on the ice

what a fun activity to take the girls on ice!

the harper & crosby project - november 2013

i can't believe this instagram monthly project is almost over.  it's been a labor of love for sure.  i debated this week what to do next year, wondering if i should try it again as i poured over the photos from january of this year the other night.  i love looking back to moments i've forgotten about and things my girls have said, thankful that i've at least documented it somewhere.  i'm pretty terrible at scrapbooks and keeping memories together.  the girls' baby books are literally just journals, where the first pages document their birth stories and subsequently contain notes from doctor appointments, funny one liners and milestones, but no pictures.  i guess i owe it to my mom...my baby book is only barely documented in, with a few "welcome baby" cards, an ultrasound picture and lock of hair thrown in for good measure.  i count on my head to recall memories, and that's probably not a good thing as i keep adding candles to my birthday cake.  

i still have a week or so to decide.  in the meantime, here is our november.

red & rosie

a few years ago, our own elf on the shelf arrived in the petrous home.  i don't think harper truly understood that first year what it was all about.  but over time, she has come to grasp it and finds it funny and magical.  i know there are some that think this whole elf thing is odd.  that he's creepy because he's always watching.  that parents are lying to their children and fooling them.  i hear that, but i also see the girls faces light up each morning, remembering their daily mission to find out where the elf is hiding and what he may have been up to overnight.  and when they find him, and they laugh and they run to us and happily and giddily tell us to come and see! that's what this is all about.  the wonder and the magic of christmas.  they're only little for a short while.  why can't it be joyous and magical?

last year, red came back with a wintry bang.  he brought snowman donuts and a fun breakfast scene.  and then his daily antics began.  and a few weeks later, he decided the harper and crosby team were too much to handle for just one elf, so he brought along reinforcements and introduced a new elf to us.  harper named her rosie, and the r & r duo certainly made us giggle.

this year, the pair returned and being in our new home, they have definitely had their fair share of new places to hide.  more of their adventures to come.  for now, here are photos from 2012.