Advent - Day 2

Tonight we went to ride the neighborhood train.  This sweet retired man in our neighborhood builds a train in his backyard and gives free rides every night from Thanksgiving through New Year's.  We had several friends join us for s'mores before caravaning out to the train. 

I tried to capture a photo of the chaos in the backyard, but this photo comes nowhere close to indicating the noise level out there tonight.  The other 20 kids must've been behind me at this point:)...

I'm sure our neighbors love us now:)

Here's our car full on the way to the train... 

The engineer in front (or would he be the conductor?) is the owner...

I tried to get photos of everyone, but there were several families I missed because as Hunter said, "that train goes so fast!"...

Our verses tonight were Matthew 1:19-20 "Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."

I can't imagine what Joseph and Mary must have been thinking when they first realized the miracle that they were playing such an integral role in, and how it must have felt to be that close to the Savior of the world.  I rejoice in the thought that now, we all can be that close to Him, if only we accept the gift that His birth, and death, brought to us.