Day 21: Payne Family Ornament Collection

Please join us in the 25 Days of December Challenge, issued by my friend Stacy.

Family Collection:

• 1997: Gold bell - as a wedding favor, we handed these out with a cute little poem!
• 1998: 1st anniversary - bride/groom
• 1999: Snow people family - we added Franklin to the family!
• 2000: Penguin ice skaters - still a family of 3
• 2001: Door - we bought our first house in Peoria, IL (We had a 2nd ornament for 2001 with 4 people because we added Harrison to the family, but it broke!)
• 2002: Snowman on candy cane
• 2003: Bear Family - we added a 3rd child, so we became a family of 5 & Texas flag ball (moved to Texas)
• 2004: Family Photo
• 2005: Silver piggy bank - we started following Dave Ramsey's financial principles
• 2006: Silver "P" monogram
• 2007: Chicago cityscape - Tommie & I went to Chicago for our 10th anniversary
• 2008: (...You'll have to wait until Christmas!)

Here are a couple of other special ornaments that hang on our tree:

This is the ornament from my 1st Christmas - 1976.

Tommie & I both graduated from Western Illinois University.

I bought this ornament in 2001, so I would remember to pray for those whose families were forever changed by the 9/11 tragedy. It is a little fire station. Each year, as I hang it on the tree, I pause to pray.