Decorating in progress

One of Ben's new hobbies is taking off all the books on the second shelf of his bookcase and artfully arranging them on the floor with his stuffed animal collection. Here is he showing off a piece of the mom & baby hippo puzzle he got for his birthday which usually adorns the top shelf.

We have been woefully lax in getting decorations up on Ben's walls. A few weekends ago we hung a few of the things we've gotten over the past year. I'm still planning on making a name banner to go over Ben's crib. I found this adorable Bird Band print by artist Fall Down Tree on Etsy, an incredibly addictive craft sale site. Matted with scrapbook paper, it gives Ben something fun to look at while he's getting his diaper changed. I was so excited to find a picture that included an owl playing the banjo :)



Ben's Grandma & Opa got him this lovely cross for his baptism & it is now hanging over his crib.


And finally, Ben has been producing a lot of art since moving to the Young Toddler class at daycare and we wanted a way to display some of it. He now has a hanging art gallery in his room that is easy to change out as new masterpieces are created! We just nailed in simple hangers (Ben thought the hammering was hilarious!), tied two ribbons on, and attached the papers with clothespins. I might spruce it up more later by painting the clothespins and buying some basic wood shape cutouts from a craft store to camouflage the metal hangers.