His Name is Boone...

We welcomed a visitor to our house this weekend, and we've decided to keep him here until Christmas!  Grandma Mary surprised Cruz with an Elf on a Shelf last Christmas with hopes he might be old enough to get into this fun little tradition this year.  I'm not exactly sure how I feel about the whole Elf thing quite yet, but our approach thus far has been lenient, light-hearted, and fun.  Cruz doesn't really understand the story behind this Elf --- that he's from the North Pole and reports back to Santa each night, and that if he touches him, he'll lose his magic; however, we're sure having fun discovering our little friend each morning and laughing about his mischievious little self. 

Mr. Elf, or Boone, as Cruz named him, arrived early in the morning December 1st, and surprised Cruz with a North Pole inspired breakfast.  There were snow-covered donuts (RIP Hostess), and homemade banana crumb muffins, berries in the shape of a candy cane, and arctic-chilled milk with festive striped straws.  There were balloons and Christmas music, candy canes and Santa hats, and in the middle of it all, our Elf, sitting proudly on his cake stand with his hands folded in his lap.  

 

  

 

The first line of business included giving our new friend a name.  We left this up to Cruz, to which he proudly and confidently announced that 'Boone' would be his new friend's name.  I'm sure this name had nothing to do with the bouquet of balloons in the center of our table...but, he stuck to it and we added an 'e' to the end to make him sound more official.  After all, it's not every day you get named after one of history's greatest folk heroes (or a latex balloon filled with helium)...

Boone brought Cruz a couple of presents to mark the beginning of his favorite month of the year, including 'An Elf's Story,' a DVD that tells the story of Elf on a Shelf, and an ornament to hang on the Christmas tree.  The ornament is Cruz's favorite yet --- Snoopy by a jukebox that plays Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.  I know this because I've heard it played about sixty times since Saturday morning ;).

Since Saturday, we have shared many laughs discovering Boone in some pretty funny places around the house.  Every morning, we are in hysterics when Cruz spots his little elf friend doing something completely out of the ordinary.  Whether he's sledding down the stairs on a roll of toilet paper (after all, there isn't any snow to sled on), zip-lining from the mantle to the tree on a string of popcorn, making snowflakes out of Q-Tips, or caught red-handed turning the milk in Cruz's sippy cup bright red, Cruz is always so excited to discover his little buddy.  And although we've technically broken the rules, Boone has been touched and hugged and loved many times since Saturday.  We think it only makes him more magical.  Cruz, not ever being too keen on stuffed animals, actually requested that Boone sleep with him the other night.  This lasted for about five minutes, but we were impressed nonetheless.  It's funny to me that of all the soft, plush, sweet looking stuffed animals this kid has, he wants to sleep with this awkward, slightly creepy Elf doll.  To each there own...

 boone, planking.

A few more pictures of our Boone...

 day two: caught 'red' handed

 day three: not one (q-tip) is like another...

 day four: popcorn zip-line

 

 day five - t.p. sledding excursion

Sidenote: for those of you wondering, most of the North Pole breakfast decor was found at Target.  The table runner is made from wrapping paper, the plates and bowls were in the dollar bins, and the cake stands are plastic, adorable, and affordable.  I found them, along with the cupcake accessories on a holiday end-cap at Target just recently.  The snow-covered donuts, however, are sadly extinct (unless you're okay with slightly less-snowed ones from your local grocer).  

Do you have an Elf on a Shelf?  If so, let's get acquainted!  What is your Elf's name, and what fun places are they turning up inside your house?