Our Week (Christmas Pageant)

We've had a week full of fantastic moments (Edward's family visiting), and slogging moments (illness, yet again), but all in all, we can't complain!

I realize there is a disproportionate number of messy Malcolm photos, but we can't help ourselves.  Here is Malcolm with his cup stuck (and I mean, STUCK) in his hair, with maple syrup

Yep, ditto what I wrote above, but here he is enjoying his fraternity with the chocolate-moustasched Musketeers.

The older three with the gingerbread houses they decorated at school and their Advent wreaths

This year, we headed our church's call for an extra shepherd, angel and wise man and committed to the Christmas Pageant.  This involved one dress rehearsal and a lot of crossed fingers (and, I'm sure for the director, a certain amount of prayer).  We almost had a wayward sheep to add to the mix, but he's suffering from a(nother) bad cold, which includes two infected eyes; and, pardon the expression, he looks like hell.  In any case, Aunt Jane graciously took the video documenting The Ducklings foray into.. musical theatre... and it turned out really well.

A few additional notes about the video:

Keith actually memorized his line: "Let us now go even unto Bethlehem to see this thing which is come, which the Lord hath made known to us", and we were extremely proud of him.  You can see him mouthing along (he barely made it down the aisle, so it was truly a Christmas miracle that he said anything at all) to his line, and to "Away in A Manger".  

Evelyn memorized her line, too, but it turns out we got the wrong line assigned to us, and hers was in fact said by the Angel Gabriel, which caused Evelyn a certain amount of confusion and disappointment. 

Colin didn't have a line, which suited him just fine because he really didn't want to be a Magi, he wanted to be a "Helicopter Guy".  But I think he was won over by his crown.

The little ones who did make in into their sheep costumes provided some levity, which you can hear rippling through the congregation at times... and Father Murray tried in vain to choral one (his grandson) at one point, which is why he makes a cameo appearance in the video.

The angel who suddenly pitched forward on the floor is fine.... not even a feather ruffled, or halo bent!