Something I forgot...

I know that we're all ready to move on to 2009, but I just realized that I forgot to share something with you all. Every year, the monkeys make their own gifts for all of their grandparents, aunts & uncles. It started the Christmas right before Kendall turned 3 and we were living with my sister in a 2 bedroom apartment while we were building the house. Not having much space to store a lot of gifts, and needing things for Kendall to do while a lot of her toys were in storage, I would set her up at the kitchen table with a myriad of craft items and just see what her little mind could create. I know I am completely biased, but I thought it was all AMAZING! She loved to use the watercolors, and made so many fabulous little paintings one day that we decided to roll them up with ribbons and give them to all of her family members for Christmas. She hand-picked each one, telling me which person it would go to and why. When she handed them out at Christmas, she was so very proud, beaming each time one of her favorite people opened one and ooohed and ahhhhed over it. In fact, Aunt Jessie framed hers and still has it hanging in her bathroom to this day! Some day she'll be able to say she has a Kendall Kuck original! LOL!

And so it started...each year we look for an inexpensive craft for the kiddos to do for their gifts. From suncatchers and magnets that we filled with little crystals and baked in 2004 to the glass snowflake ornaments and foam Christmas houses we made this year, the grandparents, aunts and uncles are always surprised at what the kids come up with.

Here are some pics from our craft-making this year. All of the grandparents got a Christmas house, and the aunts and uncles got a glittery snowflake ornament...P.S...when a child's craft kit says 4 years and older...don't believe them. THEY LIE!!! Barry and I had to help with these little houses quite a bit! It was all worth it though, don't you think?