Merry Christmas Charlie Brown!

I love this time of year...twinkling lights, warm drinks, crisp air. Last night as we were leaving our friends farm and saying Merry Christmas and we'll see you soon, Finn stops dead in her tracks, turns and faces our friend,and yells "merry Christmas Charlie Brown". What a character!

Happy Holidays Everyone…

We hope this newsletter finds you all well and happy this holiday season. The year seems to have flown by and we find ourselves already in December getting ready for another year. This has been quite a year for us; we started a new job, purchased a new vehicle, Finn started pre-school, and we added a new addition to our family – Jeremiah August Bluejacket Aakagak Osborne-Gowey!

As many of you know, Jeremiah started a new job this spring working as the Aquatic/Landscape Ecologist for the Conservation Biology Institute, a national non-profit ecological research firm with global projects but based out of Corvallis. He’s spearheading the development of an Aquatic Conservation Program for them and is really enjoying the work and the people he works with.

Cat's work is going well and she started her own business – Feather River Consulting. Check it out on the web at FeatherRiver.us. Right now she's been hired to start a family violence prevention program for her tribe...which means a lot of grant writing and networking. Recently, she and her tribe were awarded their first grant to start the project so hopefully soon families will be able to access the care and resources they need when they need it the most. This work has allowed Cat to fulfill both her passions – justice for women and families and being a stay at home mum while the kids are small.

Finn turned three this year, my how time goes by. She’s had had a great year this year and started riding horses and doing farm chores this past winter and loves it. On her birthday, she rode all by herself (with our friend Trish holding the reins of course) for the first time. And this past fall she started pre-school and really seems to be enjoying herself. She's learning the ABC's…or her “letters” as she calls them.

Our children are our greatest accomplishment and this year our son came into our lives. On a warm summer evening in August (August 21st) he surprised us by coming on his own. We were scheduled to be induced Saturday a.m. but started having contractions at 4:30 a.m. Friday. They stayed every 45 minutes to 1 hour all day. We even had a chance to go garage sale-ing and have breakfast out. And so at 10:10pm on August 21st, we delivered little baby Jeremiah. Papa, under the watchful eye of our doctor and the nursing staff, helped deliver him, give him to his mummy, cut the cord, and bathe/weight/measure the little one. He had a full head of thick, black hair, a single cowlick at the top of his crown, and long fingernails. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 14 ounces (nearly 9 pounds!). His head was 14 1/2 inches around and he was 22 inches long. He seems so delicate and small and yet he was nearly twice as big as Finn when she was born. And let me tell you - when you cook in a water-warm oven for 2+ weeks longer than normal, you come out looking like a wrinkled prune. He was so wrinkly it was comical...especially his feet and hands. Looked like he'd been left in a bathtub for too many days. Too cute! Finn was amazed that this little creature was finally here and no longer in Mummy's tummy (she was immediately enamored with him). Suffice it to say, the whole thing was a simply amazing event! We fell blessed. For the complete birth story and updated pictures throughout the year check out our blog at http://osbornegowey.blogspot.com/j

Sidda and Quinn (our dogs) are doing well, enjoying a full household and little ones to scratch behind their ears. Our cat Katie bird is doing well...getting older but still spry and running around the house batting at the dogs when they get out of line. We did suffer a loss this year, our old cat Spencer died just this week. It was a hard time for our family, we were blessed to have him in our home for 14 years. He was our first animal, we brought him home when he was just a few months old. It was Finn's first experience with the death of a loved one...it hit her hard...they were the best of friends. Of all our furry kids, he was the one she really loved and they did everything together. We always joked that we should have gotten him a little girl years ago, we were amazed that such a grumpy and down right mean cat turned into a marshmallow when she was born. For some reason she was the one person he really loved, she could carry him around, dress him up, and he would patiently purr and let her do as she wanted. They took many naps together, read books, and shared far too many snacks I'm sure :) He will truly be missed. He was buried next to a cherry tree on our friends farm, what amazing friends we have.

Have a safe and joyful holiday season and a merry new year.

Our love and prayers are with you.
The Osborne-Goweys (Cat, Jeremiah, Finn, baby Jeremiah, Quinn, Sidda, Spencer, Katie, and several dozen oddly assorted fish)

Spencer...

This morning at 6:20am our friend Spencer slipped away. This picture was taken this summer of Kate and Spencer, our two cats, napping on the couch as they loved to do. Spencer is/was our orange Tabby. We brought him home almost 14 years ago and today I feel like I've lost a true friend. I'm writing this as my own way to say good bye and get my feelings out. Many of you know what I'm writing about, losing a furry friend can be so difficult and often others don't understand that furry people can be family and losing one leaves a whole.

He had a heart attack this morning. It was sudden...we never saw it coming...he wasn't sick and we had no signs that he wasn't well. I woke to him making noises and I thought that it was him screaming because my folks were staying over and they had their dogs with them. Thank God for Zip and Tig, their dogs, they barked when Spencer had his attack and got our attention...by the time I made it to Spencer he was in the bathroom unable to move, he had several seizures, and then after an hour and half he died. My mom and I laid on the floor with him, stroking him, telling him how wonderful he was, and letting him go. I can't thank her enough for helping me make my friends last few moments warm and loving...she is a treasure to me.

Then...I had to tell Finn this morning. Spencer had become her best friends, anytime we travel she'd cry and ask about Spencer for our whole trip. The nap together, she reads to him, dresses him up, and they loved to watch movies. Explaining to her that she won't see her friend again was one of the hardest things I've had to do.

I know this post is depressing and many won't be able or want to read it...but I needed to get it out. I needed to say goodbye to a true friend. He saw me through my first years of marriage, college, graduate school, both of my babies, he was always there to make me feel loved.

For 14 years I've opened my front door and this orange Tabby would jump off the couch and come running to inspect whatever I brought in or to see where I'd been. We still have Kate Bird...I plan to shower her in love and help her through her grieving process...Finn said it best...she walked over to Birdie and said "I'm sorry you lost your sweety...I'll be your sweety if you want".

Bye Spencer

Thanksgiving Weekend and Tree Hunting

Thanksgiving with our family...busy! Filled with cousins, Christmas trees, and great moments.