The Young and the Restless

Thanksgiving 2018

It was a bit chaotic prepping for Thanksgiving with major bathroom renovations underway. We were down to the wire as we were finishing touch up paint when Grandma's plane was landing. We managed to get it done in time and it was so nice to finally be able to sit and relax for the first time in two weeks.  I didn't start the pies until around 11pm the night before because of the bathroom project, but Kylie and Jason kept me company watching The Ringer (in honor of Kylie and her wisdom teeth) while I baked 4 different pies until around 2:30 am. Thankfully Grandma Young, Jessica and John weren't arriving until around 5 pm so that we could sleep in a little bit.  I enjoy eating the turkey dinner as much as the next guy, but for me my favorite part of the holiday is actually the prep. I love being in the kitchen with Christmas music on and candles burning while I cook our favorite family recipes. I especially loved having the kids in the kitchen helping me. It was such a fun day filled with all the preparations and then we enjoyed a nice dinner with family that night. 

The day after Thanksgiving Kylie convinced me to take her to the mall for black Friday shopping. It's a good thing I love her so much because that was the last place I wanted to be! Everyone else went for a hike and played pickle ball at the church. We also went to the lake and cruised around. It was a little chilly but peaceful to have the whole lake practically to ourselves. 

We also set up the Christmas decorations and watched Elf. I love this time of year and the chance to reflect on everything we have to be grateful for!