The Return of Butticus

Last year, I wrote this post.  I let you all in on one of the secrets of the Franklin household.  If you haven't already done so, you probably might want to read it so the rest of this makes better sense.

Ahem......

So - Butticus never showed up last year.  In hindsight, I really believe that he was thrown away.

Upon seeing all of the Elves return to Facebook this year, I was determined to find a new Butticus!  I thought about calling Anne's former Sunday School teacher, but explaining why I wanted to know where she got her tiny babies was going a bit too far.  She may read this blog - who knows?  But, ya - didn't want to talk about how Baby Jesus has been turned upside down, been re-named Butticus and used to play a crazy game all through the holidays.

I did the next best thing - I went online!  I looked at all the images of "Miniature Plastic Babies" (that was a little creepy at times!) and found one that I thought was the same.  (It has been two years.)  Ooooh!  $1.99 for 6 of them!  Perfect!  If he got lost - I would have spares!

I ordered him (them) and they arrived yesterday.  I said nothing to the kids and waited until they went to bed.  I opened the box and this little guy was in it.

Nope - not the same.  Not near as cute and much bigger then I remembered.

I went ahead and put him out.  I started easy - so he could be found quickly.

But something just wasn't right.

Jarod found him first.  He came into our room and said, "Uh - why is there a weird baby on the faucet in the bathroom?  That's NOT Butticus."

Great.  That was a waste of $1.99 (plus shipping)

Now what?

Jarod was a good sport and hid him on Anne's backpack so she could find him easily.

She found him and the first thing she said was "Butticus!!!!  Let's do this all year - not just at Christmas!!!!"

Okay - well, obviously the deformed Butticus didn't bother her.  But I was going to Hobby Lobby today and I thought I would check there and see if they had any babies.

Sure enough!  Butticus!  The REAL Butticus!  Should have just gone to Hobby Lobby to begin with!  They are awesome!

Another $1.99 and I could have the REAL Butticus (complete with the crazy mohawk looking thing on his head) and a whole litter of 15 more!  Yay Hobby Lobby!!!!

I came home and secretly switched him out.  Anne discovered him first and said (with the brightest and most excited face) "Ah!  The REAL Butticus!!!!  The other one was just wrong, Mom."  Well, at least she was a good sport about it earlier!

We like this one so much better!  He's probably half the size of the other (Only slightly larger than my thumb nail) and his butt is so much cuter! Don't you think?

Anne went off immediately to hide him and I could hear her giggling at herself from the other room.  Here's where I found him -

Ugh!  This girl!!!

As a friend said, "Nothing says Christmas quite like Butticus being eaten by a Giant Nutcracker!"

The Butticus tradition is in full swing!  Here are a few places he's already been spotted today - 

 He's just so much cuter on here than the other one!!!!

 Joseph's head.  Really, Jarod???

Nothing like being mooned while reaching for the Wii remote.....

So - this is Butticus!  Prepare to see photos on Facebook.  If you can post your elves, we can post our Butticus.  Besides, I was told today that, "He's so awesome that Elf on the Shelf wears Butticus jammies!"  I think I agree!

Until next time......

Oh Tooth Fairy, Where Art Thou?????

Anne lost a tooth several (ahem) ....... months ago.  The Tooth Fairy has yet to come so she resorted to her own methods to get her attention.  I found this taped to her bedroom door this evening when it was time for bed.

Cracks me up!  Guess I need to find a few dollars - maybe more to cover her wait time. 

Butticus

Many of you have taken to the whole "Elf on a Shelf" craze and I commend you!  I love seeing the photos on Facebook and observing all of the mischief that your elves get into each day.  What fun!

Anne watches over my shoulder often as I look through Facebook and upon seeing several of the elf photos she said, "Mom, don't ever get us one of those elves - he totally creeps me out."

