Christmas Pageants and PS prayer requests

We have two aspiring actors in the family. Will has been participating in two different Christmas programs this year, and Brighton made her debut in one program too. Will has been in the annual live nativity at our church, but this year he got to be Joseph. Brighton was old enough to be an angel in the program as well. Will also was a shepherd in his preschool's Christmas program. He did very well in both programs! We were pleasantly surprised how well he knew what to do because if we ask him what he is going to be doing, he usually has no idea. Brighton was quite the little ham. She did not want to do what she was supposed to do, but she LOVED the attention. I think we may have a problem with that one! The best part of the church program was the kids' costumes. My mom made both kids' outfits, and they turned out beautifully! They were the subjects of many many compliments. Thank you, Nana, for making them the cutest angel and Joseph ever!! Enjoy the pics below, and please read my comments at the bottom of the page about Jon.

They made an awfully cute angel and Joseph!

Getting them dressed was no easy feat...I was afraid Will was going to give us a repeat performance of Mother's day where he just laid on the floor during the program. Eventually he settled down.

Brighton was not so thrilled about getting her costume on over her Christmas dress, but she got used to it.

Cornering them behind the door made it easy for me to finish getting them dressed for the "show."

Don't let the wings fool you, she was a little stinker before it was time to go on. I stayed very busy keeping her away from the church Christmas tree.

The live nativity for our church is for all the little kids (with big-kid helpers). They walk down the aisle, sing a few songs, play hand bells, and then are dismissed to go have a birthday party for Jesus (which was Will's motivation for being so good).

Brighton and Ava were the little angels. They walked down the aisle and were then supposed to stand near the stage with the other kids. However, Brighton proceeded to run around the sanctuary, find a hymnal to start beating like a drum, and have her own private dance party to "Joy to the World." It's a good thing that it was a very informal little program.

Will and Laurel (aka Mary and Joseph) came down the aisle last. I'm pretty sure baby Jesus should not be carried like that, but that's a boy for you! Will did very well playing the bells this year. He has had some onstage fiascoes in the past, but he might have finally figured out what to do now.

Will was the youngest little one on stage, but he seems to be able to hold his own.

Will was a shepherd for his preschool program. He goes to preschool at a large Baptist church in Covington.

Will knew all of his hand motions, and he sang every word.

A thumbs-up and a wave for Mommy and Daddy. We're so proud of you, Will!

I'm including in this post a request for prayer. Jon has been diagnosed with cluster headaches. These are headaches that are extremely painful, and come in "clusters" of time, usually weeks but sometimes months. Jon has been having headaches for over three weeks now. At first, we thought he had a very bad sinus infection, but after two rounds of antibiotics, he went to the ER for a cat scan. The emergency room doctor diagnosed him and our regular doctor confirmed it. He is trying various drugs to help prevent and treat the headaches. So far, he has had one day without a headache, but last night he had another very bad one. There is no real cure for the headaches, and treatments usually vary from person to person. It is also not know what exactly causes the headaches. They will go away for months or years at a time before he has another attack, but during the cluster headache, life is miserable. Please pray for Jon. These headaches have affected his work and his life. We've had some difficult times this month, and we appreciate those who are praying consistently for us. With that, I would like to add one more request: Jon's dad, Ed, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Please pray for guidance for him and his doctors on how to best treat it as well as prayer for both Caren and Ed as they deal with this news.