Getting ready for Christmas

We had fun this year preparing for Jesus' birthday!

Decorating the House

The boys were excited to help put up our Christmas tree. They eagerly attached the poles together, and Ian sorted out the branches by size before he started connecting them.

In not too long, though, it became apparent that our well-loved tree (that we purchased 11 years ago at a garage sale) would need to be replaced. The base was cracked, and the tree was leaning to the side. Thankfully we could capitalize on a Black Friday sale! Matt called about 8 Home Depots in the area before he found the tree that we wanted. We were SO excited to finally get a pre-lit tree, and the boys love the remote control that switches the lights from white to colored to a flashing mix.

Grammy "fluffed" the branches,

and then we began the fun process of putting up ornaments.

What a beautiful tree! :)

We also decorated other parts of our house, including hanging the stockings on the mantel. I was so proud to hang up Ryan's recently-finished applique stocking. Hopefully, Nathan's will be done by next year! :)

Walk Through Bethlehem

One of our favorite family traditions has become going to a local church's "Walk Through Bethlehem." It was fun to show Grammy what it was all about! The boys started out by exploring the "snow area." (Yes, only in south Texas do we manufacture snow!)

Then, the boys and Grammy took a ride on a camel! They all had a great time. Ryan kept saying, "Why is it so wibbly-wobbly?" as the camel walked around.

Then, we went inside to eat some "fish" from the marketplace,

make candles,

and meet "the holy family"!

The boys also stamped their own coins,

pet some animals,

and met the Wise Men.

Ian's Christmas Program

Another highlight of the Christmas season was attending the Early Childhood Christmas program. Each class sang a song by itself and then the whole ECC gathered to sing three closing numbers. Ian's kindergarten class sang a cute song called "One Thousand Candles" or something like that. He was excited to hold a battery-operated candle during the song.

Ian is at the top left.

Singing Christmas Carols

And, finally, we enjoyed singing Christmas carols, especially during our night time family Advent devotions. The boys' favorite was "Go, Tell It on the Mountain."