The Flu and Bleu

Well...our holidays took a crash this year starting on Christmas Eve.  The flu struck this household, and as of today, 3 of the 5 members have taken a plunge into the world of the flu.  However, it has been painful for us all.  Travis started on Christmas Eve and was basically unconscious for the evening and most of Christmas Day.  Costner started on Christmas Day, but I didn't know what it was.  The day after Christmas, Bleu had a fever, and he and Travis tested positive for the flu.  Costner is still running a fever today, and as of 3 am this morning, Jaggar has also joined the club.  The flu does different things to different people...and one particular day, it made Costner really, really angry.  Because he's always SO sweet, this was actually hilarious.  While I try to get Christmas picture posting motivated and fight to stay flu free, enjoy this video.  

Bleu's Bear

Look what baby got this week.  He was actually thrilled.  He has not felt well at all this week, so it was nice to see him happy.  Precious boy.

Elfcapades

Because I am the worst blogger ever, I am going to post some highlights of what our elves have been up to since their arrival.    This time of year is SO busy.  I have appointments on top of appointments this week, but Christmas is FINALLY coming and I have to catch up.  Sidenote:  if you want to get on Jaggar's bad side, tell him that Christmas is not close.  He has told on many friends that have said that.  Of course, some had the audacity to say that in like September to the Christmas kid.

Here's what they've been up to...some highlights.

One night the girls gave the boys makeovers complete with hair and wardrobe change.

 THEN they decided that they wanted to give TRAVIS a makeover with my favorite polish.

 I mean, of COURSE, they're going to get the ELF eyeliner pen.  That's seriously what I wear, and I love it.  Good stuff for the price of $1-$3, depending on what you get. 

 Again, kids went nuts over this.

 THEN they had another surprise.  We saw Frozen the night before (super cute movie), and Sage likes to leave them notes in the night.  They respond in some way, shape or form every time.

 They had a new friend.  Sage named the "ho ho husky," Olaf, after the snowman in Frozen.

 The elves are ready to be sprinkled with the magic snow, so Jaggar got in that line, too.  :)

 Sometimes, they take cotton ball swims.

 Sage ready for her Christmas school performance, and the elves came along.

 This was one of my favorite nights.  They made a winter snow scene complete with snow (duh) and Christmas trees with lights.

 I thought this was super cute too.  Costner loved ripping them all down.  Sage goes, "I don't really get this one."  I said, "Sage, DECK the WALLS with BOWS of Holly."  That brought it home for her.  Apparently, the other things they do are logical?  But nothing is more real to her.

 And then sometimes, they just bring gifts.  Christmas stickers and books.

 Sage wrote a letter to Santa.  She's either writing to the elves or Santa.  This one hurt my heart.  She said, "Well Santa is magical right?"  I said, "He is!  But...he's not any more magical than your own faith."

 Other times, they play games.

 Or build a puzzle

 This one wanted to figure out how to get to the puzzle.

 And THEN another night they wanted to be Snap, Crackle and Pop on the rice krispies and even served the kids breakfast.  WE just never know what we'll wake up to.  I fully expect my kids to sleep until 11 am the day after Christmas because when elves are here, the wake up calls are EARLY to see what they did. 

Costner Dancing

I think I have 100 posts titled that, but it's true.  He loves a good beat.  He has recently started dancing for real, like bouncing up and down and it is HILARIOUS.  Did I mention he's started to walk now?  Oh yeah!  He literally can stand up from sitting now instead of just pulling up. I give it a few more weeks, tops, and he'll be walking as his main mode of transportation. 

So...dancing...he does this hand thing if he's confined like beind held or standing.

And then...this was new the other day this week, but he was shaking it right as I started.  He's such a funny guy.  Baby Bleu.

 

Singing Santa

This is backtracking, but when we were in Ky, I took the sweetest video.  At the mall, Santa plays guitar and sings!  I loved him so much, and he invited the kids over to sing with him.  I just knew that this was going to be a MOMENT.  Well looking back, I should've let them record so I could go sing with him as they just stood there.  Totally predicable from Sage but not Jaggar!  Oh well, ignore my singing.  It's pretty terrible here.

Pretty Hurts

One of my favorites, Beyonce', did something unprecedented as an artist yesterday.  She completely surprised the world with an album and videos with no prior press release or single or any notice.  I think that's pretty awesome.  I think it's like 14 songs, 17 videos.  I mean, I don't know how you even do that, but if I looked and moved like Beyonce', you would never NOT have a video with anything I did.  I'm actually probably going to make a video before I make a song.  lol....anyway, my favorite song so far is called "pretty hurts."  It's perfect really, and for someone like her to make it speaks even louder.  Just like every other female in the world, I feel like women are pounded every single day to look a certain way.  I have and in certain extents still go to great lengths to maintain it.  I mean, really, do I HAVE to dye my hair?  Travis tells me all the time to go natural, and I'm like NO WAY.  Seriously, I can tell you from personal experience a size or number doesn't bring happiness.  Neither does a certain hair color or the right makeup if you're empty inside.  But that's not what is portrayed. Victoria's Secret models are hanging half naked in the mall from floor to ceiling.  Jaggar won't even walk by without his hand over his eyes.  And Sage said, "So...are those girls really that thin?"  See what I mean?  This song is sad. And true.  And I'm glad someone like Beyonce' is shouting the message that perfection IS a disease of the nation..pretty hurts....trying to fix something that you can't see, but it's the soul that needs surgery.  More Christmas things to come when I upload them from my phone! ;)

