Just a general life update of things I don't want to forget. The holidays were good. Though we have had the longest string of rotten luck this year. It started with roof rats. Which led to finding out about termites. And then a random window just falling out of our house. No one was hurt, it was fine. But very unusual and the window guy wanted to take a picture of it because he always tells people it could happen (some glue thingy dried out and failed. Supposedly the windows from this place will never do that because they use something different.) but he's never actually seen it happen, and this picture could help him sell a lot of windows. Go for it, dude. And then there was this little dude causing some trouble that ended up costing us $1,000. (Won't go into details publicly, but if you want to know just ask.) I can't even remember everything else, but basically since August we have not had a month where an extra $1,000 didn't just *poof* away. So that was fun. But we still had a great Christmas, and enjoyed time with family and actually what I want to remember most this Christmas is how peaceful it truly was. The kids ALL played so well together all day. Not a single argument or fight. It was magical and just a great day. Which ended with pestilence and the plague. Okay -- just strep throat and a weird virus.

    Honestly we've been sick since a bit before Christmas, Abigail with strep throat, and then Aaron and I with strep throat. Olivia, Nathan, Matthew, and Nora all down with a weird virus that included a fever and rash. But at last, I think today is the first in about a month that we're all healthy *knock on wood*.  

Matthew putting this toy house on his head and walking around making everyone laugh.

"Look Mom, I'm a little roof!"

Of all the sick kids, she was the sickest. Poor girl had a fever for a week and just wanted to snuggle all day every day.

New Years Even with friends.

Yuma did an aweome new years eve activity for families, and they had these sketchy characters there. But honestly, the little kids were just as excited as if we were at Disneyland.

On Christmas Eve we bake all day. Made the best snickerdoodles ever.