Yeah for Christmas decorating! Our first foray into beautifying for the holiday came while wrapping some presents (yes I actually did some shopping before I put up my tree, how's that for on the ball?) Joaquin has always preferred to 'help' me wrap, rather than spend some quality time with his toys. His help usually means making as much of a mess as he can with my wrapping supplies 
before I notice what he's up to and stop him. He's very quiet when engaged in this endeavor. Well this year he got the idea to use my paper cutter (the blade is couched inside plastic so I let him play with it as it's almost impossible for him to hurt himself with it) to cut foil ribbon into little strips. He made about a million of these and then announced he wanted to make a star and put them on it. So I got creative and we made a star with cardboard and gold wrapping paper. Then Joaquin glued several of his little foil ribbons on for bling. I made the tail long just for looks, but Joaquin, already the veteran of multiple tellings and pictures of the Christmas story, said, "It's the wise man star!" It does indeed look like many pictures of the star shining down on the magi traveling on their camels. Since Joaquin got to bring snack and show-and-tell in honor of his birthday this week, he brought his star. (It was perfect since the color theme was yellow and the shape theme was a star.) Apparently he gave his class quite the explicit rundown on our design process before explaining how it was the wise mens' star. Several days later we had our actual evening of decorating. First we got out Joaquin's big boy hammer again to hang some Christmas pictures. I saved some of the 
prettiest cards I received last year and framed them (Hobby Lobby was having a 50% off sale). They look beautiful, my new favorite decoration, and Daniel and Joaquin did a wonderful job of hanging them. They even got to use the backside of the hammer since we removed the props on the backs of the frames. (They were hanging crooked because of them.) Then we moved on to 
everyone's favorite, the tree! At least I assume it must be Joaquin's favorite because of his reaction here. He helped me put on quite a few ornaments although I admit to re-hanging some of them (he tends to decorate in clumps). This year we managed to get the top lights on our tree to work, but a small strip in the middle is still refusing to participate. I'm pretty confident that if Daniel can't figure it out, it's unlikely to be figured out. So we're pretending we don't notice it. :) These last pictures are extremely sweet ones of Joaquin helping me put up our Nativity scene. Unfortunately they also include some 
Mommy on what was, for a variety of reasons, one of the worst hair days of her life. I've tried to only upload the ones where you don't see much of me, but please, no heckling! Joaquin had a lot of fun setting it up since I actually let him hold the pieces this year .and he could remember all the main characters. He was especially fond of the donkey. I did give him the reminder of how he broke the cow as a much smaller 
child and so he needed to remember not to pick up the people and play with him. This sobered him up and here he is staring solemnly at his damaged cow. Poor cow, our repair job still shows. He also helped me make a new Advent wreath (he picked out the red holly berries for it) and we've been having a lovely time doing Advent every evening. Especially since we have an Advent calender with little doors for everyday, each little door hides chocolate!! Won't we be so sad when Christmas is over. Don't worry, we're being very Mexican and vaguely Catholic and not putting out our Magi yet. We'll celebrate Dia de los Reyes and get some more celebration time. This family doesn't like to put Christmas to bed.
before I notice what he's up to and stop him. He's very quiet when engaged in this endeavor. Well this year he got the idea to use my paper cutter (the blade is couched inside plastic so I let him play with it as it's almost impossible for him to hurt himself with it) to cut foil ribbon into little strips. He made about a million of these and then announced he wanted to make a star and put them on it. So I got creative and we made a star with cardboard and gold wrapping paper. Then Joaquin glued several of his little foil ribbons on for bling. I made the tail long just for looks, but Joaquin, already the veteran of multiple tellings and pictures of the Christmas story, said, "It's the wise man star!" It does indeed look like many pictures of the star shining down on the magi traveling on their camels. Since Joaquin got to bring snack and show-and-tell in honor of his birthday this week, he brought his star. (It was perfect since the color theme was yellow and the shape theme was a star.) Apparently he gave his class quite the explicit rundown on our design process before explaining how it was the wise mens' star. Several days later we had our actual evening of decorating. First we got out Joaquin's big boy hammer again to hang some Christmas pictures. I saved some of the 
prettiest cards I received last year and framed them (Hobby Lobby was having a 50% off sale). They look beautiful, my new favorite decoration, and Daniel and Joaquin did a wonderful job of hanging them. They even got to use the backside of the hammer since we removed the props on the backs of the frames. (They were hanging crooked because of them.) Then we moved on to 
everyone's favorite, the tree! At least I assume it must be Joaquin's favorite because of his reaction here. He helped me put on quite a few ornaments although I admit to re-hanging some of them (he tends to decorate in clumps). This year we managed to get the top lights on our tree to work, but a small strip in the middle is still refusing to participate. I'm pretty confident that if Daniel can't figure it out, it's unlikely to be figured out. So we're pretending we don't notice it. :) These last pictures are extremely sweet ones of Joaquin helping me put up our Nativity scene. Unfortunately they also include some 
Mommy on what was, for a variety of reasons, one of the worst hair days of her life. I've tried to only upload the ones where you don't see much of me, but please, no heckling! Joaquin had a lot of fun setting it up since I actually let him hold the pieces this year .and he could remember all the main characters. He was especially fond of the donkey. I did give him the reminder of how he broke the cow as a much smaller 
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