Ward Party.

We had the best ward party tonight.

Our ward blew it out of the water with a Christ center family friendly party.

We have had such a mellow December that we just bundled up and walked over to the club house from our house.  The kids rode their bikes with their head lamps and Gregg and I took Pete in the stroller.

I should have turned on my flash and taken some decent pictures of the dinner and decorations.  The club house had lights and there were tables set up on the basketball court.  It was a catered chili dinner with all the toppings and rolls, salad, water bottles and donuts.  It was such a nice "night off" from cooking.

Lights were strung from one basketball hoop to the other with a star in the middle.

Simple and elegant table decorations.

There were little chairs and tables set up for the kids to eat at.

After dinner there was a candlelit walk to Bethlehem.

Our kids were totally memorized by the walk.  It sparked some amazing spontaneous discussions about Christ's birth that could have never been planned.

In the middle of a field this humble live nativity was set up.

There were even real animals.

Shepherds.

Wisemen.

Truman warming up by the fire.

Cutest shepherds with their live animals.

After the nativity we walked over to a wagon ride that went around the neighborhood.

A couple of people from our ward brought out their tractors and flat bed trailers with hay for rides and a sing-a-long.  Bodie had had enough by this point so Gregg took he and Pete home and put them to bed.  Truman and I went on the wagon ride.

Before we walked home Truman wanted to go see and pet the animals one last time.

When I got home Pete was sacked out on our bed and Gregg and Bodie were asleep together in Bodie's bed.

I was SO impressed with our ward.  Hands down the best most Christ-centered ward party EVER - which is what a ward Christmas party should be.  We are even more in the spirit of Christmas now.