a night in bethlehem

the church where the boys go to preschool puts on a "night in bethlehem" event every year.  we look forward to it.  this year they shifted things around to allow people to wait inside instead of in the elements (last year matt waited in line for us in the rain and this year it was 27 and very windy).  it was really nice to be inside the whole time (although we left our coats in the car because we didn't want to carry the kids coats for an hour only to discover that we had a long walk back to this car this year - brrrrr!).  mason and maddux had gone on "field trips" last week to see what was new.  mason's report was that it was "bigger and more awesomer"!

while we waited for the roman guard to tell us about the census and our taxes (they have each family sign in and receive 'money' to pay their taxes), madelyn was tested as a apprentice to the fabric maker.

the kids with their 'money' to pay the taxes being collected - everyone has to pay.

this year there were a lot of small areas so they could move groups of about 50 through more quickly than some of the bottleneck large rooms last year.  it was nice to not have to wait, but it also felt like we were rushed through a little and didn't get to see all of the detail they had put into the transformation of the building (it is pretty amazing, you loose track of where you are even though i am very familiar with the building's layout).

shepherds telling us about the angels.

rabbis telling us about the prophesies (i think that this is my favorite part because they joke with each other).

i was trying to use my new camera and still figuring out the settings in the changing lighting (and was having a time with it).  we were warned that the camel spits, but as i was taking this picture, it spit on my face!

 and then for the whole point...

unfortunately, we were last to get close enough to see and were quickly ushered out into the cold!  we didn't spend a lot of time with the livestock. partly because maddux was terrified and partly because we were freezing without coats!

i didn't think that it was as good as previous years, but the kids loved it and it was still really amazing.  the time and effort the church puts in really shows!  love.