{Christmas ornament of 2012}

every year we make a christmas ornament to give out to friends and family.  you can see last year's ornament {HERE}.  last year i was inspired by my friend {jude's} ornament.  this year i was pinspired.  ;)  i found a great inspiration on the {eighteen 25} blog.  

i helped the kids do their fingerprint snowman.  the paint i got wasn't as white as i would have like and originally i was going to fill the whole ornament with snow.  then lisa and i were brainstorming and we came up with the idea of the blue paper to make it look like the sky.  the kids each helped with the hats, buttons and carrot noses.  ;) 

they were really easy.  i painted each kids pointer finger and we made the snowman.  these are in order of age.  i let them dry really well and then i filled the bottom of the ornament with the fake snow.  you can buy this at target or a craft store.  i then bought some blue tissue paper and cut it it into strips.  you could use a paper shredder for this but i just used scissors.  then we used permanent markers to make the hats, buttons, arms and noses.  easy!

i LOVED the way they came out.  it's my most favorite tradition and i love coming up with something a little more creative then just painting the wooden ornaments like we used to. 

does your family make anything special for the holidays? 

{insta-friday...11/16}

y'all, there are 38 days until christmas!!!!!

you're welcome.

anyways, this is our week.

i told y'all that i went to lunch with the wonderful {Carol} last week. well she took these of me and my babe. :)

chloe went to the dentist last week. she was a trooper. before and after. lol.

we went to see wreck it ralph.  i forgot my good camera.  boo.

target calls this the rockefeller tree. i love it.  also, the kids love christmas music.  :)

both ian and isobel had to "disguise" a turkey so that he didn't get eaten.  we went with christmas trees.

this rodarte cup is gorg.  seriously.  i need it.  also that gold cup = awesome.  and finally, my first gingerbread loaf of the season.  heaven.

they love taking pictures.

it hatched!  we missed it.  boo.

i got my first ipsy bag.  it's pretty awesome.

these?  i NEED to have these.  ballet slipper and wicked.  i love them.  i see an accent nail mani in my future!

i'm playing farkle on my kindle.  i'm a geek.

she loves to have "picnic" lunches we get home from school.  i love that she's still little.

woop woop!  christmas!!!!!!!

{the christmas bell}

ian's teachers had a polar express party for the kids at school.  they got a "ticket" to the train and watched the movie in class.  they also taped a bell with a red yarn string under each kids chair for them to take home.  {or at least that's how ian tells the story}.

ian LOVES this bell.  what he loves even more?  giving the bell away.  and then taking it back.  he's a complete indian giver.  sweet huh?  really though, it was the absolute cutest thing.  he had a piece of white tissue paper that he "wrapped" the bell in and then he would gift it to people.  i remember the look on his face when he gave it to me.  it was the same look he had when he gave it to lisa, my mom, my sister, chloe and everyone else.  it was sheer joy.  the sheer joy you have when you give something that you know they will LOVE.  when it's something you LOVE too.  so he would gift the bell to each person and then he would take it back.

my mom opened it and thought it was the sweetest gift until i told her she couldn't keep it.  i told her to wrap it back up and give it back to him.  then she watched him give it to my sisters.  and then it was the sweetest gift again.

ian has such a sweet soul.  i hope that never fades away.