Well, this has not been the most enjoyable Christmas season for us. We have ALL been sick! Ted and Kate got sick 2 weeks before Christmas with a stomach flu, the kind where you spend a lot of time in the bathroom! Then the very week before Christmas, Jes, Claire, and I got it. What fun! NONE of my boxes got mailed, the cards didn't get mailed till Friday, and I barely got my shopping done. We never did get lights up on the outside of the house. Sorry ClarieAnna! Josh was lucky enough to come down with this flu on Christmas Eve, at work. He toughed it out till the lunch rush was over, then they sent him home. (Ewe! I'm glad I wasn't eating there!) On top of it all, Jes is suffering from a diseased gall bladder. She has had terrible pain everyday this last week and can't eat ANYTHING with fat in it. We have been on the verge of taking her to the emergency room all week and actually had to page her surgeon Christmas eve and Christmas day with questions!
Here is a rundown of the fun we did have, in spite of ourselves. Grama Beiswenger came to visit ( the week of Dec. 8th ) and we opened gifts with her and made cut out cookies as usual. Here's Claire before the gifts were dolled out.
We were lucky enough to have Lily join us this year. It is our first year to have a significant other in the family. She is Josh's girlfriend.
The girls picked out a nice new purse for Grama, one she needed BADLY! Hehe.
Grama gave Kate a winter coat for Maximum!
Christmas eve we always spend with Ted's family. Jes and Josh were both too sick to attend. With all the trauma going on, I didn't think to take my camera, so no pictures of that night.Christmas morning is always just us. Josh and Jes spent the night and it was nice for Mama to have the whole family together for so long. It just feels good, you know!
Jes had a job interview in early December and asked for clothes, a purse and new shoes for Christmas, all of which she got then. She got an Apple laptop and all the accessories for her college graduation on the 15th. So she ended up with only her gifts from the kids to open Christmas morning. It so happened that they went in together to get her something, so here she is, holding up her ONLY Christmas gift to open, and looking a little unhappy about it!
ClaireAnna has been begging for a Nintendo DS for months and she finally scored!
The kids and I decided that we must have 20 pictures from the last 20 years of Dad just like this on Christmas morning leaned back in his recliner trying to hide from the camera because of his bed head.
After gifts, it's Christmas breakfast...always the same....Biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausage. Jes couldn't eat it. Josh ate it but shouldn't have. He spent the rest of the day laying on Claire's bed moaning and groaning ( in between bathroom runs). The rest of us took naps, watched movies and played with new stuff. Later, we all decided that nobody needed a big Christmas dinner so I was off the hook for that and we had a FFYS night; There were lots of Christmas Eve left overs and goodies. (Fend For Your Self)At about 4PM, Ted and I headed out to do evening chores together and found "Nikie", a new heifer, pacing the corral in labor. Her cute little Christmas day calf was born about 10PM! Isn't she a doll? She was having a hard time nursing this morning so Ted's Dad put Nikie in the chute and hand milked her, then Kate and I stomach tubed the baby, just to be sure she got enough colostrum. Her name is Noel!
Another Christmas surprise....SNOW....it snowed like this for about 5 minutes this morning.
The worst part about Christmas this year, except for the illnesses, is that for the first time as far as we can remember, Ted has to work the days between the Holidays. He has ALWAYS had that week off and I am used it! ARG! I think the girls and I will go spend lunch with him tomorrow.
Well, Jes had lab tests today and sees the surgeon again on Friday. She will have her gall bladder out early January, if she makes it that long. Right now, she is jaundiced and can't sleep because of itchy skin....both symtoms of gall bladder disease. Say a prayer for her if you will.
We hope you all had a lovely Christmas day with your loved ones. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Boy I guess I'm the only one who didn't get Ted's flu. Good thing I left on Sunday or I might have been fighting Josh for the bathroom. Sorry you're so sick Jes. We've all been thru the gall bladder thing and Aunt Laura is having attacks now too. You'll feel much better when it is out. Hang in there kid. Love you all.
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