This pretty tin belonged to my Grandma Verduin. Last year my Mom passed it on to me along with a note attached to it, written by my Grandma, that says "Our Stephanie."
The Veggie Tales nativity I bought Alyssa when she was little. It has now been loved on by all three of our girls (Yes, Laura the Carrot, aka Mary, is currently MIA. At least one character goes missing every year but somehow they always turn up again).
Alyssa made me this snowman picture frame in first grade. The picture it holds is one of my favorites.
'Elfie' became part of our Christmas traditions this year. Holland adores him and says "where's Elfie" while still wiping the sleep out of her eyes. When he first came home I watched her lean over his box and whisper through his air hole "Are you real? Because your skin is shiny, kind of like plastic." And again she leaned in very close whispering "Are you real?" Elfie made no audible response to which Holland replied: "I'll take that as a yes."
My love of spicy foods even manifests itself on our Christmas tree.
All three girls have these Walnut Ridge Baby's First Christmas ornaments. They are no longer made, but my Mom had the tremendous fore site to buy three when she bought the very first one for Alyssa.
Every year this ornament is hung in it's special place at the back of the tree, something that started as a joke between John and I on our first Christmas. Every year the girls laugh and beg us to tell them why it goes on the back of the tree. But we'll never tell.
