Elf on the Shelf ~ Snacks Anyone?

Twinkle snuck into my junk food cabinet & loaded up on sugar.

Elf on the Shelf ~ Joy Ride

Twinkle took Ken on a late night date.

Elf on the Shelf ~ Taking Care of Others

Twinkle brought Logan some medicine when he was sick.

Elf on the Shelf ~ Bubble Bath

After such a L O N G journey to the North Pole, Twinkle needed a relaxing bubble bath.

The Elf on the Shelf & Goodbye Magic

I did it. I FINALLY did it! I got my very own Elf on a Shelf!

I really wanted one last year but kept putting it off. Not anymore. We adopted Twinkle from Hands Mall today.

My kids are SOOOOO excited! Truth be told, I'm SOOO excited!

I wonder how much mischief she will get into? Hey, does this mean I finally have someone to blame my mess on??

In other news, today also had a sad note. I posted last year about the magic of Christmas slowly fading away. Well, today was THAT day. The day when childhood dreams give way to reality. The day when fantasy becomes a thing of the past. The day I have been dreading.......

Austin no longer believes in Santa. :(

We have been inching around this subject for quite a while now. He has asked repeatedly if Santa was real. I always respond with "what do you think?". Then, depending on his answer, I go from there.

I think he may have stopped believing long before now if he didn't have "proof". He received Rudolph's autograph a few years back. That was the icing on the cake for him!

So when he asked tonight & I responded the same way I always do, for the first time, he said he didn't think Santa was real. I asked him why he thought that way. Very straight forward & with a lot of consideration, he informed me that Santa couldn't visit everyone in one day and reindeer can't fly.

I smiled with tears in my eyes & told him he was right. He was only a little sad and he promised to keep the magic alive for Makenzie & Logan as long as he could!

He's a trooper, that little boy who continually grows up on me no matter how hard I try to stop him!

The magic of Christmas isn't in a fat man in a red suit. It isn't in a sparkly tree. It isn't in more presents than you know what to do with. The real magic is in family, love, laughter, memories, & traditions.

How about making a little magic this holiday season!

I Like my Dust Bunnies

Emotions run strong in the Bauguess household. We love passionately. We fight fiercely. We laugh uncontrollably. We stand up for what we believe in. We rarely back down.

We give it our all or we don't bother doing it.

The characteristics are already starting to show in our children. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Hmmm~ bad now, good later most likely.

Anyway, after a particularly emotional day on all ends, Justin & I discussed the pressure & expectations of our new normal. It's good to share your hopes, your dreams, your fears, & your burdens with those you love.

I admitted, very reluctantly I might add, that every "pastor's house" that we had ever been too was always spotless. HOW can I keep up with that??? That's just one more plate that I have to keep spinning with the hopes that none go crashing to the ground.

He hugged me & laughed. Then he said, "when have we ever been normal?"

Haha I'm so glad he gets me!

Tales of a Homeschool Nothing ~ Second Chances

We had a slight glitch this morning during school.

I told my kids that if they did their work right until a certain time, then they could go to the cattle sale with their grandparents. They were both so excited with this because they love everything about farm life.

All was going well until I discovered something. It wasn't anything big, but it truly annoyed me. I asked who did it & of course, their response was "not me". (When I find "not me", he's in for it! That mysterious kid has plagued me for years!) After a few more minutes of questioning, I finally announced that they were both getting spankings because someone was lying to me.

Austin finally admitted to the deed in question.

Of course, I was aggravated & I had to punish him. When that was over, I left him in his room for a little while. When I went back in with my Child Training Bible to talk to him, I was amazed at the peace that washed over me. (I'm very sad to say that I usually have to blow my top before I can calm down & deal with what went wrong. Don't get me wrong, I still raised my voice, but it was different this time.)

We sat down & discussed what had happened & what made him choose to lie. I was able to show him what God says about lying. I was able to admit to him that I have done the same thing before. I was able to explain to him how the God we serve is a God of love, of wrath, of forgiveness, & of second chances. We read, we cried, we prayed, & we hugged.

I struggled with whether to allow him to still go with his grandparents, but in the end, mercy won out.

Because of his disobedience & my obedience, God was able to mend hearts & teach us both a lesson.

I am so thankful that God gives me more than just one chance!