Tuesday, December 28, 2005 (Post Christmas, but still the holidays, nevertheless!)~

Dear Rosamunde~

Hello from America, and let me wish you a very belated Merry Christmas and a wonderful, prosperous New Year! I loved your letter; and I loved the picture of Saint Nick on your letter! How appropro for the season! :) I trust (and hope) that you had a good Christmas and Boxing Day; I hope it was beyond your wildest dreams! Our Christmas was wonderful, but wacky: our kids are here, and it is so good to have the girls home again! The grandkids are also here, and they are having a ball with their muititude of cousins! :) I am also having a ball spoiling them, and so is Bill (Paw Paw)! It HAS been a wonderful year, and next year already shows promise to be another good one! :)

We also went to church on Sunday (we go to a non-denominational type church; peoples of ALL faiths are more than welcome to attend!), and the music was just beautiful, as was the sermon! My daughter, Ronee', sang "O Holy Night", just as she has done since we became members of Christ Community Assembly of God Church, and it sent chills down all our spines, it was so beautifully done! My son, Johnny, also signed to the songs, and he was also signing along with the pastor's sermon, and he did a terrific job too! Thanks for the birthday wishes for them both; I shall pass them along to them! They will be tickled to know that you wanted to wish them a happy 13th birthday! They are both getting so big; it seems amazing that they are now TEENAGERS when it seems like only yesterday when they were both tiny little ones! :) ALL of the children are getting big, and Arjun, Rani, and Janica were all having an absolute ball taking in the first American Christmas of their lives! The lights fascinated little Arjun; all he could do was stare in wonderment at the twinkling lights! And the music made Janica and Rani cry!

After church services on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we opened our gifts, and the kids got many wonderful things: toys, clothes, art supplies, new medical supplies, a computer or two, some video games, money (LOTS of money!!), and DVD's of "Cheaper By The Dozen", "Toy Story", "Brother Bear", and "The Polar Express". They were also high on sugar, and they were at times hard to control; but I wouldn't have traded their excited, happy shrieks for ALL the gold in the world! Their happy cries are so dear and precious to me! :) And Christmas seems tailor-made JUST for children! It is such a happy, magical time, and I love the comraderie and togetherness it brings to our family! :)

I hope Angus made it home so you and the children could enjoy Christmas. NOBODY should be alone on Christmas, as I always say! Nobody should also get sick or hurt on Christmas, but unfortunately illness, accidents, or even death doesn't take a holiday, and people CAN and DO get sick/hurt/die on Christmas. It is always a tragic thing, but when people DO recover, it is always a time for celebration! :) Let me know how your Christmas went!

The weather there almost sounds like ours: we had a GREEN Christmas, and it rained; so the kids couldn't enjoy their outdoor toys or bikes and whatnot, but not to worry: their art supplies, movies, computers, and toys kept them all plenty busy! :) I hope your weather has improved there!

No, Rosie, the kids in the picture I put on my last letter are NOT of my kids. It is something I found on the Internet, and I thought it was sweet, so I used it to highlight my letter. I have used this picture several times in past letters, and people always like it. The little girl in the picture DOES resemble Jodie in a lot of ways, but it is NOT her. Still, Jodie IS a champion smiler: seems that she always has an ear-splitting smile on her face! :) She is such a happy young lady, and she just LOVES life, PERIOD. I am glad you liked it! I will send you a picture of the kids soon, but you already know what they look like because I put pictures of the kiddos in my book! :)  But I WILL send you a REAL picture of my family soon, as soon as I get the Christmas pictures developed! :)

What are you doing for the New Year? We are going to have New Year's services at our church, and then spend New Year's watching parades (and later, football!). Are you going out, or are you staying home with the kiddos? I hope your New Year is safe, and I hope that your New Year is full of happiness and joy!!

Well, dear Rosie, I will go for now. I have to see why Arjun is crying. Rani and Derek--as well as Jamee--two of my grandkids--are also upset about something, so I have to check up on things. I will write more later; take care and God bless you this happy time of  year! Happy New Year to you and your family from us here in America!

(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in America, Louie May Sandusky. :)