a sign of christmas again...

i had to take a bunch more pictures since i had run out of my original set.  so here's a new sign for today (just ignore the baby gate, it's an ugly necessity):

this picture actually covers like 3 different signs - which should make up for my lack of posts in recent days.  we have the nativity set - love the willow tree stuff, the garland wrapped in lights (something from dave's cache of christmas traditions) and the stockings.  some people have all matching stockings, and that's great too, but we like ours all different.  from left to right, we have layla's, dave's, mine, micah's, and shane's.  we were in ohio for layla's first christmas, and a member of our church here, made that and sent it to us.  it's beautifully done cross-stitch.  dave's was made by a next-door neighbor when he was a kid after his original stocking was chewed up by mice in the attic.  it's like a boot or a tennis shoe or something.  my mom made mine when i was 9 or 10 or so, and for awhile i alternated between that and the one next to it which is now micah's.  the bear stocking was made by my aunt for me when i was really young.  when shane was born, i gave it to him since i had another one.  he used it until last year (even though he complained that it was 'babyish' and he didn't like that it hung the wrong way) but we surprised him w/ a new one last year, and now the bear stocking has been passed down to micah.  why it hangs the wrong way, i have no idea.  last year he had a 'baby's first christmas' stocking, which has now been passed along to hannah.  shane's new stocking was appropriately chosen for him and custom-made (by some internet company) in john deere tractor fabric w/ his name embroidered on top.  he was VERY excited about it to say the least. 

so there you go - that should make up for a few days at least!