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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Our Tree This Year

As most of you know, this year Christmas was a little different for us. We spent it in Temp. Lodging on base. This was NOT the plan but.....it's what happened so we made it work the best we could!

Since we had no decorations and we really wanted to make sure the kids had a tree we decided to make our own. Our craft store on base didn't have much (no surprise) but what they did have we made work!

Popcicle sticks and paint...hmmmmm....what can we do with those?!



Jodus and Leila painting....Jodus did really well....Leila she tried her best...and once her little hands got paint on them it was OVER....she wanted nothing to do with the painting anymore (she's such a girl :) )



Daddy and Jodus gluing some sticks!




Pipe-cleaners and beads....hmmmmm (and yes they are colored beads...that's all they had)



He's so proud of his snowman or whatever that is (LOL)



Glitter Time....she loved that part!



This is going to be a tree!



Welp....here they are....snowflakes, sleds, santas and snowmen, tree's, beaded candy canes!



The Tree....it was only 4 1/2 feet and it was fake but it served the purpose!



Decorating



He was so happy!



FINISHED!!!







You know, this year was very trying for us and I thought it was going to totally suck not having our nice big, fresh Christmas tree and all my wonderful ornanments but what I found out was:
My kids LOVED doing this! They loved it so much that I have decided to make this part of our yearly tradition. Of course I will still have my nice big, fresh tree with MY decorations but we will also have another smaller tree that will be decorated in nothing but homemade decorations and each year we will do a new kind of ornament plus anything that someone sends us that is homemade. My friend here made me a few cricut snowflakes that came out FABULOUS and of course they will always be a part of the tree too!
We seem to always get caught up in what we THINK our kids "need" or "want" when what they really want is US, to spend time with their mom's and dad's doing something as a family. Don't get me wrong, my kids are spoiled but it was great to remember just being a family!

12 comments:

cardmaking bird said...

Awwwww, April your tree looked so cute and it looks like you had a fab time! Isn't it funny that what started as making the best of a bad situation has ended up being a new tradition!!?? I love it when things like that happen. Hugs, Marie xx
P.S. Your son and daughter are adorable!!

Lesley said...

Great idea April, very cute!

Arts by Sara said...

April... That touches my heart and brings tears to my eyes! That is the true meaning of christmas and so many have forgotten that! I am so happy to hear that you are planning on making it a tradition! I love the fact of homemade items, whether it is decorations, cards, memory pages, household items (towels, doilies, etc)! You made me remember the awesome things from my past! Thank You for that! Happy Creating! Sara

marsha said...

April, what a special time for you and your family! Your tree is so cute and I'm sure you will treasure this memory forever.
Hugs,
Marsha

AnnMarie said...

I absolutely LOVED seeing these photos! Your family is beautiful and it looks like you guys did a wonderful job making the best of a stinky situation!

Colleen said...

Love your post, girl. Thanks for sharing! What a wonderful thing to do with your family!

Craft Paper said...

April, so glad you were bake to turn a yucky situation into something great! You are going to scrap these, right? I love picture of Rodney glueing those popcicle sticks!

Moira said...

I love these photos. It shows that you were totally able to take your crappy situation and make it positive!

Melina said...

I love the little tree. This is so sweet April. You made a bad situation a very memorable one. You are a great mommy! :)
Hugs

Terria said...

This is sweet this will be the Christmas you all remember the most will smiles and laughter :)

Kirei na Kami said...

This entire post truly touched my heart!! It took me down memory lane when me and the boys used to do this. Now, they are all grown up...and I long for the days of glue and glitter everywhere. I tell ya...remnants of glitter lingered well past the Christmas holiday lol! I know you adore these sweet ornaments today, but you will truly treasure and cherish those little handmade masterpieces even more as they grow older. Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful and inspiring moment with all of us...I know it brought a smile and a few happy tears to my day:) I also wanted to thank you for hopping along with the Fresh Brewed Crew!! We, actually "they" as I am only a guest on the hop, appreciate your kind words and support:) And, thank you for bringing even more smiles into my day with your sweet comment!

Anonymous said...

Awesome ideas and they turned out beautifully! Looks like a lot of fun! :)