Meet Mr. Jingles!

Like so many other American families, we too have joined in on the Christmas tradition of The Elf on the Shelf! This past weekend, Mr. Jingles made his grand appearance, all the way from the North Pole at the Bailey house!

Quickly, Mr. Jingles has become a very talked to little elf! You will catch me standing in front of him many times throughout my day talking to him loud enough so that Charlie and Wylie can hear me!

Wylie, usually the rule follower, is all about doing good for Mr. Jingles. I can use his name and get her to follow most any direction. I know, I am slightly abusing Mr. Jingles but I don't think him or Santa will mind!

Our good friend Charlie, who is quite aware of Mr. Jingles' presence, does not seem as concerned with showing off his good behavior for this little elf who so kindly appeared at our house! While he does enjoy talking to him, he really is unmotivated by his presence! A total bummer! I am hoping this changes! You can rest assure we are giving it all we have got!

Most nights since Mr. Jingles arrived, we have read our special elf book that Santa sent. Then we talk about Mr. Jingles. Tonight, the crew decided they needed to go to Mr. Jingles in person. Hear for yourself the conversations of some 2 year olds and Mr. Jingles! They are only slightly precious!

Whoever the brilliant mind was who invented this simple little elf...thank you!

On Top Of A Mountain

Yesterday, after conquering a 4 am Black Friday, this momma listened to her younger sister and was persuaded that loading up the Bailey Bunch and heading to Blowing Rock in search of the “Perfect Tree” would be ultimate fun! Looking back, I don’t know if you could say it was ultimate fun, but it was ultimate crazy and we all arrived home back in one piece so it was a success!

RahRah and DooDad, along with The Hardister Bunch, were in search of the “Perfect Tree” so they felt a family gathering was in order! So we loaded up… 2 cars, 5 car seats, about 15 leftover Thanksgiving ham sandwiches, 3 Disney movies and 2 hours of road trip! Memories were bound to be made!

The Backseat Bunch

The Littlest One!

and a Lulu Sweetie Pie!

So off we headed off. If you were to have asked how long this journey would take, no matter where we were the answer was “30 to 45 minutes!” Well, 2 1/2 hours later, this crew had arrived!

Who would have realized it was going to drop about 15 degrees from Rock Hill so we were slightly unprepared! We bundled up the kiddos and loaded onto the tractor hayride up the mountain in search of “The Perfect Tree!” (Again, a statement used at least 500 times on this journey!)

On top of this mountain, the kids found getting stuck in the trees to be most of the fun! So we played hide and seek with 4 of them while RahRah toted around Little One Baby Bess! All Amy and I could imagine was one of our 4 getting lost in the maze of Christmas trees and us having to form a small search party for the one that was lost! Thankfully, we were able to keep visuals on our crew at all times!

I wish I could report that this experience was only filled with moments of laughter and endings of hot cocoa. But friends, this place was COLD! Kids were cold and were sure to let us know. Snotty noses were everywhere and the man who chops the tree down was a little slow on his arrival at the Hardister Perfect Tree.

So as Amy and I stood on top of a mountain, with Charlie crying, Ella prancing in and out of trees, Jay searching for the chopper man, Wylie wanting chocolate milk and precious Lulu just standing as patiently as you could have asked her to, Amy and I did a lot of little giggles and laughing. There wasn’t much else to do in the freezing cold waiting for the chopper man!

Happily, I can report, everyone found the perfect tree!

Next year, we will plan a little better for the sudden drop in temperatures. But other than that, the day was a success!

I just know Clawson’s Tree Farm can hardly wait for our arrival next year when we shall have 1 more kid in tow with us!

Tis the season!

Turkeys On Stage

Tis the season for preschool Thanksgiving programs!  Today, the Bailey Bunch showed up decked in festive fall attire for the big “Mr. Turkey” performance!  

Bess, who is working with a head cold, was not in the most joyous spirit!  Her only obligation for this grand performance was to walk across the stage.  She would have preferred not to do this!

