Emily the Sheep, year 2

Yesterday was the annual Christmas party for our ward, and as usual, they had all the kids who showed up dress up and participate in the nativity.  As far as I know, the kids don't practice before hand.  The littlest kids are the animals, and Emily got to be a sheep again this year.  They probably get told to behave on stage, but they don't have actual rehearsals.

I should throw in that most of the kids who participate are out of nursery, in Primary (the Sunday school program for 3-12 year olds).  Emily just missed moving up this last year by a couple weeks, since the kids leaving nursery have to be 3 already.  Last year she was only 2, almost 3.  So, she's much younger than the other kids, most of whom know how to sit still, especially if about 100 adults are all staring at them.

Emily has no such natural instinct.

Last year, she "sang along" when the audience sang the Christmas hymns, and then did snow angels, front and center, right smack dab in front of the manger.

This year, she and the rest of the sheep climbed up the stairs to the stage shortly after the arrival of Mary and Joseph.  Most of the sheep sat in a line to either side of the holy couple.  Emily and a little friend knelt in front of the manger (which totally makes sense, since they were there to see the baby).  Eventually, Emily scooted off to one side.  Whew, we're golden.

And the wiggling began.  Any parent would probably recognize this wiggling.  The "I can't sit still because I might wet myself" wiggling.  Oh no, I thought.  I didn't take her to the bathroom before dropping her off with the rest of the kids, and we've been here a while.  Maybe I should sneak up there and try to convince her to leave the rest of the animals (the donkeys and such had arrived at some point).  Ha.  What attention craving three-year-old will willingly leave a stage, even if nature is calling.

So, instead of doing the probably very responsible thing, I picked up William, who was starting to fuss in his stroller, and sat back to watch the show.  If she had an accident, I'd clean it up.  And hope the other kids wouldn't make a fuss, or she started crying.

Then the wiggling turned to either an attempt to get into character (which, as you remember, was a sheep) or pure boredom.  Emily started gamboling around the empty area next to her.  Which, there wasn't much empty space, since most (or all) of the kids were already on the stage.

The empty area was the section the kids had left clear so the manger could be seen.

The manger in which one baby doll lay, wrapped in a blanket, resting on hay.  Emily gamboled in a circle around the empty area.  Quickly gamboled.  Vigorously.

That's Emily in the front.  Notice she is not the only bored kiddo.

The manger fell over.  Mary frantically righted the manger, and picked up the doll.  She wrapped it up and laid it back in the manger.  And then started trying to stuff the straw back underneath it.  And glared daggers at Emily.  Emily was unfazed.

Another, older, animal told her somewhat loudly that she needed to be quiet.

Emily pretended to eat some of the hay that was left on the floor.

And then one of the leaders came over to the stage and tried to get Emily to settle down.  She tried for a couple minutes before another (older) animal got Emily's attention.  Sufficiently chastened, Emily sat somewhat quietly.  She even tried to sing along when the kids sang the song they'd been rehearsing (which, since she is still in nursery, she hadn't).

Afterward, one of the moms with older children told me that Emily was her favorite sheep ever.  Maybe next year I won't have to try to convince her to apologize to Mary for making her baby fall over (which Emily refused to do).  But I bet she'll be a cute whatever she is.