Decorations

One of the first decorations on our tree this year was a set of felt ornaments I've made each year, using Liza's handprints and the year to show how much she's growing. **

It's an idea I totally ripped off from my crafty friend Sybil, only my version doesn't require gallons of fray-check and a huge leather thimble. This year is the first that Liza has actually understood the whole idea (sort of), and she's been very excited about showing off how big her hand is compared to the ornaments from past years.

Liza had a good time putting decorations on the tree today. We put up most of the breakable ones on the upper branches while she was napping, and let her go to it on the lower branches with the less delicate ornaments.
She also had a chance to put ornaments on the little tree for her room, which is actually in her room this year, despite the fact that we decorated it in the living room (so she could pick which ornaments she wanted for which tree). Note the look indicating the level of fiendish concentration required to get tiny metal hooks to attach to a plastic tree ...
I think this photo pretty much sums up the experience - that girl was on the go. She'd have been hanging ornaments with both hands and a foot, if she could have gotten the hooks to work that way.

**interested in the felt ornaments? They're pretty easy to make from the photo above if you're at all crafty, or you could buy a custom one from my etsy shop. Eleven dollars gets you a cherished keepsake, made from your child's actual handprint. Beat that, plastic Hallmark ornaments!