Oh buddy! {week one}

our elf buddy has made himself right at home.
the girls are LOVING it.
they wake each morning ready to find out what buddy is up to and talk to him often. it's pretty cute.
much to my surprise they have not touched him once..i thought for sure chloe would not be able to keep her hands off of him. she has been very good about it.
they were very concerned when grandpa (not knowing the story of elf on the shelf) touched buddy.
they sat in the room watching buddy, scared that somehow he would disappear.
we assured them that grandpa didn't know and that it was okay just this one time. that was close.

here is our first week with buddy...

{day one: buddy greeted the girls from way up high on the fan}

{day 2: the north pole was cold, buddy warmed up and made a new friend name taffy}

{day 3: buddy is an artist. ella was so concerned that the picture was ruined}

{day 4: buddy tried to be helpful and get the girl's breakfast ready}

{day 5: buddy left love notes for the girls and a peppermint kiss...they loved this one}

{day 6: buddy has a sweet tooth. the girls think we should lock the pantry so he doesn't get a tummyache}

{day 7: buddy makes a snow angel}

my love.

i LOVE this little girl.
two days a week we get the house all to ourselves for a couple hours. it's our special time and i love every second of it.
she is such a happy baby with a smile that melts my heart.
i love you riley.

a few riley things to note...
she figured out how to clap. she does it ALL the time and it is the cutest thing ever.
she is starting to despise baby food. we spend lots more time cutting "big people" food into tiny bite-sized pieces. she loves it.
she pretend sneezes. it is hilarious. she snaps her little head forward and says "choo".
she is currently cutting her top two teeth on top of a cold, but still keeps on smiling.

blog{worthy}

so it may seem silly, but today's outing to starbucks was worth a mention on the blog.
why you may ask?
in my pre-baby years i enjoyed a cup of coffee {or two} daily. i thoroughly enjoyed each and every last sip.
i loved the experience of it, and even more so during the holidays where the red cup was basically the perfect accessory to any outfit.
then came bun in the oven number one. i altogether lost the taste for it. gone, no desire.
this was much to my husband's dismay. he is what you would call a starbuck's addict. seriously.
flash forward to today...during my morning routine thoughts of red cups and latte's seemed to be ever present. very-unlike me.
there was only one thing to do....and here i am red cup in hand a spring in my step. thank you caffeine you were missed.

check out this cutie who apparently had no problem making herself feel right at home admist all the hustle and bustle....

sisters, sisters...

...there were never such devoted sisters

i love my sisters with all my heart.

these two girls mean the world to me.

the best part about them is that you just pick up where you left off, and there is sure to never be a dull moment.

i think these next pictures say it all.

i ♥ u girls...

{the end}

this is the life {san diego edition}

we are back from our home away from home.
as always the weekend was jammed full of all things fun.
lots of cousin lovin, candy making, christmas decorating, laughing till our sides hurt fun.
it is always hard to pack up and head home.

the girls are already counting down the days till we return...13 more days till the Nutcracker!!

this little munchkin caught her daddy's cold, but she still just keeps on smiling...

so my hubby loves to hang christmas lights. i would say it has become a bit of an obsession for him. his thinking when it comes to "decking the halls" is the bigger, the better. unfortunately, due to the fact that we live in an apartment for the moment, his ability to go all out was quite limited. on the brighter side, he went a bit crazy at my parent's home this weekend, hanging lights literally up until the moment we had to head home. it looks pretty amazing!   

grandma and the girls made the most delicious peppermint bark. so festive!

{the fab five}

pajamas & pancakes

what could be more fun than jammies and pancakes?
ella's class spent the entire day decked out in their cozies, eating delicious pancakes & watching christmas movies in their sleeping bags.
sounds like the perfect day to me.
i was lucky enough to hangout {in my pj's of course} and snap a few photos throughout the day.

thank you miss keen for planning such an incredibly fun day...ella can't stop talking about it.

meet buddy

the newest member of our household.
he arrived this morning, much to our girls delight.
i have been anxiously anticipating december 1st...the day the girls would get to meet this magical elf.
last night we read the story as a family. the girls LOVED the book.
i gave no hints or ideas that we would actually be getting a visit from our very own elf.

you can imagine their surprise when they spotted our little friend hanging upside down from the fan.
their reactions were completely different. a reflection of their personalities.
chloe found him first and started giggling and conversing with buddy right away.
ella would not even look at him. she took quick glances out of the corner of her eye and became super shy.
baby riley crawled and parked herself underneath the fan and kept pointing. a new skill i didn't know she even had.
all the way to school the girls were little chatterboxes...hoping and wondering if buddy was here to stay.
i am looking forward to where we may find him next. i ♥ Christmas!

{chloe the moment she spotted him}

 the girls sat and just stared at buddy till it was time to go to school.