I had to chuckle but I know she is serious.  She has an aversion to doll faces.  They have to have just the right kind of face for her to like them and even then - they must be put away at night so they don't appear to be lurking in the shadows of her room.

I get it - some dolls are a little creepy.  I guess she feels that way about the Elf on the Shelf.

That's okay - last year we started our own version.

Brace yourself - you are about to experience the craziness that is the Franklin household.  We had the best time with this last year but I was too embarrassed to blog about it.  I figured you would all think we were crazy or something.  I've come to the conclusion that everyone knows we are (especially after Meggie gained her own Facebook page this year) so - I'm putting it out there.

Besides, this post has caused me to be brave!  I'm not the only mom with wacky kids. 

Last year, my daughter had a fascination with butts.  Yes - B-U-T-T-S.  You read correctly.  Anything that had two bumps and a line in the middle caused the girl to go into the giggles.  Everything from rocks to tree stumps somehow resembled a butt and she did not have a problem telling you so.  I don't know why we were surprised.  Russell prayed for a little girl with his personality.  God certainly answered that prayer. 

Last year, during a Sunday School lesson about the birth of Jesus, Anne's teacher had them create a manger scene and gave them each one of these miniature babies to put in it to represent baby Jesus. Innocent enough, right?

Ya - not so much!

Anne turned hers over, saw the tiny little butt,  and immediately announced that his name was "Butticus." 

Great.

The Preacher's Kid.

Butticus

What do you do with that?  She told us the story in the car on the way home and of course we corrected her and told her that it wasn't appropriate to call him Butticus - especially in Sunday School class. But all Anne could do was giggle.  She's a mess.

Baby Butticus continued to be brought up in conversation so we began to ignore her hoping she would forget about it.  Not Anne.

The next thing I knew, we were finding Baby Butticus all over our house.  I would wake up in the morning and he would be deliberately placed on my computer key board.  Russell would find him on his coffee maker.  Then I found him in the fridge on the Sour Cream container.  It was nothing to find him on the back of the toilet or on the kitchen faucet or in the ice container in the freezer.  Anywhere that was just large enough to balance him - and of course - he is ALWAYS face down because Baby Butticus' butt has to be seen!

It quickly became a running gag that we all played.  We forced ourselves to forget that the butt we were looking at once represented baby Jesus and began to put him all over the house - in the craziest places.  And whoever found Baby Butticus had to hide him next.  It would be nothing to be sitting calmly and then hear someone break into laughter because a tiny little butt was staring them in the face.  Oh - the Christmas memories we create!!!!!

I sit here now giggling about it.  Maybe it's partly because it's 12:40 in the morning - but I think it's mainly because our daughter is creative and fun and she made us all laugh once again! 

The problem now is - whoever hid him last did a REALLY good job.  We haven't started playing yet this year because Baby Butticus cannot be found.  He really is tiny - maybe an inch and a half long. He was last spotted on Anne's dresser.  I did a thorough cleaning, moving furniture, etc, looking for him today.  No luck.  But Anne's room is clean - that's a bonus.

We'll find him - and when we do - someone will be laughing.......


On a different but similar note about family craziness -

Meggie has a Veterinary Ophthalmologist appointment tomorrow. She is so worried that she may need glasses.  We caught her trying some on today to see what she would look like......

What do you think????

We've tried to explain to her that having glasses is a requirement to being a Franklin - but I don't think she's buying it.

Seriously though - she has developed strange spots deep within one of her eyes and her pupil is becoming  distorted.  We have been watching it change since the end of September and her regular vet is baffled.  So, tomorrow, she sees a specialist.  Praying all is well for our little furry friend.

Until next time......

Russell Started It!

This is the kind of spontaneous craziness that my husband starts at our house! I left the room for a few moments to take a phone call only to find everyone laughing because Russ decided to put this clothes pen on his lip and sing Deck the Halls!!!!

It then began a series on crazy clothes pen photos!!!!


Life in our house is never dull........