Not a creature was stirring...

This month has been a battle for us... a battle against invading forces determined to take over our home and in the process the occupy very nearly our every day. (Don't read the rest of this paragraph if you plan to visit our home this holiday season and are weak stomached, or if you're under 5.) You remember that old Christmastime nursery rhyme, "The night before Christmas"? Well there are things stirring in our home these days. At least there were until last week sometime. Or the week before that. Just how long does it take before they start smelling? Take that time period and add about three days. Seriously - I can't even go in the kitchen for the odor of death coming from somewhere inside the mechanics of the refrigerator. We've cleaned and disinfected everything at all accessible, have now closed off the kitchen completely and are very grateful for free dinners at Christmas ward parties and other opportunities to not cook these days. I guess this is a curse in these homes, because a friend of mine living six or so blocks away told me they have had the same struggle - usually at this time of year. What, is it ritualistic sacrifice month for the rodent population in Provo? More likely, there's something to the old Christmas tale, and the mice are seen more often this time of year for whatever reason. Maybe the cold weather. People then start putting out bait, and whamo - tiny mouse carcasses all over town. So gross. Justin swears he will never buy an old home again, no matter how much "character" it has, for the risk of the varieties of "characters" that often come with them.

On a lighter note, we've decided for sure to take the internship with Nestle Purina this summer, and are thrilled with the opportunity it is for Justin to gain fantastic marketing experience with one of the giants. He went back last week to be wined and dined a little and had a great experience. He's really looking forward to working with the people he met, and to the company culture in general as he's said somehow it's vastly different than Black & Decker was. We're also going to take the company housing option, so they'll be putting us up in a loft apartment in the heart of Saint Louis a block away from Forest Park, which houses such fun as the Zoo, the Science Center and the Museums. If you're really interested, the link to the property is http://www.metrolofts-stl.com/ . We feel very blessed as there are many people still looking, and if last year is indicative at all of what to expect this year, there will be people looking for internships as late as April and early May. So to have it all out of the way and decided is really nice. Maybe we'll even catch some Cardinals games this summer, as we could practically walk to the ballpark.

Finally, Erick had his first big private christmas shopping trip the other day. He took the money from his bank he'd been saving this year and purchased Christmas presents at the school, all on his own. They had a little fair or something for the kids to have a chance to find things so they remain a surprise for their family members for Christmas. They even helped them wrap everything. Apparently we need to work a little more on the surprise aspect, or maybe he trusts me not to tell, but as soon as I picked him up from school he said quite loudly "Guess what mom, I bought you a cup!" So Sh-h-h-h-h-h-h, don't tell. I love kids!