Shepherds, Sheep and a Savior

We arrived home from our cruise on Sunday, December 13th which happened to be the same day as our Christmas play at church. We were hoping to get home in time to unpack and nap some before the big play, but life had other plans...doesn't it always? When we got home our kitchen was flooded...it seems that the drain line from the refrigerator became twisted somehow and had flooded the kitchen floor and the living room carpet. Then Phil went to check on our doggies and found our beloved Spot had passed away while we were gone. Trey was absolutely devastated! After a tear filled burial, we did manage to get the kids to take a nap & neither one of them wanted to get up when the time came! Jesse was tired and cranky...he continually insisted that he was a cow and not a sheep! Trey was heart broken and exhausted! We made it to the play on time, but Trey yawned through a lot of it. It was a wonderful performance however, based on the Angel of the Lord sharing the Good News! with the shepherds. Our family was blessed by the experience and I pray that you are blessed by the videos! Enjoy!

My little cow-sheep

My Traveller

The Shepherd and the Angels
8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. Luke 2:8-20

Smelly, Shaggy Sheep

Glory

Go and Tell

Our last night...

Our last night on the cruise we gathered together for family pictures.

Once picture time was done, Trey headed to the playroom for a magic show and the farewell party and Jesse and I headed off to find Goofy. Then the whole family (minus Trey) had one last fabulous meal.

Triton's Restraunt aboard the Disney Wonder

Each night one of our waiters had wowed us with "brain busters" made from crayons & tricks with silverware. The last night, Jesse showed him a trick of his own.

Snoozing with our final towel animal.

Castaway Cay

Our last day on the cruise we were at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. This was our favorite spot during our last cruise and I was so excited to be going there again. However, all the boys wanted to do was go swimming and since this trip was all about them, that's what we did. We swam for a couple of hours, and then visited the island for a little while so that the boys could treasure hunt, go on a whale bone dig, and play some water games. Once we picked them up from the play area neither one of them had any desire to hit the beach. Instead they wanted to head back to the boat and hit the pool again...so we did!

Goofy's Pool & hot tubs

Castaway Cay

Mickey's Pool & Slide

Toy Story the Musical

There is a live show each night on the cruise and if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend that you take them all in! The first night was The Golden Mickeys, which we missed this time around but hope to see next time. The second night was Toy Story the Musical which was fabulous! The toys were simply AMAZING, and the boys were mesmerized. Ever since we saw it, Jesse has had a new obsession with all things Toy Story! The final night was Dreams. Jesse attended with Aunt Lauris and Uncle Marty and they reported that it was even better than Toy Story! During Dreams, bubbles blew out and snow fell from the ceiling!!! Jesse was super excited! Phil and I skipped it and went to see Old Dogs instead, which was very good. However, next time...I'll be making every effort to go see all the live shows.

We got fabulous seats in the 3rd row!

The dog was my favorite!

The final curtain