my christmas eve post...two days later

i uploaded these pictures the morning of christmas eve and planned a predictable post about how we were all set for the day to come.

the children's nativity was as it should be, with everyone in their place and all knight imposter's removed. although i think the donkey kept a saddle that i am sure doesn't belong.

the trees were still standing and all lights were still working.

however, the real tree is dead and any slight friction could cause it to go up in flames.

how grateful i was that the pill had decided to not leave home just before the holidays.

because the bags were packed and he was headed for texas. he is waiting for summer, and fairer weather.

the kids christmas programs were over and we see a future is show business...for both of them. then christmas eve turned anything but predictable. e and i set to making beautiful snowflake sugar cookies, when ripp came in and decided we need to do texas cookies as well. while they painted cookies, the pill and i headed downstairs to organize cars. he was happy to abandon cleaning when my back started hurting, telling me he was just "too worried" and had to go get dad. we set out for last minute errands, spending way too much time looking for a holiday salami and missing our tradition of a movie when it sold out earlier than we thought.

when we finally made it home, the kids binged of the walls as we counted down the hours to bedtime. somewhere in all this, the pill's fish, mikayla, was found on the kitchen floor. ripp scooped her dry body up and with the look on his face, pronounced her dead. he put her back in the bowl anyway and we all watched as she sank to the bottom and gasped for water to run through her gills. we've had animal tragedy on a holiday not long ago, and my heart sank as i watched the pill stare into the fish bowl. and then the first miracle of christmas occurred with a whip of the tail. she lived.

after that, we put food out to attract reindeer and listed closely for the ringing of sleigh bells. but we all agreed the having mikayla the beta live, was the best present of all. hope your christmas was as wonderful and unpredictable as ours. love to you all.