Christmas Eve and Day

So this happened a couple days before Christmas.

We had a slab leak in our master bedroom that surfaced in the garage and then caused more troubles in our master bedroom later. We were grateful for Rudy to be able to come over and help move furniture and help bounce ideas off of as we decided which way to go with the plumbing solution. Turned out that we did not need to jackhammer but rerouted into the attic and walls. Everything was up in the air for just a bit but they had it all wrapped up the afternoon before Christmas Eve. We are still running fans today to dry carpet which we had to pull up quite a bit.

We just finished paying off the minivan a few days before as our Christmas gift to ourselves. Given the cost and timing, I felt tempted to complain. However, I was given some extra insight from a church video I happened upon at the time and spent some time pondering and decided to demonstrate gratitude to my Heavenly Father and husband for the blessings they have provided to our family and that we were able to take care of this given that. It helped Neal to view it differently too and helped us enjoy our Christmas.

Christmas Eve Opa and Oma came over and we had fun talking and eating and playing games. Actually, the game was not fun but it was fun to be together. Had fun opening gifts and hanging out. Kids got carrots out for the reindeer but forgot to treat Santa which is a good thing in the end.

With the fans roaring away in our master bedroom, we had the added perk of a few minutes more sleep as we couldn't hear the kids exploring their stockings over the fans. We got ourselves dress and headed to church for an hour of song and testimony. It was great. And everyone was so warm but even more so than usual.

Back at home, Neal wanted a family photo before we changed into more comfortable clothes. We put cinnamon rolls in the oven and made icing and then got started opening gifts. It was a great time and all were happy with their spoils.  We then spoiled ourselves with the cinnamon rolls that I had been dreaming about since my cousin, Barbara Knudsen, had made them at Thanksgiving. So sweet, so good.

Spent the rest of the day with getting gifts in working order, playing, going for a walk (given it was a balmy and in the 70s!) and calling and texting family. We ended the day with Christmas nachos for dinner and watched Home Alone (One) for the first time since I was a kid. I had forgotten how rude the family members were but it was a blast watching the kids laugh at some of the better scenes.

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Hope your Christmas was special in it's own ways. Love you!