Another Day with Jingles - Our Elf on the Shelf

And the winner of a copy of Jolene Philo's book "Different Dream Parenting" is....

****Rhonda Gable Hammons!!**** 

Rhonda, message me your mailing address and I'll get your book to you right away!!  So excited for you!  You will LOVE IT!

*******

I know Christmas is over, but I thought it would be fun to share a few more of Jingles' hiding places.

So much fun to wake up to a new surprise each day!

Kylie's reading ability is really coming along

 Kylie is REALLY into playing the game Operation right now...So neat that Jingles knew that!!
Daddy did such a good job writing Jingles' notes for him. (Don't tell Kylie!)

Jingles is hiding - Can you find him?

Here I am!!

We were sad to see Jingles go...

We have decided as a family that because Jingles is SO BUSY helping Santa that he probably only needs to be at our house each December for 12 days vs the usual 25....seriously, 12 is MORE than enough for a game of hide and seek!  (wink wink)

Jingles, our family will give you a well-deserved break!  See you again next year!!

A Bicycle Built for .... Jingles???

Pssstttt... Don't tell Kylie, but Jingles had a little help from one of Santa's helpers to get into place on this particular morning.

Notice his green Grinch pants??  (He's looking a little Grinchy too! but really... he's just trying to get down off our couch without having to file a medical claim)

On this day, Jingles had a note for Kylie.  It basically told her that Because she was 5 and because it was December 5th, that she could open door # 5 on our gingerbread house countdown.

I found this gem of a Christmas Countdown in a little shop in Valley Junction several years ago.  It was one of those purchases that I put away for "someday when I have a little one"...

Kylie is finally old enough to "get it" and I was SO EXCITED to get it out this year.

I love that it is oversized and that there is lots of space to put things.

This is the tag that is on the back... I thought it was cute. 
(you might have to click on the photo for it to be big enough for you to read)

It was so much fun figuring out where each little trinket would fit.

Kylie has just LOVED opening up the little doors each day. 

I actually think she enjoys opening the doors more than she likes receiving the presents. 

(This is how children with Autism play... instead of rolling the car across the floor, they prefer to turn the car over and spin the wheels instead.)  Kylie prefers to open and shut the doors on the gingerbread house.

Sometimes this (a-typical play) makes the holidays really hard as people expect a "reaction" from Kylie like they would from a typical child.  Kylie will have a reaction, but it will probably come 2-3 days later. 

Kids with Autism take time to warm up to new things.  They need repeated exposure in small doses in order for the item to become familiar and less threatening.

While sometimes this is difficult where others are concerned, it is also something that I really treasure about Autism: It forces our family to SLOW DOWN.  It gives us the opportunity to really enjoy our surroundings and the events and decor of the holiday season. The "Hustle and Bustle" of the season has been replaced with "Silent Nights" and "All is Calm" - it HAS to be or our family (particularly Kylie) suffers.

Kylie has given us the gift of really experiencing the holiday in a sensory way: Seeing, Listening, Touching, and Enjoying the scents of the season.

Our holidays with a child are very different from how we always envisioned they would be, but we love them just the same, and we love our precious girl even more!

Stay tuned to learn more about our experiences with Jingles, Our Elf on the Shelf (and our experiences with Autism too)!

More Elf on the Shelf Adventures

Soooo... Where did we find Jingles hanging out on this particular morning?  Well I'll give you a hint.... He's on a SHELF!! 

It totally makes sense that he would want to be near his pals from the North Pole.  Here he is visiting with our Patriotic Santa (A distant, but close, cousin of Santa) and our snowman friend.

I wasn't aware that Jingles was so patriotic, but it turns out that he agrees with something Martin Luther King, Jr. once said:

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"

Maybe that is what Santa meant when he mentioned the possibility of  losing the magic....

Definitely something I will be thinking about...

On a lighter note, As we were getting ready to head out the door for therapy, I happened to turn around and notice Kylie modeling her little faux fur scarf!

That girl was cracking me up with her little runway turns and poses!  I couldn't grab the camera fast enough!! (Where do they learn this stuff?)

A little CHEESE for the camera! 

Kylie is learning about emotions and facial expressions, so we say to her "Show me your happy face" and she glues on/mirrors what she has "learned" (not necessarily what she is "feeling"... )

Such is the life of kiddos who experience Autism. 

We'll take what we can get!! 

Love her to pieces and love doing life with her!!

A Post Card From "Jingles": What has our Elf on the Shelf been up to?

Soooo... What has Jingles been up to lately???

Day One: 
Jingles meets Tinkerbell and takes her for a spin in the Barbie Car.

