elf on the shelf

So last year I wrote about our new family tradition of using an advent calendar at Christmas time.  We got this little treasure in the mail from my parents and had such a fun time using it and counting the days until Christmas day.  This year we were surprised with another package containing yet another cute tradition we have started using - our very own Elf on the Shelf!  I'd never heard of this, but it came with a book explaining the elf who's been sent to our house to take notice of the good (and bad!) things done by the little boys of our house.  Each night he reports back to Santa and each morning he arrives back at our house - though not in the same place we left him.  So to add to our advent box opening each morning, we now are on a hunt to find our elf (which also means I wake to a 4-yr old boy standing in front of me about an hour earlier than normal).  ;)  The book says that no little kids can touch him, which is a very good rule in my opinion! - maybe he will survive the next several years!  In fact, one morning Ben got to his hiding place first and Bran, forgetting the "rule,"  told Drew to go get him before Ben smothered him with baby love.  Drew shrugged his shoulders and reminded daddy, "Sorry, can't touch him!"  Anyways, we're having fun again this December and I certainly appreciate an extra set of monitoring eyes in the house, wherever I can get them!

He's slightly creepy looking to me, but B and  Drew haven't mentioned it so I'm keeping my mouth (fairly) shut.
We named ours Buddy, of course!  We also tell him our favorite color every morning when we find him.  ;)