Christmas Goodies

Our house looks like a toy store from all of the amazing toys the boys received plus the pretty cool stuff Mommy and Daddy got too!

Some of the early favorites:

For Doug, it has to be his new iPod, torque wrenches, flags and LL Bean Back Pack
For Anne, the 580 EX II flash for my camera, Lands End luggage, panini maker, digital photo frame and of course, clothes from Ann Taylor
For Andrew, the acoustic guitar, kid tough digital camera, leap pad learning lap top, tonka trucks and Thomas the train trains
For Tyler ... the paper and boxes and whatever Andrew is playing with ... and a riding/walking toy, bath toys and books

Plus, clothes and gift cards and DVDs and books, oh my!

Andrew's Great Aunt Cis and Uncle Dave sent him this very cool book and elf set called Elf on a Shelf and I think it is the coolest thing ever! If you have young kids, I highly recommend getting your own elf (www.elfontheshelf.com). The basic concept was invented to answer the question, "How does Santa know who has been good or bad?" ... the elf tells Santa!

The idea is that around Thanksgiving the elf comes to live with us until Christmas and during this time he moves from room to room and place to place each day and every night he flies to the North Pole to report on the days events. After Christmas he lives with Santa and the other elves the rest of the year until it is time to come back to the Moore house. The cute book that came with the elf describes the rules (no touching the elf or he might lose his magic, the elf can't talk to the children on Santa's orders, but he can listen and take notes on the children's wishes, etc) and suggests that you name your elf (and it even has a page in the back for you to commemorate when the elf was adopted into the family). Our elf has been named Fiddle Sticks (Doug's idea with Andrew's agreement) and I am so looking forward to having him around next year!