it and walking great. Man are they fast!!!! I am so very glad to have him not crawling - when a kid starts self feeding with their hands - its like taking your silverware and strapping it to your shoes and then giving it a slightly warm wash with soap before dinner.
You can tell my excitement by the gasp at the end but it was super exciting!!!!