Category Archives: Family Life

It seems we have been sick forever! Today, J3 is finally fever free – but J1(who never gets sick) has succumbed. DH went to see the dr because all this respitory stuff is wreaking havoc on his asthma.

Somehow J2 and I got through school today – though the stupid technology assignmet did not work – grumble, grumble. As he is still sick we are trying to go slow…but why just lay around when we can lay around and work on our addition and subtraction fact families??

Today is my mom’s birthday – HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!! – and I wanted to have her over for dinner. But now I might just spray her present with Lysol and slip it through the door to her. I’ll guess we have to raincheck the dinner.

Well, I’m boring myself…off to cough and sneeze in my recliner!

I found this online – and now I’m puddling everywhere….

Yesterday was J1’s 11th birthday but he was sick. So we are putting off his Birthday visit to Chuck E Cheese until he is better. In fact today is the first day back to school and he’s in bed. 🙁 I hope he’s better soon!

Also, I was totally slammed yesterday by losing my Email program. Fortunately Geoff from the magazine I work for helped me out a bit so I wasn’t totally alone. I’m now using an alternate program that I’m sure I’ll love…someday!

So, in many ways today HAS to be better! I’ve already done my exercise, written in my WL blog and drank 25% of my daily water! Since it also our first day back to HSing, I need to review our lesson plans for the week. I’d better get busy!

Oh! One more thing! J3 has really been excited about some of the phonics toys he got for Christmas! He’s taking the intiative to learn his letters! I think it will be much easier to teach him to read! Yeah!!!

I had intended to write this much early – but I got sidetracked by grief. Sigh. It’s getting better, it truly is. But I’ve found I’ve got to give myself the opportunity to feel it and not stuff it…not something I’m comfortable with!

Anyway – what I did for Christmas… 😉

Christmas Eve we went to my mom’s house and enjoyed the company of my Mom, sister, bil, brother, sil, my nephew and nieces. Here are some pictures from our visit:

My Sister and my niece – but not one of her daughters!

My Sister, my niece and my SIL (her momma)

My brother and me (and my FAB new scarf I knit myself the day before – drop stitch scarf with gorgeous ribbon yarn)

Grammy (my mom) and my nieces

J1 was our ‘Santa’ (the one who hands out the gifts

The Princesses

J2 and my nephew wondering if it’s time yet! 😉

THEN, we tried to go to church – but we got the time wrong so we missed. Fortunately Eric went early as he was doing a monologue. He was Gaspar – a Magi:

After the evening was over, we went home and decided that due to church the next day, we’d better open our gifts that evening. The boys were thrilled!

The quickly got in their PJs

And, then we opened presents

This was the first year they really bought gifts for each other – and they were almost more excited to see their brother’s reactions to what they received as opposed to what they were given.

Of course, our favorite gifts were:

Finally, the kids went to bed so we could fill their stockings:

Christmas morning we opened the gifts in our stocking and look what Santa snuck in mine:

DH would like everyone to know that this MORE than makes up for the vacuum cleaner incident! 😉 Yes, sweetie – you’re forgiven!!

In the afternoon, we congregated at my MIL & FIL’s house (next door – we are blessed!) Let’s see there was our family (5), my MIL & FIL (2), My SIL’s family (4), My other SIL’s family (2) and my BIL’s family (7) and my mom (1)- so that’s 21 people!!

Here is a group shot (my mom took the pic):

and another one – can you tell who didn’t hear that this was supposed to be a silly shot? LOL

J1 was thrilled to get this C3PO bank for his room

Here’s a great shot of my mom, my mil and my fil:

And, my FIL’s ingenious way to hang the families stockings

OK, that was our holiday. There were a couple of hard things but that’s life. Overall, it was one of the best Christmas’ I can remember.

This is one of my favorite days of this season! Most of the chores are done and we are prepared for Christmas, but we don’t really have anything we have to do! Traditionally this is the day we mail our Christmas letter – yeah, it’s always late, but that’s tradition too!

Last year we put it online and this year we will to – not sure if it will work if you don’t have Word on your computer, but if you care to catch up with us this year, check out this link: Osborn Family Christmas Letter.

I hope you all find a quiet moment in the next few days to reflect on the gift from the Lord that we commemmorate this season and the sacrifice that He made for us by becoming human. Not to mention His sacrificial death on the cross so we could be with Him for all eternity!