in a nutshell

well christmas has come and gone and with it we have had a lot of fun & overindulgence. we're still in utah and will be for another few days, but here are some highlights of the past couple of weeks.

let's start with the germs, shall we?

• caleb caught the love bug which consisted of throwing up 11 times in about 12 hours. he lost 2 lbs in that time, and went from looking skinny to resembling a prisoner of war. he has now beefed up his reserves again so that we can't see his ribs when we take off his shirt.
• ben & i caught this crazy topical hot tub staph infection rash. luckily it didn't end up being too bad but i still have the after-effects which consist of a lot of itching & a vow to never step in another hot tub.

now for christmas eve & day.

• a fun waffle party at lauren's complete with a lightning mcqueen race track, a fantastic new mirror that i'm so excited to hang up in AZ, ice skates & a little bit of jack black. christmas is not complete without jack black.
• caroling to our old friends, freezing our rumps on the outside, but warm and fuzzy on the inside with being able to see loved ones & spread some cheer. thanks again tiffany for letting us crash your house & scare your daughter. your family is the greatest. i'm sad we didn't get to taste those cinnamon rolls!
• to my mom's house for presents, LOTS of yummy snacks, great presents (excluding the hangars :) fun games (we will work on harvesting those beans!), then up until 5 am talking. we are fans of bruce.
• a christmas nap, then strader family time. kids everywhere, wonderful & thoughtful gifts, catching up with old friends, a massage hour, and peppermint icecream with hot fudge. yum! after that, making fun of carrie hooked on an 8-yr. old's electronics, and laughing until we cried. okay that was just me. i reached a level of hysteria that can only come after a consecutive amount of nights of lost sleep. then a round of sequence with vetos on songs, and ben & i taking the championship.

today we will celebrate 6 years of spending time together & all of the memories that go with it.

we've had a wonderful christmas.

pictures to come, complete with....UNDERPANTS!!! (this was the only thing caleb asked to get for christmas. well my boy, your wish is our command. he didn't know what to do with himself.)