well, so much for the great Christmas card pic. as i predicted, all they wanted to do was take ornaments off the tree. we did not get a great shot - so we're going with a picture i took week before last...and it's blurry! since the pic is blurry and they are sitting on a chair, we decided to mail "happy new year" cards. i don't know what the deal is with our kids, i mean, we've gotten several cards from friends who have kids who are around the same age and those pictures are great!! i wish this picture would have turned out a little better - it would have been great!

sunday afternoon we went to a Christmas event at our church and it was tons of fun. emily and ethan went on their first hay ride, and got up close and personal with some animals at the live nativity. before we left, emily was concerned about which animals would be there. she asked us several times if tigers and polar bears would be there. we explained only the animals that were in the stable when the baby Jesus was born would be there - she was relieved. anyway, ethan nearly jumped out of my arms to get at the animals, so i finally had to put him down next to the fence. if i would have given him enough time he would have found a way to jump over it, i know. i don't know if either one paid any attention to the baby Jesus, but i know one day they will notice him and the animals. it's fun to see them experience things for the first time, especially eternal things. oh, and one more thing. we were quizzing emily on what the wise men brought Jesus. even though we've drilled it over and over again what they actually brought, she would only say one thing; sparkles. these are truly the salad days.