The end of the year

Christmas was successful even though disease was a participant of this year's season. I'm really not sad to see it go this year. It's almost 2011 and a road trip is about to happen with North Carolina the destination and basketball the objective.

I've had no motivation to blog, or for that matter, had access to the computer. Caitlin's Winter session class has taken up much of the last few days. Puzzle season has commenced but only 2 have been completed this year. It's been a very different end to the year than I had planned.

I'm not good with change.

Godspeed to us the travelers.

I'll have much to report next week.

Happy New Year to all!

Gran's truck present

Although 1995 was the year of pestilence, it was also the year we bought Gran a brand new red truck. He was 88 years old and never owned a new truck in his life. The day after Christmas day we all headed to Corsicana to surprise he and Bessie with us and it. Even though our kids were disease infested, we couldn't miss the presentation of Gran's gift, so John and I packed up our sickly kids and puke buckets and headed west. It was quite a ride and I'm glad we did it but I'm also glad I'm not doing it again.

It may have been the greatest Christmas surprise we ever pulled off in our family history. Have a look at the fun.

My poor sickly children. I feel bad for them even now. However, Emma got shotgun for vomiting reasons.


Olivia's face says it all. I'm trying but yes I'm sick as a dog.


Pox boy making a comeback.


Oh yes we had all kids disease infested.


We met at the community center so we could put a bow on the truck and drive to Gran's just down the road.


Getting ready to go.


The kids are piling in.


About to head out.


Gran and Grandma were shocked and excited to see everyone but they had no idea what was going on.


Gran's so busy greeting everybody he still didn't know what was happening.


He's starting to soak it in.


He's now being retold this truck is yours. He was incredulous.


Now he's getting the feel of it....and loving it. Truck full of great grands.....yep.


Kids are piling in and Truly's happy and shocked.


I love these photos. The kids are like ants and Gran's just steady grinning.


Time for a ride down the road.


Time for the other kids to go play on the quarry? Corsicana is bleak looking in the dead of Winter. That's Maggie, Mollie, Nina and Caitlin.


My cutie pie Olivia.


Gran's fruit trees were still in the orchard.


Emma's turn to look cute.


Frank and Suzie taking a sunset photo.


The little monkeys hanging out on the fence.


One more for the road.

Christmas 1995 and 2010...what goes around, comes around

Christmas is here and just was here and will be back next week. At least that's what it feels like to me. It's going by so fast I can't catch my breath. We've got to figure out how to slow stuff down or we'll be 80 years old in 30 minutes. I'm concerned. And since I've had little to do for the past 4 days but sit in swill and misery, I've been mulling it over for many hours now.

Here's an update on what the 2010 Christmas season brought to our house. Chills, fever, body aches, vomiting, stuffy noses and sneezing...and it's all been AWESOME!! I haven't left my house since Monday and my attitude could stand some "tweaking" but that's not bloody likely. It's getting surly in here and people are starting to turn on each other. Our presents could be used as projectile missiles in the event of wanting to hurt people. I'm pretty sure I could hit a target from 100 yards away...I have one in mind.

Olivia started puzzle season yesterday with our annual doing of the Texas puzzle Becky gave Olivia many years ago. There's lackluster support for it at this moment. White Christmas is playing in the background and packages are still arriving every 30 minutes. I've no idea if everything I ordered is here and I don't even care. If I thought cussing would be appropriate, this post would be laden with many.

This disease infested Christmas season reminds me of the one in 1995 when Olivia got the Chicken Pox and then Owen got the Chicken Pox and then after the pox left us, vomiting ensued. Oh...it was a jolly old time for real. The whole event lasted for about 5 weeks and I thought my life would never be the same again. What an idiot.

And with all stories....or most all of my stories....I have pictures to back it up. This was back in the day of developing film and Lord knows I spent so much money on bad pictures but it was my number one job as Mom to get documented proof even if the photos were questionable in excellence.

So as I said, Olivia came home with the pox and then as with all diseases, she had the privilege of passing it to any siblings that hadn't had it before.....that would be Owen. So I have a picture of the boy with the pox

and another




The girls were doing their best to participate in the merriment. I had some cute little girlies.


Owen is doing an excellent job of showing how miserable he was at 6 months old and having his first Christmas with the pox. For some reason, he reminds me of a salamander in these photos. The girls' faces just make me laugh because they're so stinking cute.


This is post pox for Olivia....present pox for Owen....pre-vomiting for all!


Caitlin's trying to prop up the baby boy but he just wasn't having it. Poor thing.


But even in disease, I had to document the season.


Meredith wore this red velvet dress in my wedding and 10 years later, Caitlin wore it for Christmas.


Emma's wearing a dress of Carmen's that I loved and Suzie gave to me for my kids. She's pretty adorable in it.


I think I can hear the sound of hurling just around the corner. Emma's adorable but also a bit paler than normal.


Cutie pie.


Olivia's wearing Nina's dress also passed to us. These pictures of her make me so happy. She pretty much sums up Christmas in a child's eyes here. I love it!


So cute. I want to squeeze her.


Reflecting on her many Santa hopes?


Christmas morning arrived on schedule. It waits not for disease and pestilence.


Emma was a little shell shocked. I look a lot scary.


Olivia's checking out her doll house Santa brought.


And yes I know my couch is very busy but I still miss that couch! It was the most comfortable of any I've ever had. Sigh...


Trying to entice pox boy with toys.


Olivia having a moment.


All I see are noisy toys. Why did I do that? Why?


Then we moved on to Grandma and Big Frank's, but Owen was still miserable. Poor baby boy.


But Maggie had a successful Christmas morning with a karaoke and a ballerina outfit? ACES!!


Emma took a turn.


Owen's still drugged and numbed.


This is standard fare for John. More pictures like this exist of him than any other. Sounds like a future post.


This was the Christmas from hell, but it wasn't over yet....there was a trip in store for us.

Wait and see.