More decorating for Christmas

Another milestone has been reached in our household that just proves that my girls are growing up -- they are now more interested in putting ornaments on the tree than in taking them off!  How did that happen?  Big Sis has always loved decorating for Christmas as I wrote about here, but this year her little sisters decided to get in on the act, too.  Instead of the usual "help" they give us (i.e. taking down the ornaments as we put them up), they actually wanted to "make the tree pretty," as they said.  Yes, they have done some rearranging here and there, leaving some spots on the tree looking bare while others are full of ornaments, but I think they've done a great job.  Part of me feels a little sad and nostalgic for the babies who thought ornaments made interesting toys rather than decorations.  I guess at 5 and 3 they've developed an appreciation for just looking at the ornaments on the tree.

Lil Sis putting on some ornaments

Baby Girl taking a turn

Okay, I guess Baby Girl has decided that part of our Christmas decorations are really meant to dress her up, rather than our tree.  She likes to wear the tree skirt that my mom crocheted as a cape.  She calls herself a Christmas elf princess!

Baby Girl wearing the tree skirt over her dress so she can be a princess, complete with "shiny shoes," her favorite black patent Mary Janes.

Big Sis has been busy making foam Christmas ornaments and magnets to add to our collection of homemade ornaments.
  

She also made this great foam gingerbread house.  We made a real gingerbread house last year, but found that it quickly got broken so we went with the foam version this year.  It turned out really well and it looks great on our bookshelf!

I'm linking up with the "Sharing Christmas" blog cruise hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  Be sure to check out all the other bloggers in the link-up when it posts on Saturday, Dec. 15th!