Christmas Festivities 2014: Painting Ornaments

Christmas is always one of my favorite times of the year simply because it means getting together with people you love and care about and doing projects that will hopefully translate into memories.  Even though this Christmas kind of felt like I was in a fog due to adjusting to life with a newborn, I still wanted to attempt just a few different things with our boys to ensure they had a good holiday season.  

One thing we did was made cornstarch ornaments.  These are better than salt dough and so easy to make using baking soda, water, and cornstarch.  The boys loved cooking the dough, rolling it, cutting it with cookie cutters, and then painting them the next day.  I am hoping this will be one thing always do each year.  It was so fun to watch their little personalities as they painted.  Reid our ever meticulous first born working hard on his creations, while Owen, our free spirit did whatever and got paint EVERYWHERE, including his face.  Needless to say he went right to a bath!

Tree Triming 2014

So this year we were able to get the tree up right after thanksgiving.  This was a good thing because I happened to still be pregnant at the time!  It was a good night for me with minimal contractions so decorate away we did!  Reid is definitely a four year old because he insisted on being in costume for the occasion, and by costume I mean a monkey towel on his head.  We were able to get him to take it off for some of the pictures, but not for others.  And speaking of pictures, all of these were taken with my iPhone so they aren't nearly the best quality!

This is our last year to use this little tree as we bought a brand new one at Hobby lobby's after christmas sale!  It has been good to us, but we needed something a little taller and with lights that all worked.  All in all a great tree trimming!

Putting the star on top

All our random ornaments in their place

This little ballerina ornament Reid picked out back in October for Halle Kate!

Putting the boys' tree up in the game room, full of shatter proof ornaments!

The hooded monkey towel and poor quality picture.

What I came in to find 10 minutes later.  Needless to say we anchored it with some heavy books.

Tree Triming 2013

 I don't know about you, but trimming the tree is one of my favorite things to do for the Holidays!   Mark actually tells me it is not called trimming the tree if it is artificial, but decorating it.  However, I find something so rustic about saying "trimming" so that is what we're gonna say.  Seriously though, there is something so magical about cranking up some Christmas music and reminiscing over ornaments you haven't seen in a year.  I love the family togetherness and I can't wait to see how it evolves as our kids grow older. I hope to make this one of the most special memories of home they have.  Until then, back to the present day.  Reid has really enjoyed Christmas this year, and though he is still working on grasping the big concept, all of the fun things are great.

Here are a few iPhone pictures snapped.  We were on our way to head to a family pre-thanksgiving meal this day.  Though we are normally die hard "no tree up until after Thanksgiving" people, we knew we would be gone from Thursday to Sunday to celebrate in Tyler, so up it went.

Seriously couldn't you just eat him up?

This is one of my favorite ornaments.  It was my great great grandmothers.  Her arms are tucked behind her back btw.

Proof that the parents actually do exist!

Sweet Owen on his first tree trimming!

My heart is full

I love this sweet boy!

Reid got the job of putting the star on the top! 

Too. Much. Cuteness!

Here you get an instagram video of Reid singing Frosty the Snowman!  Enjoy!

Happy New Year and a Jumbled Christmas Post!

Happy New Year!!  It is a wonderful day, the start of a brand new year, one that I am hoping is not going to be near as eventful as 2010 was.  I don't think I could handle it!

Anyway, Christmas comes before New Year, so I guess I can tell you a little about that with quite a few pictures. However, when I put my pictures into the computer, somehow they all got jumbled, so they ended up all out of order.  Well I was picking them out of my Events and so they are all out of order here, so it will be a jumbled Christmas post!

 It was a great Christmas, one were Reid was COMPLETELY spoiled!   This picture is from Christmas Eve at my grandmother's house.  He was completely worn out by the end of the day!

Aren't they the cutest Christmas P.J.'s?  Got them from a consignment shop!  Lydia you should be proud!

Here is Reid helping Daddy play "Fat Santa", one of the many games played!

This is Reid and Grandpa Christmas morning at like 6:30

Opening Presents

Cutest stocking from Kohls!  $5!  Be jealous!

Got some books to read!

Having a good Christmas Morning!

 On Christmas Day, the Clifton family was nice enough to come to our house!  Reid has so much fun with all the Uncles!

Reid with Uncle Blake

Reid with his Nana

Reid has 5 Uncles!  No Aunts!  Here he is with all of them!

We got him a small stroller from Santa so we could take it to Tyler instead of our massive jogging one!

 On December 18th we went to Dallas for my paternal grandparent's Christmas.  We had a great time playing all kinds of games that my great grandmother came up with!

Family pic before opening presents!

This is a 5 Generation Picture!  Reid has two of those on my side of the family.  

 Remember when we went on our crazy round trip to Houston and Bryan?  If not, you can read about that here, where I promised pictures.  Well here they are!

Four generations with Mark's paternal grandmother

And here is 4 generations with Mark's maternal grandparents!  

This is his 2 month photo that I forgot to put up because I am a bad forgetful mom!

And there hasn't been just a me and Mark picture in a while, so I thought one was needed.