Getting Ready for Christmas

We decided to put up our Christmas decorations before we went to Nebraska for Thanksgiving. Ian was just getting over from a nasty, 3-day-long stomach flu, so we canceled out on most of the activities that we had going over the weekend. We took advantage of our low-key time at home to put up the tree. Ian remembered the routine from last year. He organized all of the branches and then put them all in the holes. Ryan thought everything was very interesting, too, as he probably doesn't remember the tree from last year. :)

Of course, Ian asked to put the star on the top of the tree.

Ian and Ryan both helped put the ornaments on the tree. Ryan also helped reorganize and rearrange the ornaments the whole time the tree was up in our house. :)

When we got home on December 1, it was so nice to have our house already decorated! We continued our family tradition and attended John Wesley UMC's Walk Through Bethlehem again this year. It was VERY cold (for Texas ... probably 35 degrees) and was sleeting/raining during part of our time outside. Ian was interested in riding the donkey, though Ryan didn't want to get anywhere NEAR it!

Since there was NO line this year (likely due to the cold weather), we were able to ride the camel a few different times! So fun!

We didn't do all of the stations as we have in previous years, but we had to go see "baby Jesus" in the manger. ...

... and Ryan had to pause to pet a goat before we went home! :)

Ian specifically asked to make and decorate sugar cookies this year, so that was one of the activities that we had in our Advent box.  Even Ryan could help use cookie cutters to punch out the shapes.

Ian thought using the rolling pin was especially fun.

Ian, Ian's preschool friend (Benjamin),and Ryan sampled, frosted, sampled, decorated, and sampled some of the cookies (and let Momma finish the rest). :)

Our small group went to a memory care facility to go Christmas caroling one evening.

The residents may have enjoyed watching Ryan and his friend Owen (age 2) doing silly antics even more than listening to our group sing. :)

Here, Ryan tries to copy Owen who had just successfully done a somersault.

We did an action rhyme with the residents ...

... and then handed out cookies that the kids had made. Here, Anna is shaking hands with a resident that (according to the activities director) was a track coach for some Olympic athletes. So sweet!

A group shot (Zach, Tanya & Zane; Elisabeth, Jonathan, Anna & Nate; Kyle, Aliceson, Samuel & Caleb; Tim, Martha, & Christopher; Pat, Sarah & Owen; Matt, Kim, Ian & Ryan)