It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ...

 Ian was very excited to help set up the Christmas tree!

 After the lights were up, Ian was also very excited to help unpack the ornament boxes ...

 ... and find just the right spot for each ornament!

 This is the first year we've done Advent boxes (with little treats inside) for Ian. One of Ian's favorite treats so far was getting to watch "The Grinch that Stole Christmas" on TV while eating popcorn.

 We took time last week to cut Ian's hair using the new hair-cutting "cape" that Grandma and Grandpa gave him for Christmas. Ian seemed very relieved to not be as itchy, and Kim was very grateful that Ian didn't have to keep stopping to look down and wipe hair pieces off of his arms and legs. :)

 On Saturday, we went to John Wesley United Methodist Church's "Walk-Through Bethlehem." We had gone last year and enjoyed it, so we decided we needed to go again! Ian liked it last year, and LOVED it this year. I think it just might become a family tradition. One highlight (that will certainly make our northern friends chuckle) was seeing (fake) snow (that had been brought in). Ian loved picking it up, throwing it,

 and, of course, eating it.

 The church had many "stations" where kids could experience the different sights and sounds of Bethlehem. Ian touche a goat and sheep,

 tried to grind grain,

 and sampled some bread.

 He loved seeing 7-week-old "baby Jesus"

 

 Ian made a few crafts, like this beeswax candle. (He also made a coin, a coin bag, and a clay candle holder.)

 It was fun to press olives and sample olive oil ...

 ... as well as "go shopping" for lentils and beans at the market.

 The wisemen stopped for a quick picture.

 Another highlight for Ian was riding the camel -- first with Daddy,

 

 then with Momma, too!

He also got to ride a donkey all by himself.

While Momma and Daddy took turns waiting in the ride-an-animal line, the other parent watched Ian play on the church's fun playground.

The last station was "the inn" where we got some lemonade and a snack. What a fun morning!

 We're thankful that our pregnancy continues to progress well. At our doctor's appointment on Dec. 1, the doctor immediately found baby's heartbeat using the Doppler device. We'll go back in for our "big" ultrasound on Dec. 19, when Kim is right at 19 weeks along. We don't plan to find out this baby's gender either since we so much enjoyed being surprised with Ian.

 Ian absolutely loved looking at the fetal models Matt brought home from school (which Matt had used while teaching biology). Ian attached himself to the 32-week-old fetal model and took "her" everywhere. It was endearing to see him rock the baby, "tickle" and cuddle her, and sleep right beside her. It was a little scary, however, to hear him ask if he could put the baby inside the dryer! Turns out he has a few things to learn before being a big brother. Ha ha!

 For a long time, Ian has been intrigued by his Play-doh scissors. He was thrilled to learn a few weeks ago that his Play-doh scissors could cut paper, too. A few days ago, I finally decided to let him experiment with "real" (kid) scissors. He made the fringes for these fun Christmas thank-you notes and absolutely loved it!

The next day, while I was cutting coupons, I asked if he'd like to "help." Boy, was he excited about that! :)

 Daddy and Ian made a caboose from a Lowe's Build and Grow workshop kit. (The Lowe's room was too full to do it there, but we happily brought it home.) Over the next few weeks, Daddy and Ian will go to Lowe's to make a coal car and then an engine. How exciting!

 

On Sunday, Kim and her friend Aliceson hosted a table for our church's Advent by Candlelight. Neither of us had ever been before, but we were excited to give it a try. 

 Thanks to Aliceson's creativity, our table turned out very nicely. :)

It was such a blessing to have a "girls' night out" with great friends -- Julie, Martha, (Kim), Tanya, Jenn, Aliceson, Carole, and Kati.

One of my favorite parts of this Christmas has been hearing Ian sing Christmas songs. In this video, he sings the "Christmas bells" song that Grandma taught him while she was visiting. He knows at least seven or eight other carols, too -- some of them, he surprised us and knows multiple verses of! We'll see if we can get some of those on video, too. For now, enjoy this one carol, courtesy of Ian. :)