On Christmas Eve we drove up to Grand Forks to spend a few days with the Nyhlens. We went to Christmas Eve service with my parents and it was fabulous! My parents have a theory (and I have to admit it has worked so far) that kids who sit up in front of the church behave better because they can see everything and when they look back they can see all the faces of people. So there we were in the very front row. The piano and organ played beautiful christmas music and everytime they stopped inbetween songs, Zoey would yell out, "More! More!" Then the service started and the special music came. The singer finished and Zoey yells out, "Yeah!" and starts clapping. During the reading of the lessons, the pastors talked about how Mary and Joseph were in the stable with baby Jesus. Zoey yells out, "Mary! Yeah!" It was so magical to watch Zoey just take in the service. Her eyes were so wide during the candlelit singing of Silent Night. She ended the service by dancing her heart out to Joy to the World--causing the pastors to start giggling--we think.

When we got home that night Zoey and Grandma decorated Christmas cookies.