Zip Line!

I am very behind on posting, and I am sorry.  I am even going to post out of order.  Again, I am sorry.  The holidays are crazy enough as it is, but throw in traveling...Wowza!  Things are hectic here to say the least.

I finally found a charger to charge my camera battery (thanks Josh!!) so now posts will resume at least some sort of normalcy.  I am skipping Perry and Mike day 26 because the pictures aren't on my memory card.  Hopefully I can post them later.  There are also other photos and stories I would love to share, but they will have to wait.  Today is about Perry and Mike.

This morning, they were easy to spot.  Both munchkins spotted them before getting out of bed.

They made a zip line and were playing just above the kids' heads!

Here is A's face when she saw them:

Gannon, where is Perry?

What are they doing??

G:  I have NO idea!!

See you soon!



Twice the Fun

So you know that we have two elves, now, but do you know that they like to get into trouble together??

They are just having a little "elfing" fun!

Yep!  They TP'd the tree!!

Mommy!  Look what Perry and Mike did!

WHAT??!!!

Ha!  Those silly elves ;)



Just Hanging Around

Disaster struck here yesterday.  Okay, so it wasn't a disaster, but it's my blog, and I can exaggerate, right??

It never fails...When we come to Lake Charles, I always, always forget something.  Usually, it isn't a big deal.  What did I forget this time?  The charger and spare battery for my CAMERA!!!

Ugh.

So I am making do with a point-and-shoot for now, and hopefully I can find a charger, soon.

Now, onto our mischievous elves!

This was Monday morning/
I know, I know.  I am slacking.  But we are very, very busy running the roads to see everyone we love!

....and there went the camera!

Hopefully, we will be back up and running soon.

A Friend for Perry

Well friends, we made it.  After seven-and-a-half hours, we finally made it to Lake Charles!

I know what you are thinking:
But it is only a three-and-a-half hour drive from Longview to Lake Charles... Why did it take yall so long? 

We decided to travel down through Louisiana instead of Texas so that we could make a quick stop at Bass Pro Shop in Bossier City.  Well....That quick trip lasted three-and-a-half hours!  It would have lasted much longer had I not been wanting to get to Lake Charles so badly.  Gannon and Bryan had the best time, and I wish my camera hadn't been packed away in the car.  There were all sorts of booths set up for husbands kids to try, like hunting and fishing games, remote control trains, face painting, and more.  Santa was even there taking free pictures with the little ones!

A great time was had by all!

When we arrived in Lake Charles, we were greeted by a very special visitor at Mimi's house.

Santa sent an elf to Mimi's house, too!  I don't have any photos of the kids because they found him while we were unloading our bags.  They were very excited about this new friend.  Gannon immediately named him, Mike.

They told Mike all about their other elf, Perry.  They also introduced him to their toy elves, Chippey and Snowflake. 

The next morning, they awoke to another surprise. 

Perry found us in Lake Charles!!

Can't leave this one out....Here are the munchkins baking blueberry muffins with Mimi!

We are very excited to be home, and we cannot wait to visit with everyone!

All the Bags Are Packed, We're Ready to Go!

It's official:  I am free!  For seventeen days, that is.  Not only do I get to spend seventeen whole days with my three favorite people in the whole world, but we get to spend TEN of those days in Lake Charles with all the people we love!  What could possibly be bad about that??  I'll tell you...p-a-c-k-i-n-g!  Ugh.  I hate packing!

Good thing we have a very helpful elf!  Perry packed up all our things while we were sleeping, so we could relax this morning when we woke up!

In that second picture, she is shouting:

Perry packed my clothes so I can go see my MIMI!!!  Mommy, we slept all our sleeps, so let's goooo!

Gannon said:

Hey!!  How'd he do all that?!

Well, we're off!  Can't wait to see all our family and friends in The Chuck!

**Be sure to stay tuned for elf-sightings in Lake Charles!**

Sleepy Head

Well, it's official.  Our kiddos have worn Perry out!  This is how we found him this morning:

Crashed out in a Christmas stocking with all their movies!

Austyn just can't get enough of Perry.  After she got ready for school, she just went and laid by him.

Well, of course, Gannon had to get in on that, too!



Candy Cane Craze!

Perry thought our tree was missing a little something, so he added it!

Yep, that's right...candy canes!

Austyn noticed them immediately when she walked in the room, and ran shouting to Bryan.

I love her face in the second photo as she is turning to find him!

Cheeser!

Gannon rubbed his eyes, looked up, and went straight to the couch.

But don't let him fool you...

He is excited, too!!

He's busted ;)

Sweet potatoes ready for their Polar Express PJ party at school!

I love them big-big!!

Hugs and Kisses

Perry is totally trying to fatten me up!  He keeps giving the kids ideas like baking cakes and cookies, making hot cocoa and donuts....

And now, he has brought us candy!

And they just so happen to be one of my absolute favorites, Hershey's Hugs, so  there is no way I will be laying off of them!  How did he know??  ;)

I turned of my blow dryer this morning to hear Bryan shouting across the house for me to come to the living room.

There has been a Perry sighting, and I can't hold her back!  Grab the camera!!

I rushed in just in the nick of time, ha!

And this, my friends, is why I don't have them pose for pictures!  They are pretty funny, though!



Perry's Pony

What is that grin about??

"Ummm....."

"I found Perry!!"

"He is riding my pony!"

"Here, Perry, you can play with Rora, too!"

What was Gannon worried about?

"Mom!  Perry is blocking the TV."

Turkey.



Hot Cocoa and Homemade Donuts

Perry must have been cold this morning when he arrived at our house.  We found him on our stove all ready to make hot cocoa!

Austyn...I just love how excited she gets every morning when she finds Perry!  It is such an adventure for her.

Gannon-- He wasn't nearly as excited about Perry as he was about the smarshmallow smiley face Perry made for him.  He went straight to them and started eating :)

While we were making hot cocoa, Gannon and Austyn decided that donuts would go perfectly with it.  So, off we went on a donut-making adventure!

Here's what we did:

-First, you will need a can of refrigerated buttermilk (not flaky layers) biscuits.

I used the small ones...not sure it matters, but that is what I had.

Flatten out your biscuits and cut a hole in the center.

I used a bag tip for piping icing to cut our holes.  Just use whatever you have handy.

 

Next, submerge the donuts (and holes) in melted butter.

Then, dip them in sugar.

Finally, spread them out on an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake them at 375 for 12-14 minutes.

Yummy!

And, of course, here are a few photos of the kiddos enjoying their hot cocoa and donuts!