Kylie thought it was so neat that the car said "Buckle Up for Safety".  This is what Daddy says to her every time he buckles her in her carseat.  (He is hoping it will be so ingrained into her head that it will be instinct to buckle up every single time she sits in a car - especially when she is a teenager and seatbelts aren't a fashion statement- maybe we'll bedazzle her seatbelt... hmmmm....)

I don't know about you all, but I'm thinking something's going on between these two.  There seems to be mistletoe hanging from the rear view mirror and (*gasp*) Jingles has pink lip prints on his cheek!!
Maybe... just maybe.... we will have "little baby BELLS" next year.  (get it? Jingle BELL and Tinker BELL?)

Kylie kept telling me "no magic! no magic!" - I knew that meant she remembered that she was not supposed to touch Jingles (or he would lose his magic, according to the Elf on the Shelf Story Book). 

I was even more impressed later in the day when Tinkerbell had been gently removed from the car, but Jingles was still fastened in tight. 

Kylie knew she couldn't touch Jingles, but Tinkerbell was fair game!  ha! ha!

Jingles (Our Elf on the Shelf) is back!!

Look who came back to our house last night!!

Jingles!!  Our Elf on the Shelf!!

Kylie found Jingles on her bed (We don't know HOW he got in there!  He's pretty sneaky!)

Jingles arrived in a sleigh full of Jingle Bells.  (well, duh!)

Kylie was so happy to see Jingles!!

Giving Jingles a "Welcome Back" Kiss! 

Jingles brought a few presents for Kylie in his sleigh.  She's checking them twice!! (see the Letter that Jingles wrote to Kylie -at the end of this post- to find out what the presents were!!)

Making sure he is alright from his long trip (notice her bright blue finger nail polish)

Everything seems to be ok!!

For anyone who is wondering... we allow Kylie to touch Jingles the first night he arrives, but from then on, we can't touch him or he loses his magic!!

Kylie LOVED reading the "Elf on the Shelf" Book.
Here is the Letter that Jingles wrote to Kylie.  We found it in his sleigh!!

The letter says...

Dear Kylie,

Yay!  We get to be together again!!

Do you remember me?

When you were 4 years old, you gave me a very special name.

My name is Jingles!!

Santa sent me all the way from the North Pole to help you count down the days till Christmas!

If you look in my sleigh, you will find a few presents!

It gets really cold at the North Pole, so Santa wears his cozy Santa Socks! 

He thought you might like a pair too!

Now you and Santa can have the same Santa Socks!!

Santa also told me that you sharpen pencils really well!

So, I brought my favorite pencils from the Elf Workshop for you to sharpen. They are sparkly and pretty, just like YOU are!!

We are going to have so much fun together!!

Snuggle up with Mommy and Daddy and listen while they read my Elf on the Shelf book to you!

Every night, I will travel to the North Pole and tell Santa if you have been naughty or nice. (I know you will be nice)

Be sure to look for me every morning, but please don’t touch me or I will lose my magic!

Don’t forget to make your Christmas list (Mommy and Daddy will help you)

I’m so happy that we are together again!

Love,

Jingles

P.S. My friend, Buddy the Elf, told me that …

“The best way to spread Christmas Cheer

is singing loud for all to hear.”

Will you sing to me???

 Kylie was hilarious!!  When she put on the Santa Socks, she exclaimed "I'm so adorable!!" (she's only heard THAT a few times - ha! ha!).  The Santa Socks were a big hit (she is slumbering in them as I type)

Her two favorite activities in life (right now) are stripping crayons of their labels and sharpening pencils with a hand sharpener.  Both activities are GREAT small motor exercise so we let her have at it!!  (Thank Goodness Dollar Tree sells crayons!  Dollar Tree is also where Santa shops for his Santa Socks and pretty, sparkly Christmas pencils)

It is so special that Santa and Jingles knew just what to give her!! (wink, wink)

At the end of the letter (in the P.S.) when Jingles asks her if she will sing to him, Kylie chose to sing "Jingle Bells" - She thought of that all on her own and I thought it was a great idea - not to mention fitting to Jingles' name!!  Good Thinking Kylie!!

We asked her if she wanted to tell Jingles what she wants for Christmas so Jingles could tell Santa.  She said yes, and told Jingles she wants a "Blair Barbie Doll" and "Songs of Praise" (A Cedarmont kids DVD/CD)...It was sooo sweet!!

We plan to use the Jingle Bells that were in the sleigh for a lacing activity!  It will be a very festive necklace!

Hope you will check back in with us throughout the month of December to see what Jingles is up to!  It will be a fun adventure!! 

P.S.  When we asked Kylie if she was naughty or nice today, she promptly responded "nice"  =0)

Sweet Dreams Everyone!!




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