"Lost my halo..."

The first Christmas program is a rite of passage (of sorts) for a child, but I realized today, it is as much (or more) of a milestone for a parent!!! I felt so proud as my little "angel" ;) walked up onto the stage. I actually fought back a few tears.

It took a little bit of convincing to get Jett into his angel suit, but he wore it well ;)

I love this little angel posse. Jett has such a great group of kids to be in Sunday School with and to grow up with!

Gramma Sawatzky found her way over from the Community Church to watch J's performing debut. Kalena enjoyed a little chat.

See those very tired eyes??? Ya, she didn't last long enough to watch her brother.

Peek!

Daddy took one for the team and watched J from the back (while holding a sleeping girl) for most of the morning.

I thought this row of angels was absolutely adorable. Truthfully, Jett ran over and sat on my lap for most of the time when his group wasn't on stage, but this short moment was too sweet to miss.

AND... a little footage, courtesy of the iPhone. (don't make it full screen, it gets really pixel-ly)

Jett started out strong and was very well behaved during the first songs... although I don't think he sang ;) He's a little distracted by everything going on around him, but such a dashing little sucker. He's front and centre in the above video and on the far right (beside the guitar) in the video below.

Where does he think he's going??? While he had refrained from any inappropriate behaviour to this point, my boy's attention span is starting to wain... and where's his halo?

How did I get him to rejoin the group in the video below? He knew he was getting a treat at the end of the service... aaannnndddd I threatened to eat it on him. Rock solid parenting? I don't know... but it worked. Mostly, anyway. He's still a wanderer. ;)

After the service, all of the kids received the classic brown paper bag filled with treats. Jett was pretty excited about his. (So was Mitch)

Treat bags look a little different than I remember. There are no peanuts! Which I suppose is necessary due to allergies. The Christmas orange and candy canes are still there, but there is more actual candy than I remember.

I didn't get a picture of myself with my little angel, so at home I had Mitch take one for me. I sure love this boy! I am so proud of how he is growing and becoming a little character. I am one blessed mommy.

Just to prove that Jett DOES actually know the song, here's his own rendition of 'Away in a Manger'. He shows that he's all boy with the shouting, but you also see his sensitive side when he breaks into falsetto. :)