Costner's Birthday Surprise from the Elves

It just so happened that the second overnight stay for the elves for this season landed on Costner's birthday.  Sage wrote a note and put it by the tree, reminding them that the next day was Baby Bleu's birthday...as if they'd forget!  So we shouldn't have been surprised when the next morning looked like this.

They had been busy and had left this note.  Sage had asked them a question about what the north pole was like and was thrilled that they answered.  Jaggar was irritated that the present wasn't for him.

But it was this boy's day, so he got to open the present.

And he did.

And what was inside?  (Jaggar clearly distracting all involved here.)

ANOTHER elf.  Costner turned one and got his own elf!  This was unheard of.  And he's a little blonde boy just like Bleu.  And his name?  Hal.   Yep, we laughed too.  But that's him.  Costner loves to get into what the elves have done each night, much to the dismay of his siblings.

So, now we have an entire elf family.  From left to right:  Caroline, Mickey, Hal, Cara, (our unnamed pocket elf, who gets to stay, but only comes alive at Christmas with the magic snow) and Rudolph.

Guess Who's Back?

Well, it IS the most wonderful time of the year, and guess who is back in town?  Yep, our crazy elves.  Sage had been asking for them since Halloween.  She actually wanted them to come trick or treat, but they were too busy finishing up some things at the North Pole so that they could come for the Christmas season.  So they sent a package with a few gifts and a letter explaining their absence back then.  But that's a memory because they are back and in full elf fashion, they hit the ground running.  Last week, I'd been gone all day and when I brought the kids home from school, Jaggar walked up on the porch and said, "ELVES!"  or actually "ELFS!"  Sage ran up to the porch and screamed with delight.  FINALLY.  I'd just mailed her letter that day, and they come fast!  We couldn't believe that they painted the house.  True story, I sent Travis a picture and all he could see was the red.  He thought an Alabama fan had sprayed the house to get back at him for all the smack talk.  lol.  It's funny that all he could see was the red because ironically that's all we can STILL see.  Yeah...the green came off so easily...the red?  Not so much.  So now we look like we live in the projects until Travis decides to give it a go at removing it.

 The kids were SO excited.  This is such a contrast to Jaggar's reaction last year.  Remember that?  lol I still have that pic on my phone.  He's into it this year, and it's a fight every morning between the two of them to tell me what the elves did.

 First morning?  Potato sack races.  Sage was not happy because Jaggar was blocking Mickey in the photo.  She wants the photo opps to show the full effect of what happened in the night.  More to come on their antics.  It's gettin' wild up in here.

Costner's Presents

Honestly, I didn't think Costner would care anything presents, but he actually did show some interest.  My cousin, Amber, took pictures, and she took a TON just like Travis would.  I really appreciated that because he couldn't be there, and it made me sad that he missed it.  So I realize that these are redundant, but they're more for us than anyone else.  Costner just looks like a baby doll to me, and I can't leave any out because he looks so sweet.  Oh, and yes, he was an elf.  :)  My mom got him lots of cute clothes and couldn't resist that.

 

 I love how the bigger kids get more excited for him than he was.  Look at Sage's face.  :)

 That little car talks, sings and lights up.  He loved it.

 That car (he got several) was his favorite.  It has a little man with it (the driver) that when you shake it, the car moves.  Really cool.  And since Jaggar won't let him get his remote control despicable me car, this was a nice fix. 

 He got so many clothes.

 And pajamas.

 Sweet angel...and is my hair almost to the floor???  I actually decided in the summer that I was not only going to have long hair but ULTRA long hair.  I'm close.

 This picture is my favorite.  My sweet, snuggly baby.

 Playing with the reindeer that Amber got him.  She somehow heard we love Christmas.  Wouldn't it be ironic if Costner ends up not caring about it as much as the others with his birthday DURING Christmas?  The time when all of that stuff is everywhere and easily given as a gift?  Never going to happen but you know...

 Look at his beautiful blonde hair.

 Ummm, is it crazy to anyone else to see him STANDING there?  I mean, Really!

 Super crazy!

 Isn't he beautiful?  I don't know who he looks like anymore, but it doesn't really matter.  He sure is cute.

 Love Jaggar in this picture.

Baby doll

 GORGEOUS!   Little blonde beauty.

 And this is pretty much what the party did to him.  The life of a baby is awesome!