Doodlebug The Elf Shananagans

Like the other millions of children who have scout elves visiting their homes, the Harrison Family does too. Brady named the little dude, Doodlebug.. and of course we call him Doodle for short. So far, he hasn't lost any magic... the boys are REAL careful about not getting too close. He arrives the morning after Thanksgiving here and keeps close watch on all behavior until Christmas Eve. It's always sad to see the guy go.... but we still have a couple of weeks of fun left , so no tears yet.

Doodle Doodle Doodle and more Doodle

Yes, it's true.... the adults have just as much fun with Doodlebug the Elf as the children. The nights are filled with the mischievous laughter from Brian and I and the mornings are filled with hysterical giggles and gasps from the boys. The elf just keeps on giving...

Doodlebug the Elf

Doodlebug is deliciously fun. It's pretty funny how Breck will allow Brady to 'find' Doodlebug first. Brady has been known to toss Breck a toy and say, "here, play with this over there until I find Doodle."
Breck willingly abides... i have a suspicion next year will be different.

Elf Antics continued...

I love how the toys and Doodlebug all come to life at night... like every kid... this was always my fantasy:)

Brian has a bad case of the sillies

Thanksgiving morning

So, we had a last minute change of heart and break of tradition on Thanksgiving morning. Normally... and I mean for well over a decade we've all been running the turkey trot in the morning. That was the plan and then, we suddenly realized with having to take the double jogger and a single jogger to hold all the boys, we'd have to take TWO cars to the trot. UGH... too much work and family separation, so I opted to make a big breakfast and then Brian took the boys fishing mid morning. Sometimes change is good and today was a fine example of that!

Chillin' before the meal

What's Thanksgiving without a little ball out front? I love thanksgiving... I've always looked forward to the fun that it means when we all get together and it's still that way! I thank my parents for that... I have no idea what a 'stressful' holiday means and it's because of them.

Thanksgiving

Family and friends ... delicious food ... stories... laughter... music ...football ...cousins playing ... Christmas chain making ...these are the memories of my favorite holiday. We have so much to be thankful for and it's good to be with the people that mean the most to me.

MARSHMALLOW

I've had a slight obsession this fall with baking everything marshmallow'y' TOTAL YUM. chocolate marshmallow cookies and s'mores bars... ugh.... now i'm drooling and need to make more.

Brady's END of SEASON PARTY

Love this group of little boys! Brian held Team Tornado's end of season party at Mariano's in the ole pinata room. Fun night. The boys loved getting their trophies and Coach Brian made them each feel special and important by bringing them up one by one and speaking about what made them individually awesome. You could definitely see the boys' eyes light up and some proud parents watched on:)

Breck's end of season soccer game

Breck..AKA...white lightening was a total and complete rock star on the soccer field. This season was his first time to play and he rocked the house live. What a cute bunch of 3 yr olds!!! Breck loved to score goals and when he did, he'd ALWAYS high tail it off the field with his hands in the air looking for a high five from his favorite groupies! We didn't disappoint.... the cheering section on our blanket was loud and strong with his dad and I, Brady, Brooks and often his Grandma and Grampa:)

Sandbox

Brian made the kids a new sandbox and it's bigger and better than the last awesome sandbox he made!

Happy Halloween 2011

Brady 5yrs old... the mighty fisherman
Breck 3 1/2yrs old... the adorable fireman dog, spot
Brooks 1 yr old... the sweetest smelling skunk around
Brady has clearly mastered this Halloween thing. He took off like race horse and we could barely keep up as he darted from house to house. The other two followed the leader and we amassed sickeningly large amounts of sugar..which, to my dismay, I ATE MOST OF.

Brady's class

Here are most of Brady's classmates before their school Halloween parade.

Annual Pumpkin Party at the Healey House

Family pics are few and far between and when we get them... half of us aren't looking... but that's life with 3 small boys:) They're always in motion...so best to capture the reality of the situation.. good for the memory banks!