 

And then it was time for the 2’s to present their wonderful performance of 2 little Thanksgiving songs!  Of course, I was already puddled when I saw my sweet little loves appear on stage!

Wylie spotted me quickly and was thrilled to see me- or at least she appeared to be thrilled! 

 

Charlie was okay for a bit, however, his mood changed (slightly) during the performance! At least we started off happy!

 

So, for everyone’s viewing pleasure,  please enjoy this grand performance from the Bailey Twosome!  Please watch to see just exactly what happens when Charlie discovers I am in the crowd! 

My sweet babies!  Oh how thankful I am for them!

Just Good Ol’ Fashion Fun

What happens when you are trying to tear aluminum foil around toddlers.  Of course you loose your grip and it falls to the floor unrolling into a long sheet of silver fun! 

What happens when your toddler and husband see this unrolled sheet of silver fun? 

This happens.

And a good time was had by all!  Thanks to the mom who lost her grip and the dad who saved the day!

Steak Night

Tonight, while the momma of this house, busily slaved to prepare supper over the stove and also clean out the fridge of the weekend leftovers, dear ol’ dad and Bess decided they needed an appetizer.  And what better appetizer to have than a weekend leftover? 

It all started innocently.  Bubba fed Bess small bites of leftover filet mignon.  A scrumptious appetizer for any 17 month old – wouldn’t you say?  

Baby Bess quickly let us know that she LOVES this delicious piece of meat! 

As she is with most meals, this child was serious about her eating!  Not wanting to miss a bite! 

But stopping to share with dear ol’ dad every now and then!

But she knew, that delicious leftover was really ALL hers!  Because, do you really think Bubs fought this adorable face for his leftover appetizer back?  I think not!

Settle Down? What’s That?

Does this look like a child with the mentality that it is time to settle down?  I think not! 

We thank our afternoon with Granny for learning how to use straws as whistles!  The noise around our house this evening has proven to be ear piercing and continuous!  Charlie could possibly feel that this is his calling in life seeing as how he has done nothing but toot his horn for about the past 30 minutes!  Bubba and I have truly enjoyed his musical abilities!

And despite the fact that his horn took a small, a very small, break, Charlie still found a way to be adorable in the eyes of his mother as he screamed “Cheese” for the camera! 

Clearly this house, or rather the parents of this house, are paying for the 4:00 nap we were able to squeeze out of our 3 children!  This could quite possibly still be the scene at midnight tonight! 

Oh the Days of Dress Up!

For the past 2 days, this has been Wylie’s outfit of choice!  Clearly, this makes the child as happy as they come! 

Allow me to deconstruct this outfit and its many layers.  3 tutu skirts, 1 sparkle top, 1 feather boa, 1 pair of magic fairy socks paired with a lovely pair of pink high heels, several necklaces and a pink head band with Sleeping Beauty on it! 

She has grown so attached to this outfit that she tried to wear it to lunch today but settled for just taking an afternoon nap in it!  All the while toting her big black purse filled with her puzzle pieces, Princess cell phone and Foo Foo! 

She is striving to set the inspiration for her younger sister!

Who by the looks of things, loves Wylie’s new look! 

Wylie's Read Aloud!

Wylie must have "teacher blood" in her! Lately, Wylie refuses to allow you to read to her, rather, she feels she must read to you!!! While I would love to tell you her stories are clear and her words paint beautiful pictures, right now, her stories are actually a bunch of words we can't understand except for the occasional "No Way!" or " Chicka Chicka Boom" we hear! However, please note in the video below the proper teacher hold of the book Wylie has been so observant and learned this year at school!

Last night, Wylie was really intent on reading her Peter Pan book to me and Charlie!

I find our evening read aloud to be quite comical, but then again, I am the mother and probably would!

Enjoy Wylie's (attempt at a ) Read Aloud!

You think she has heard Charlie be asked to sit down so we could read a time or two? Can't imagine at all where she has heard that from!