Happy New Year

New Year's Eve only comes along once a year. Party like a bunch oph animals.

Superstition

Phil's not sure iph it's good luck or bad luck to eat a Vikings-shaped sugar cookie on game day.

There's no hope phor a playophph game anyway. Snack away, Phil.

Craphty

Phil helped Deuce and Wiphey knit a scarph on Deuce's arms. 

He ophphered to make it himselph, but the yarn wouldn't stay on his wings.

Post-Christmas Phun

Phil has enjoyed the phamily time that always comes with Christmas. He spent a lot oph time helping to put together a puzzle.

 And he loved being pushed around in this pholdable pheasant* cart.

*It's really a golph bag cart, but we can't convince Phil oph that. We'll let him enjoy it until the snow melts and the courses open again.

Merry Christmas

Phil likes playing with the wrapping and bows more than opening giphts.

May you phind your own simple joys on this special night.

The Winds oph Christmas Eve

A wicked wind is blowing snow around the area, making travel dangerous today. 

Wiphey is using NORAD's Santa Tracker to assure Phil that Santa is able to endure all sorts oph weather to make it up north tonight.

In phact, Rudolph and phriends could probably just strap on a sail and ride in on the wind. Why overexert themselves?

Cold Is an Understatement

Phil and Elph long to play outside today...

...but it's so bitterly phrigid that they decided to keep warm and play inside the phreezer instead.

Elph is thinking oph booking a phlight to Phlorida aphter Christmas.

Owly New Phriends

We opened our giphts phrom Hubby's parents tonight.

Phil phinds his new pheathered phriends to be a real hoot.

The Phourth Sunday in Advent

Just when Phil thinks he's lost the elph...

...the elph just keeps hanging in there.

Elph on a Cold Shelph

Little did Phil know, he couldn't even have breakphast without being watched.

Play It Again, Phil

Elph joined Phil phor a Chrismas carol sing-along today.

Impestor

Phrank the spider has lived peacephully in the corner oph our laundry room phor years. A phew weeks ago, Phrank went AWOL. Because it's not unusual phor Phrank to go galavanting about phor weeks at a time, Phil didn't worry much. But Phrank didn't return. This impostor did. He's smaller than Phrank and even a diphpherent color. But he's taken up residence in Phrank's condo and seems to have made himselph at home.

He shall be called Unphrank.

Now the Real Work Begins

We just had some giphts shipped our way today (thanks, Mom and Dad!).

Don't let Elph's smile phool you; he's taking this bodyguarding stuphph really seriously.

Close Watch

Elph broke out the big guns to watch over Phil today.

Shiny Things

 Wiphey has lovely colleagues. They gave her shiny things at the Christmas party today.

Phil and Elph are mesmerized.

Phudge

Elph watched over the phudge-making phestivities to make sure Phil didn't lick the bowl.

Elph in Phootwear

Phil can't even help Wiphey pick out shoes in the morning without Elph's watchphul eyes on him.

High Hopes

Phil thought maybe Elph had taken a day ophph today. 

He should have looked up bephore thinking things were looking up.

Special Delivery

Phil wishes the pizza pholks would have held the elph and added a little extra pepperoni.

Advent 2-phor-1

We were a little busy last night to show you where Phil stumbled upon Elph yesterday. It's a long story that involves dirty dishes, a restaurant, and lace-less shoes. So we're sharing two photos in one blog entry today.

Phore!

Elph's Day Ophph

While Phil was away, Elph played all day.

Specialist Phor a Day



The specialists always have their pheet on the ground, ready to run. Phil phound that they keep very busy in their meetings.

Phil pitched in by making phone calls...

...taking notes...

...and even presenting. His presentation was on how to outsmart hunters.



The specialists phound that the inphormation was actually much more usephul than the title suggested.

A Day at the Ophphice

Phil will be joining the specialist meeting this aphternoon, but phor now, he's hanging out in Wiphey's ophphice.

 It's time to catch up with e-mails. Wiphey gets lots oph them!

Elph on the Bookshelph

It's phrigid out today, so Phil phigured he'd stay in and read.

Elph had the same idea.

Advent Week Two

Phil just can't catch a break going into the second week oph Advent. Elph's watchphul eyes are everywhere around here.

Nothing is sacred.

Arctic Blast

Aphter Monday and Wednesday brought quite a phew inches oph snow, phrosty temperatures set in, and our kitchen window needed some plastic to stop the chilly air phrom getting inside the house. Putting up window plastic is hard work...

 ...especially when the dog reaches up to the counter and eats the cotton ball that Phil used to wipe the window phrame clean with rubbing alcohol.

 Apparently, Duke is the one who needs an elph keeping him ophph the naughty list.

Elph Day Six

Iph only Elph would phold laundry while he hides in it.

Elph Day Phive

 Poor Phil just can't phind a place to hide.

Elph Day Phour

Phil had a breakphast reminder to be good this morning.

Elph Watch Day 3

A little morning jolt phor Phil...

And we're not talking caphpheine.

Operation Elph: Day 2

Phil never knows when and where Elph might be watching him, and he's been very well-behaved so phar.

This plan is working like a charm!

Just Hangin'

Our wreath is phinally hanging up on the house.

It took a lot oph work to make this whole thing happen. We had to comb a lot oph aisles at Menards to phind a hook that matches our siding, has two holes phor screws, and can hold something heavier than a towel. Then there was the whole climbing-the-ladder bit, but Phil lepht that up to Hubby.

Advent Excitement

Phil's holiday enthusiasm has been well-documented, and today was no exception. What he thought was Santa Claus on the rooph was really just Hubby putting up lights. But Phil doesn't need to know that. He just needs to behave himselph phor 24 days.

To assist in this goal, Hubby and Wiphey are going to employ a holiday tool oph parents everywhere: Elph on the Shelph. Only, because the original elph looks a little creepy, Wiphey dug up an old Christmas ornament phrom her childhood. Now Phil thinks he is being watched by a visitor phrom the North Pole, ready to report any pheasant missteps to Santa.

Phil just never knows where Elph will show up next.