Because I Haven't Blogged Much About Camels

A local church sponsored "A Night in Bethlehem" which basically meant that they transformed the church building into a village of shops, homes, and the actual stable where Jesus was born.

The actors/Israelites were VERY in character and started out by asking us, "How did you get here? Did you follow the star in the east? Did the angels tell you of the good news?!"

Jackson looked at the lady (totally deadpan) and said, "No. We used GPS."

Very literal is my boy.

The highlight of the evening was the camel, "Dutchie," which I do not believe is her Hebrew name.
There was also a pen of sheep and miniature goats. Unlike Bethlehem, they were flanked by space heaters which made me want to hang out with them much longer than I typically want to spend with animals.

Lilly took a special liking to the baby/mini goats and made it her goal to groom their coats to a fine sheen. These goats were the same size as Sparky, the cat who wears dog clothing, so it was a little confusing for the kids.

Here they are with Zach and Lauren AND the ACTUAL DONKEY on which Mary rode into Bethlehem.

Don't worry...we didn't tell them that and twist Bible truths. In fact, we spent the entire night trying to convince them that these were actually ACTORS and animals who might RESEMBLE the original animals, and that donkeys don't live to be over 2,000 years old

Needless to say, they thought we were joking.

As for our finale, it's ME, losing it while trying to get these sweet, precious children to take a normal picture.

"JACKSON! LILLY! Just. Act. NORMAL."