christmas eve!

it has been one crazy week around here.  the chaos was getting bigger and bigger and bigger until it reached it's apex - christmas eve.

Here's a breakdown:

• day starts at 7 am, because the new big girl bed is going to be delivered and put together!  everyone is excited.
• bed set comes and is set up and we redecorate ain's room - while she decorates in her own way.  
• dino dan (ains) and her trusty sidekick chuck (papa) spent the morning searching for dinosaurs -
• until chuck remembered that it was against the law to hunt dinosaurs on christmas eve.  it seems they have a legal right to one day of shopping for their families.
• everyone tried to take a nap, but everyone was either uncommitted (ains) or unsuccessful (everyone else).
• nana made a pair of cow ears and i made cow tail for someone to wear in the 6pm children's service as we gathered around the manger.  
• as i left the house to prepare for my first worship service ains was running around the house in a pair of pink tights.  
• and around the christmas tree singing - jacking around the christmas tree! :)
• during worship, ains came forward and sat with all the pastoral staff on the front row of the church, complete with tail, ears and cowbell.
• rather than singing "gloria in excelesis deo" she sang "moo" because "thats what cows say mom."
• during a hymn one of the angels wandered over to where the cow was standing and they began a spontaneous liturgial dance on the chancel steps.
• during our moment at the manger ains was - until the wise men- a very well behaved and adorable cow.
• as the moment at the manger started winding down, she got obsessed with my large candlelight candle.  by obsessed i mean banging it on the chancel steps while i shared my meditation.
• during a song, i took the candle away and she upped the ante by standing up during another part of my meditation, jerking my stole a couple of times and saying loudly, i want my candle back! NOW!
• during the offertory, when i took the candle away again, she broke down, complete with tears, screams, and lying down on the floor.  
• so, during the offertory, we walked back to the narthex to get her very own candle, which she examined closely and realized did not meet her expectations.
• she stood in the chancel with the pastoral staff, holding her candle, as we lit our candles to share with the congregation.
• then she followed me up and back down the aisle as i shared the light of the world whispering 'mom! light my candle!  light my candle!'
• returning to the front, she sat down as we sang away in a manger and i spent my time trying to keep her from burning her own hair or setting someone else on fire until i finally blew her candle out.
• then nana and papa took her back home, put her to bed, and got ready for santa while i stayed and worked on the 10 pm service.  

papa said someone must have slipped her some speed during the day because she was ON FIRE all day long. she was on the jazz to stay the least.

the only good part the best part of this, is that because she was just worn out we didn't have to get up until 8:30 on christmas morning!  :)