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Rock The Elf

Return of the Real Life Elf on the Shelf

by Alan 13 Comments

Guess who showed up at our house this week?

Yep, Rock the Elf is back. Check out some of these images from last year. I ended up sleeping with one eye open the entire month of December (read last year’s post here).

Elf on the shelf selfie-2 Elf on the Shelf shower-2 Elf on Shelf Wipcream-7-2

I thought he might skip our house this year until Wil showed me an Etch A Sketch message from him two days before December. It was nice to have some notice this year as opposed to last year, but I still didn’t have enough time to change the locks before he showed up.

elf-on-the-shelf

I have mixed feelings about this elf returning to live with us for the month, we have sort of a love hate relationship.  I noticed myself starting to miss him after he went back to the North Pole (I hope he never reads that) which totally surprised me. He is great with the kids and I love that part, but he has no sense of manners or privacy. I’m going to document each day of his time with us in this blog post, so keep checking back to see the latest update on how the elf and I are getting along.

elf-on-the-shelf-returns

Day 1: He’s back! I’ve heard that other elves appear quietly in the night – well not ours. He called ahead to make sure we had the confetti and lights ready as he walked in the door. He was so mad when he found out I canceled the DJ he ordered. Im glad the kids are excited he’s here.

elf-on-the-shelf-lights

Day 2: So far the elf mischief has been pretty mild, but that’s usually how elves are – they gain your trust and then next thing you know your toilet is full of jello and your slippers are filled with pudding. He did however, bring some useful tools. Last year he said we didn’t have enough lights around the house, so he brought a Light-O-Matic 3000. It can shoot over 1000 pre-lit lights a minute and uses a 30 Volt Polar Power battery. Last night Zac got a taste of the Light-O-Matic when he tried to steal one of the elf’s candy canes. The elf lit him up like a Christmas tree and made him stand in the corner for 15 min.

elf-on-the-shelf-whip-cream

Day 3: He eats even more candy than last year! He is setting a horrible example for our kids so I asked him to start brushing his teeth every morning or else I would make him go back to the North Pole. Apparently, I wasn’t specific enough.

elf on the shelfDay 4: I’m pretty sure that jet pack is not FAA certified. The elf left early this morning, after finishing a big bowl of syrup and noodles.  He was complaining about the lack of snow so far this month and told us he was going to pay a visit to Jack Frost. The weather report keeps telling us it’s going to snow, but freezing cold winds usually come in and push it out. Apparently the elf got to meet Jack Frost last year on a hiking excursion with his buddy Cornelius.

elf-on-the-shelf

Day 5: The elf ate all of the advent calendar chocolates last night!  He apologized once he realized that it was not a game to test how many chocolates you could put in your mouth in 24 seconds.

elf-and-the-snow-flake

Day 6: This morning the elf challenged me to a “friendly game” of Five Second Snow Flake. If I made the best snowflake in five seconds, the elf would have to wear normal clothes until Christmas. If the elf won, I would have to wear elf clothes on Christmas Day. I might not be going out very much on Christmas Day ?

real-life-elf-on-the-shelf

Day 7: Nikki and I were looking forward to watching a movie in bed last night. The elf insisted on joining us and complained about our pillows not being fluffy the entire movie. I told him the pillows were stuffed with goose feathers and that they couldn’t get any fluffier. I guess I was wrong.

Real life elf on the shelf

Day 8: Every year my family and I have a “Grinch Night” party before Christmas. We eat roast beast, Who pudding and watch the Grinch Movie. I didn’t understand why the Elf kept referring to the Grinch movie as a documentary until he invited a “friend” over for the party.

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Alan Lawrence

thatdadblog

After lots of prayers and counseling with her doct After lots of prayers and counseling with her doctor, Nikki has started talking a medication called Hyramoz which after time (hopefully in a year or two) can put the Ankylosing Spondylitis in remission. 
she’s also taking something to help ease her pain. She called me from Costco crying, she was so excited that she could lift a bag of flour into her cart without pain.
Diet is another big change that she is doing to help
Well, thank you so much for your prayers and ask you to please continue to pray for her that this will soon go into remission.
Yes, we are that family. If you’re a part of the Yes, we are that family.
If you’re a part of the T21 tribe you get it - we take care of each other and if we can meet another family in the tribe nothing gets in our way.
#downsyndromelove #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness
#downsyndromerocks #21 #trisomy 21 #upsyndrome #morealikethandifferent #nothingdownaboutit #theluckyfew #mystory #dadlife
I was showering and thought I heard someone come i I was showering and thought I heard someone come in the bathroom.  I finished washing my face, turned around and there was Wil 
“Hey Dad!” 
He knows how to pick our bathroom lock and said he was bored and missed me. It’s hard to get mad at that. 

He is still learning the concept of privacy but at least he rolled up his pant legs! 😂

#dadlife #downsyndrome
Throw back to when Wil was young and we were comin Throw back to when Wil was young and we were coming home from a vacation and were letting everyone exit our plane before we organized our big family to exit. While we waited, Wil made everyone’s night a little brighter. #downsyndrome #reels #dadlife #downsyndromeawareness
Sharing this with permission from Nikki to possibl Sharing this with permission from Nikki to possibly connect her with others who have been through this and also to ask for your prayers as she navigate her daily pain and for guidance on solutions.  Thank you! 
these photos are from a recent trip to a Hot Springs in Idaho, which felt so good on her joints. 
#ankylosingspondylitis #ankylosingspondylitisawareness
“My butt is ouchy” 😂 Leidy and Rocko spent “My butt is ouchy” 😂 Leidy and Rocko spent the day on the mountain with me learning to snowboard.  They both did great! Leidy was very nervous and told me she was worried that she was going to throw up but by the end she was going on the lift by herself and told me she was happy. 
Rocko was a trooper and told me I could go do some runs by myself he wanted to concentrate 😂 
These two pushed themselves and over came some fears today and I am very proud. 
#prouddad #familyiseverything #dadlife
Sweet 16!! It’s hard to believe that its been th Sweet 16!! It’s hard to believe that its been three years since I first met Leidy in her orphanage while helping to film a project that was advocating for orphans in Colombia who were close to aging out.  Now she is home celebrating her first birthday with her new family! 
This happy, and stubborn girl has a big heart and even bigger dreams.  She was full of joy on her first birthday with her new family!
Meeting a fellow Dad that shares the same Down Syn Meeting a fellow Dad that shares the same Down Syndrome connection erases all awkwardness of bear hugging in the middle of a shopping center. 
YOU ARE OFFICIALLY BROTHERS FOR LIFE!! 
-
#advocatelikeadad #dadlife #extrachromosome #downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness #downsyndromerocks #t21 #trisomy21 #upsyndrome #morealikethandifferent #nothingdownaboutit #theluckyfew #mystory #changingthefaceofbeauty
You sourdough mamas know the feeling. if you want You sourdough mamas know the feeling.  if you want to be a domestic goddess and try sourdough bread but you’re intimidated. Send me a DM - Nikki is sharing some of her starts and she also has a 15 minute instructional video on how to make sourdough bread from start to finish 👍
#sourdough #sourdoughstarter #sourdoughmama #sourdoughbaking #domesticgoddess #funnyvideos 
#homeschool #pioneerwoman
Three Running tips I learned from my new trainer:  1. Randomly laugh for minutes at time for no apparent reason. 2. Always check to see if you are being tracked my a bear or racoon. 3. Hug your running buddy while you are running to motivate each other. Looking forward to learning more from my new running coach. He is the best in the biz. 
-
#runhappy #noexcuses #downsyndrome #theluckyfew #fyp #prouddad #viralreels #dadlife
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