Naomi In The Christmas Eve Service

Granddaughter Naomi is such a hoot. Let me tell you why.

On Christmas Eve, I was playing with the brass in the 6:00 PM service. I drove there by myself, so I could have some time to warm up, while Jan and my Mom and Daniel and Shelley and Naomi came later, and met Chad and Sarah and Katie there.

If anyone is reading this and doesn't know who all those people are, you can read this next: Shelley is our daughter, who is visiting us from Tulsa with husband Daniel and their daughter Naomi, who turned 13 months old on Christmas Day. Chad is our son, and he lives about two miles from our church with his wife Sarah, and their daughter Katie (Katherine), who turned 3 in September.

I arrived at church just as the 4:00 children's Christmas Eve service was letting out, and had to "swim upstream" against all the departing traffic. At least I got a good parking spot.

I saw all the family arrive just before the service started, and it was a vary nice service, with the lighting of the last advent candle, communion, lots of music, and lighting candles throughout the congregation at the end.

Okay, you say, enough of the regular stuff - why was Naomi such a hoot? I heard about all this afterwards.

In the pew in front of Naomi, there was a boy of about 5 or 6 years old, and he kept turning around to look at "the baby." Every time he did, Naomi would say, "HI! - HI! - HI!!!" even if everything going on then was quiet.

Daniel and Shelley were a little embarrassed at this, so they gave Naomi some crackers, "to keep her mouth occupied."

It backfired.

As soon as they gave Naomi the crackers, she started saying, "UMM! NUMM! NUMM!"

I don't think anyone around there who heard her was put out at all by this. I can just imagine the indulgent smiles and nods, and Daniel and Shelley smiling back and shrugging helplessly.

Naomi is just now growing out of baby status and is rushing headlong into being a toddler.

When they arrived here Saturday morning, Naomi had taken at most 15 or 20 steps before plonking down on the floor. This morning - Monday, two days later - she walked all the way across the living room, down the hallway, and into Daniel and Shelley's room.

Guess it's time to double check the childproofing.

Whenever someone new enters the room, she looks up at them, and with a big baby grin, says "HI!" in a delighted, drawn-out word.

She is also diligently exploring other words. "Baboo!" and "Bubboo" sometimes used interchangeably for balloon and bubble, and often, for anything that's round, and sometimes for anything else she isn't sure what it is. She's very definite about "BOW!" (rhymes with wow) for ball, and "Gaggo" or "Daggo" for dog, and sometimes for Daddy.

Saturday night, Sarah was sitting in the middle of the living room floor, and Katie was running in circles around her while Shelley was holding Naomi's hands and running in circles in the same direction, both little girls shrieking in delight and laughter.

I wish I had gotten a video of that. It would have been one of those videos where you couldn't help grinning ear to ear while watching it.

Anyway, now you know why I say Naomi is such a hoot.

We all are so very blessed.