Weds., December 27, 2006, Nashville, TN., 10:14 a.m., C.S.T.~

Dear Eileen Marie~

Was going through some of my letters and saw that I owed you one; sorry for not writing since Election Day! I have been so busy it has been unreal! I do hope you find it in your heart to forgive me, but so much has happened, and as a result, I got lax in my letters. Sorry about  that!

This is Louie, as you may have already guessed. I hope you had a good Christmas (by the way, did you get our newsletter, and did you get our card with the picture of us? If not, I will send you one; I have extras!). Our Christmas was great; the kids made out like bandits, and we enjoyed a good meal at the Golden Corral for lunch. We also watched the football game (Dallas Cowboys/Philadelphia Eagles), and the Eagles pecked Dallas big time; we were not happy with the outcome of the game. Dallas was terrible, and I am wondering if Coach Bill Parcells' job is in jeopardy.

Did your kids make out okay with Santa? I hope they got everything on their Christmas wish lists!

Our kids Johnny and Ronee' recently spent some time in the hospital, but I am happy to say that both are well on the road to recovery. Johnny was in the hospital due to his heart (rapid heartbeat) and breathing, and Ronee' was in for a flare up of her JRA. She also had some trouble breathing. Johnny was in for nearly three weeks, and Ronee' was in for a week. We were worried about them, but they are now home and acting like their former selves.

They are now fourteen. Seems hard to believe that it has been over 13 years since we adopted them; seems like only yesterday when Johnny and Ronee' were tiny babies! (We adopted them when they were but a few months old; now they are a big fourteen, and they are growing like weeds!)

Speaking of adoption, we are thinking of adding to the family. (I know, I know; call us crazy, but when we got the phone calls, we couldn't say no!) We are thinking of adding a girl from China (Mai Fong), a girl from Vietnam (Huong Vu), a boy from India (Vijay), and a boy from Iraq (Emir Muhammed). We got their pictures today from the adoption agency we are working with (Spence-Chapin), and we have already fallen in love with them! :) They are all so beautiful!

I have also started working on another book, this time more nurse stories from the "front lines". I have so many different tales from work, and I seem to never run out of ideas to write about! Strange how ever since I started writing, the ideas just keep coming; I never seem to run out of words!

How is the weather there? I hope it is good there; hear that it is rather mild there in Texas. Did you get any snow? (Somehow I doubt it with temps in the sixties!) Here we got rain; we had a green Christmas! LOL Now it is clear, and the kids who are able-bodied are outside, testing their new bikes and scooters! The disabled kids are outside, too, playing basketball or football.

The kids are having fun, and now I am going to have to see why Ronee' is crying. Seeems that Gisele threw the football and smacked her in the puss. Hope she is okay! (Good, no blood, but Ronee' has a nice red mark on her face from where the football hit her; luckily, there was no damage!)

The kids are going back to school the week after next; seems that their Christmas/New Year's break gets longer each year! *Sighhh* I can't wait for them to return to school; poor mama and papa need a break! LOL You try handling fifty-plus kids and see how you do! (She says, thinking of adopting more--Louie, I swear you are nuts!! LOL)

Have you written to any of the adoption community members yet? I am still writing to all of my friends, they just don't hear from me as often as they would probably like. I have so much to do in so little time, and it's a wonder I have any time at all to write, the way my life has been going lately!

Like today at the hospital: we are dealing with a woman who is recovering from peritonitis, and she is really something else. She keeps trying to pull out her tubes, and it is all I can do to keep from wanting to strap her down to the bed! (Turns out that the poor woman is severely claustrophobic. GREAT.) She came in a few days ago, and she just woke up yesterday; she is still out of it, and she is all confused. She keeps asking for her brother, and her brother is having a time with her as well.

Well, Eileen, I will go for now. Arjun is crying because he is hungry, and Johnny, Porter, and Richard are arguing over the XBox. I am going to have to take it away from them if they don't quit fighting; if there is one thing I cannot stand, it is kids arguing! ARGGGH!!!

God bless, and have a wonderful New Year!

(((HUGS))) and much love, your Tennessee friend, Louie May. :D