AN EARLY START: OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE & DIY ORNAMENTS

This past weekend, we put up our Christmas tree! Yes, November 9th is admittedly a little early, but it's our first tree, and we don't really know if we'll be home for Christmas or not. Baby 2 is due a few days before Christmas, and it all depends on when she arrives. But mostly, these are just excuses. I love Christmas and I wanted to put my tree up!

Thaddeus loved every minute of it. Even now, he keeps saying "WOW!" every morning when he sees the tree all lit up. And I mean a BIG "WOW!!!!". It's probably the cutest thing ever, and I reeeally hope I can catch him on camera!

Sadly, however, these beautiful glass ornaments didn't make the cut. I got them as a gift at one of my bridal showers, and since we have never had a tree, I've never been able to use them. I brought them here from Ottawa this summer with much anticipation, but of course, once I dropped one we decided we should probably wait a few years before they make an appearance on the tree! I had to snap some shots though, because they are just so pretty!

But there's nothing more that I love than handmade things. So this year, I got my craft on and made a bunch of decorations. I love love love our tree so much!

This last ornament was one that someone made for us for a bridal shower gift. Love it!

Our biggest challenge was the "tree skirt". We didn't have one... so we had to be creative! I had bought some sweet Christmas burlap from Michaels to wrap around the tree but I had only enough to wrap around half the tree. Oops! Not like I can just run to Michaels and pick up some more! (The closest Michaels is 3 hours away...). So Mark thought we could try to use it for the tree skirt. All it needed was one of my scarves underneath, and it worked perfectly! 

We had such a blast putting it up, and Mark did a great job letting me do all the ornaments while Thaddeus slept! Hehe. He knows me so well! So happy it's up, and we are really enjoying having it lit at night while we watch a movie or a show (Gilmore Girls!) on our new TV!

Have you put your tree up super early too?

FOUR

Today, we celebrate four amazing years of marriage. We are blessed beyond measure, and falling in love more and more every day!

"Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God". Ruth 1:16

DAW

"Daw, mama? Daw?" have recently become the first words out of little bear's mouth when he enters the kitchen in the morning. Every morning. And then after naps. And when we get home from being out. But it mostly means that he wants me to draw, while he tells me what to draw! Yes, there are scribbles here and there, which are cute, but he really just loves telling me what to do! It's pretty amazing though, because he now can recognize a few symbols: heart, sun, star, moon... and many animals as well. Of course I think he's brilliant!

His (or our, I suppose) artwork is warming up this little corner of our kitchen and I love it so. I recently came across a wonderful idea to take pictures of every piece of artwork and make them into a photo album down the road. So I have only been keeping a few choice drawings up at a time, and saving photos of all the rest. I just bought some finger paints and a painter's smock so we will get started on some messier projects in the days to come. I hope to frame some, and get a couple canvases as well.

The little artiste himself!

Have a great week friends!