The Adventures of Blueberry: Flashback Friday

A month ago today was Christmas Eve already. Hard to believe that the magic of the holiday has been gone for as long as it has. Well, it isn't really gone, our tree is still up, but who's paying attention?

I just HAVE to tell the stories for Flashback Friday about our first Christmas. We had a couple of parent fails, as well as victories, over the course of the holiday season. I so desperately wanted to make sure that we went "all out" for Emerson's first Christmas, but I failed to use logic to reason out how much time we would have to complete all the tasks I had listed for our perfect holiday.

I think that the journey is best illustrated in pictures.

I had to add in little details for our little man...

From my favorite throw pillows...

To a third stocking! I will need to get actual matching stockings for the future...

Grandbaby's First Christmas Ornament from Grammy Jensen!

Emerson had a mini tree in his room

With some holiday candle holders to match his room decor, too!

We went all out for the tree!

With more Baby's First Christmas ornaments, and coincidentally right next to the whiskey...

I baked actual cutout cookies for the first time- just like my childhood!

And made gingerbread men, too!

We captured time with Emerson's first hand print ornament

And left out cookies and milk for Santa!

The presents piled high on Christmas Eve!

And Santa left his own special gifts...


So much fun!

So those were the victories... and looking back there were a lot of things I somehow managed to pull off with lack of sleep, returning to work, and lots of family time and travel trying to stop me!

However, I do have to share the fails as well...

We got the idea to make some ornaments, and I let my Pinterest posting get a bit overzealous. I swore that I could make Etsy-worthy ornaments (besides the hand print shown above) to commemorate this major milestone Christmas.

First, I succeeded in completing a project I've wanted to try out for the past year:


This is an ornament with remnants of my bridal bouquet inside. I painted the wedding date and E + K on it, too.

I even added to the original plan...

Emerson's hospital hat and bracelets forever preserved...

And his welcome-home flowers, too

Along with a knit hat from the volunteers at the hospital

And I should have stopped there, but I didn't. I had this BRILLIANT idea for gifts for grandparents...

It was the ultimate Pinterest fail...

We tried to get a newborn to open his hand, place it in paint, and place it gingerly on a Christmas ball...

This was the best we could get...


So we tried the feet with little luck as well...

And for my final holiday story, this is definitely a parent victory! (Ending on a high note, at least).

If you are a small child or have young children, stop reading now. I don't want to ruin the spirit for all...

We could not WAIT to play Santa for the first time and set out the gifts after Emerson went to bed. We were giddy about sneakily eating the cookies and drinking the milk, and wanted to start a tradition that we'd be excited for in all the coming Christmases. And then Kyle got a little cocky. This is what followed...