My Favorite Christmas Tradition

Post #4 of today

I read about this in a Family Fun magazine years ago and it is my favorite tradition by far. Every year we add a button to our stockings that represent something that happened in our lives that year or something about ourselves. It is so much fun shopping for that perfect button to go with our lives. I am sorry these pictures are crap. My camera is crap and so is the operator of it :-)

First, mine:
1995 -Donald Duck
I collected him and so this was my first.
1996 - Moon
My middle name means moonlight.
1997 - Tulip
My favorite flower
1998 - Buccaneers
I picked them to win the super bowl that year because they had a new stadium and new uniforms. They won their division and became my team.
1999 - Motorboard
I graduated from college this year
2000 - Schoolhouse
I finished my first year of teaching
2001 - Red, White, and Blue Heart
I got this because of September 11.
2002 - Blue Pacifier
This is for Zachary being born, but it broke and I need to replace it.
2003 - Butterfly
The year of my divorce. I felt like I was emerging from a cocoon in many ways.

2004 - Pink CrossStitch "Home Sweet Home"
For the first time, I was in a house. I had a yard fr Zachary and it was so great!
2005 - Sand Pail
I love love love the beach!
2006 - Wedding Bells
Gary and I got married
2007 - Blue Ladybug
I have a fondness for blue ladybugs and I started my company, Blue Ladybug Designs.
2008 - See below

Zachary's:

2002 - Clock
We called him Zachary-Dachory-Dock, so we got the Hickory-Dickory clock for his first button.
2003 - Trains
He was very into trains this year
2004 - Truck
Loved his trucks!
2005 - Tractor
He discovered John Deere tractors this year and fell in love with them.
2006 - Skull
The stubborn 4 year old had to have this button or die! And I get to remember that was the time he started having a mind of his own.
2007 - Backpack
He started school.
2008 - Microscope
He is very much into Science. It is still on it's way here.





Gary's:
2005 - Airplane
He used to be a pilot.
2006 - Family
He got his family :-)
2007 - Computer
He is very into his Mac
2008 -
See below










When I started searching for the girl's stockings I knew I wanted something unique. I didn't want just any old traditional stockings for them. I looked high and low!! Finally I found these (thank you google!) What is funny is I decided whose would be whose. Then I asked Zachary who should have which one and he chose the same as I did. Then Gary came home and we quizzed him and it was unanimous. We all thought that Abby should have the Santa and Olvia should have the snowman. Hmmm...could it have anything to do with the big rosy cheeks??

And again, their first buttons had to be perfect as well. And I didn't really expect to find anything. I thought maybe a crown for diva Olivia and a cabbage patch for Abby, but like I was going to find them. Then I found the PERFECT buttons for them!!

Aren't they perfect!? Love love love them!! Since their room is decorated in ladybugs, they each wear one of these colors quite frequently and we call them love bugs often...::sigh::...perfect!

Gary and I will choose one of these for ours this year. I think we will go with the pink pacifiers. These are just like the one that I got for Zachary. I want to put 2 on but Gary said just one for the both of them. Hmmm...don't know yet.

So here we are...our family of 5
I had one of those "Holy crap, we are a family of 5!!"
moments when I put these all up.

I am so bummed that I did not get this up in time for Rachel's post about Holiday traditions. I so meant to, Rachel!!