In a
post from last December, I put up pictures of some of my favorite Christmas decorations. Here are some of my favorite 2011 items that make our days extra merry and bright right now!
~Earlier this week I went to an ornament swap with the ladies from our church. I was pretty nervous about going because I'm still getting to know these ladies, and I'm a little shy. I had a wonderful time though! We talked, all got to know one another better, ate the most delicious food (everyone brought a dish), and then played Dirty Santa with the ornaments. It was really a lot of fun, and I was so glad I went! This is the ornament I got (well, stole!!), and I love it. I felt like it was the perfect ornament for this year. We have been so very blessed this year, especially after my dad's accident in October, and rejoicing is just what we've been doing!
~Of course, our hearts rejoice mostly this Christmas, and each Christmas, because of the birth of our Savior. I have a snow village that Karl started for me the Christmas we were engaged. It has been so fun and special to add pieces since we've been married. Cooper loves the snow village, and each morning, he goes to it, points and "talks" about it, tries to plug it in, and then gets so excited when it lights up. I love that he loves it so much! Interestingly enough, this little figure is his favorite. Several times a day, he comes to me to be picked up, points to the snow village so I'll take him to it, and then he tries to pick up this figure. We point to Joseph, Baby Jesus, Mary, the star, and the angel and talk about each one. He just loves it. This morning I asked him where Baby Jesus was as I held it, and he pointed right to him. He really doesn't take any particular interest in the other pieces, just this one.
~However, since Little Man did take such an interest in the Christmas tree and the ornaments on it, all ornaments got moved out of his curious reach! I didn't put many ornaments on the tree anyway because I realized most of our ornaments are breakable, and I was a little afraid of Cooper pulling over the tree and all the ornaments breaking! I did put the unbreakable balls on because I felt like that was safe. Well, quickly I learned that Cooper can pull off the top part (which creates a choking hazard, and I'm crazy about anything he can choke on since EVERYTHING goes in his mouth), and he has quite an arm. He would take off the ornaments, and if he didn't try to eat the top part, he would throw them down the hall for Sadie to fetch. So, after putting the ornaments on the tree over and over and over, I moved them all! And then I bought a few balls for Cooper and Sadie to play with that didn't involve my Christmas decorations!
~For a former kindergarten teacher, it's just not Christmas time if you're not painting someone's hands or feet! This is my second year to not be in a classroom, and honestly, sometimes I miss it so much I could cry. I decided the other day that just because I'm not teaching, doesn't mean I can't do handprint art with my toddler though! My first thought after that was, "Am I losing my mind?!" But then I decided the mess would be part of the fun. This morning we broke out the paint brushes, finger paint, and card stock and went to town! Amazingly enough, there was no mess. Cooper did not eat the paint, we did not get paint on our clothes or items around us, and both pieces actually came out kind of cute. (I thought they would look crazy, but it would be a fun keepsake to remember this Christmas by.) I would love to do something like this each Christmas, especially if it's as easy as it was today!
~This is our table in our entryway. It has some of my most meaningful decorations on it this year. The wreath was made by the mother of one of my student's a few years ago. It is really pretty, and I know it took a lot of time for her to make. Nothing means more than a homemade gift! The stack of books are special Christmas books. One is from when I was a little girl, and the pages are very, very worn from me reading through it so many times. It was always my favorite. The two pictures are Cooper's pictures with Santa, and then I hung his artwork up as well. It might not be the most stylishly decorated table, but it sure warms my heart when I see all the special tokens on it!
Today we'll be working on more Christmas traditions. Every year Karl's mom makes Christmas cookies that are family recipes. Since I was a teenager I've been helping her, and I look so forward to this all year long!! I can't wait to watch Cooper eat them warm out of the oven! Don't worry, pictures to come!
