Twas a few days after Christmas . . .

Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Bedding tumbles in the washer downstairs, Caleb giggles to the antics of a very curious monkey, and the back door opens halfway to usher in fresh rain-washed air.

Can I tell you how good it feels to just sit?

And maybe munch on a milk-chocolate-with-caramel-latte Ghirardelli square? Ooooo yeah.

There is entirely too much chocolate in this house. Hershey's kisses, See's Candy, Ghirardelli, MnMs. You name it and we probably have it in a variety of flavors. Heaven help us.

I blame Christmas. Darn candy-filled holiday. Halloween? Psshhh. We accumulated more candy this month than the last three Halloweens combined. And I have no idea what I am going to do with it all.

Eat it? Bake with it? Use it to stucco the walls?

In other news, we had a happy Christmas on Sunday. We opened presents here with my mom and step-dad (who are visiting from CA), and then spent a couple of hours with Jason's family at his parents' house, doing Christmas all over again. I felt like I'd run a marathon by the end of the day, and the living room still has not recovered.

But hanging with family is always merry. The Neuhauser men taught Harry how to play cribbage. I got to ooo and aaahh over my adorable nephew. Caleb ran around, sipping everyone's sodas and stealing cribbage pegs.

Oh the joys of the season, eh? :) Children bring such a spirit of curiosity and hilarity with them wherever they go. I sit and watch and laugh and count myself lucky that I get to be the audience for my son's antics. He's such a goof ball.

And now for a moment of randomness: my hands smell like celery. Probably has something to do with the chicken soup in the crockpot. I've decided I really like the smell of the celery. Bath and Body Works needs to come out with a celery fragrance. I think it'd be a big hit for them.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Mom and Harry are sightseeing down south today before heading back to Cali tomorrow. I still have presents to put away and homes to find for all this chocolate. If I don't post before the New Year, I hope you all have a fun, safe weekend, and a bright 2012!