2014 Ornaments

Every year we get an ornament for each of the kids that is representative of the past year, and we always try to get an ornament when we go on vacation.

Little Man:  He chose this ornament over the summer during his intense aquatic phase, and he still absolutely loves it.  Orcas are still his favorite animal in the ocean.  I tried to remind him that Killer Whales are mammals (since he's always complaining mammals are so boring), but he was unimpressed by my technicalities. 

Little Lady: She was most adamant that she have a Princess Sofia ornament.  This fits her and her princess obsession perfectly.  Her ornament came in a set, so she decided she wanted to give some of her cousins ornaments as well.  (She said baby's don't need ornaments and that boys don't get to have Princess Sofia, so sorry, Ethan and Kiersten - I promise she still loves you). 

BB: I really wanted a Hungry Caterpillar ornament in keeping with his 1st birthday theme, but I could only find outlandishly priced commemorative ones.  I love my son and all, but I was not going to pay that much for an ornament he will probably break anyway, so I settled on a Hungry Hippo instead.  He is in the 90th percentile for height and 97th percentile for head circumference and weight, so he is most definitely a rather large, but well proportioned child.  He would eat all day long if you let him, so the Hungry aspect applies very well to him.

My brother's wedding in Texas: We chose an ornament from the Alamo.  San Antonio was our favorite city we visited and it also has special meaning since it is Grandma Thompson's childhood home.









Stuetz Family Reunion in Outer Banks, North Carolina:  This ornament was absolutely perfect, because the kiddo's favorite part of the entire trip was fishing for blue shelled crab. 

Looking at the ornaments each year always makes me so nostalgic of all the wonderful memories we've had as a family.  This year in particular was a lot of fun as we put up the Christmas tree ornaments.  The kid's were so excited to see which ornaments belonged to them and what the story was behind each one.  I love that all of the ornaments have some meaning and/or are connected to a memory.  It is a tradition that I cherish.