Lets train

All of our children have been named after special ancestors.

There is something valuable in knowing who you are and knowing the people that paved the way for you to enter the world. Luckily ancestral stories and pictures are widely available with today's genealogical resources. My side of the family has kept records and sought after family names since the 1800s, and thanks to their dedication, I have some family lines that trace back to the 1400s. Cool huh?

My husband and I wanted to pass on our rich heritages to our children.

Our hallway is decorated with family tree photos, and each of the ancestors our children were named after are on that wall with their spouses. We not only have their names, but also their stories and their pictures. 

When we learned we were expecting another daughter in our family, I began looking through family history records, trying to find that special someone to name her after.

I found the great-great-lots-of-greats grandmother on my paternal grandfather's side.

Their story of perseverance and sacrifice and love was inspiring. We have stories and pictures.

And their last name was Bird.

So I knew I wanted to update our new daughter's nursery with a woodland bird theme.

(Ruby also gets her middle name from great-great-lots-of-greats Grandma Bird).

I found the little birds on Etsy's "WoodnNails" shop:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/185240443/bag-o-birds-8-birds-and-drawstring-bag?ref=shop_home_active_1&ga_search_query=bird

They were perfect for the room, and I was able to request colors within the room's color scheme.

The curtain rod was already strung across the crib wall from when Grace was sleeping in the nursery. I previously had the ivory picture frames hanging next to the wreath, which was wrapped in the greenery. 

To make the nursery over, Johnny and I strung branches along the curtain rod and secured them with clear hair elastics. The birds are hanging from thin ribbon, which was simply glued together at the curtain rod.

I love all the colors and patterns on those birds!

Finally, we hung some favorite quotes next to the window. Her room is peaceful, and yet different enough from Grace's nursery design that it feels like a different room.

Ruby gets her name from a variety of stories and people.

One of those stories is about her great-great grandmother's ruby ring. That is a story about faith and prayer, which has been passed down for a few generations.

This afternoon, I took some pictures of Ruby and that famous ruby ring. 

My grandmother passed the ring down to my mother, who is here visiting for the week.

I love this picture of her holding the ring, and she's so small it fits around two of her little fingers!

Enjoy your little ones, and remember your old ones!