Days 17.18.19.

Day 17:  Visit a living nativity!

The kids had a million questions about this as we packed them up and drove down to Livermore.  My goodness, how many times can one say, "We'll see when we get there"? This was our first time seeing it ourselves, so how else could we have answered?!

Now before anyone gets their knickers in a twist, 

we are going 3 miles per hour in a church parking lot.  

Chill out. ;)

 Carter enjoys my lap and watches the entire thing!

Before we let them loose...

 Daddy's safety warnings (while Levi handles the steering... LOL)

Time for the moon roof!

Carolers sing to us as we wait for our turn to drive through each scene.

 This reenactment was put on by Trinity Baptist Church.  They did a nice job!  It was so wonderful to stay warm while experiencing the living nativity and listen to the narration on a radio station.  They shared candy canes and coloring pages with the kids too.  The pictures aren't very good because I didn't want to flash at them and holding the camera still with a mover-shaker on your lap is pretty difficult.

Mary narrating her point of view after many years...

The kids were really into it!

Mary and Joseph looking for a room in Bethlehem.

DONKEY! =)

Shepherds hear the good news.  Didn't have the chance to get a picture of all the live sheep we had just passed. 

Bright lights: a multitude of angels!

 Cute kiddos were the angels!

 

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The kids said this was their favorite scene.  Baby Jesus with his mommy and daddy being worshiped...

Jesus, as a young boy, is visited by the Magi and given gifts.

"What's next!?"

"And that's why we celebrate Christmas" explanation concludes the drive through.

Guess who DIDN'T like being strapped back down after his fun freedom in the car??

Before heading back home, we drove by Deacon Dave's, 

a famously decorated house in Livermore.

We decided that once the kids can patiently wait in the cold, long line that wrapped around the block, we'll go in.  What a fun night!  That was an activity that they'll be asking to do for years, I'm sure!

Day 18: Drive around and look at Christmas lights.  This is the picture I got right before my camera battery died.  So, no pics of any pretty houses.  We saw some cool displays right here in our neighborhoods though!  

Day 19:  Make and send Christmas cards to family.  At the end of a busy day, some family friends were over for dinner and paper airplane fun.  

We asked them to join us in our activity.

 

Hayden especially has been asking to do these sticker nativity sheets for DAYS.  

Finally, it was behind an activity door!

                  

Carter tries to sabotage Levi's.

Not-at-all-shy Charlotte!! =)

And Mommy D.

Thanks, Faith, for helping Levi!

Gracie had a 2-second meltdown, hilarious..., after putting Mary and Joseph in the stable first she exclaimed,  "Oh no!  There's no woom for baby Jesus!"

 Problem solved!  And very pleased with her Christmas card.

 Cousin love is on the way...