9/7/06 10 night Wonder Southern Caribbean "Cruising in WONDERland!"

[sandysplayhouse]

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 

[sandysplayhouse]

Black Friday was GREAT!
I'm finished with ALL my shopping for the kids...
I'm DONE!

 

[Stepht5]

Black Friday was GREAT!
I'm finished with ALL my shopping for the kids...
I'm DONE!

That's great!!! I've never been out on BF but, I have shopped online on BF morning! Years ago everyone offered their BF deals online during the same times (I don't know if they still do or not). I really haven't decided what I'm going to get most of our kids....... Claire is a *no brainer*. She's 6! LOL! American Girl stuff (bought already), anything Disney (especially Disney princesses!) and anything Barbie! Throw in something Hannah Montana or High School Musical and you're set! LOL!

This year we're probably not going to get my parents or siblings anything since we paid their way to the wedding! LOL! A 3 1/2 day Cancun vacation at an all inclusive resort should be good enough! LOL!

 

[sandysplayhouse]

That's great!!! I've never been out on BF but, I have shopped online on BF morning! Years ago everyone offered their BF deals online during the same times (I don't know if they still do or not). I really haven't decided what I'm going to get most of our kids....... Claire is a *no brainer*. She's 6! LOL! American Girl stuff (bought already), anything Disney (especially Disney princesses!) and anything Barbie! Throw in something Hannah Montana or High School Musical and you're set! LOL!

This year we're probably not going to get my parents or siblings anything since we paid their way to the wedding! LOL! A 3 1/2 day Cancun vacation at an all inclusive resort should be good enough! LOL!

I'd say that your parents and sibs were pretty much gifted for the year.

We are experiencing Santa Ana winds again. Our temp is 74* and Malibu is on fire yet AGAIN! I hope this fire gets under control quickly and we don't end up going thru the same situation as last month.

 

[Stepht5]

I'd say that your parents and sibs were pretty much gifted for the year.

My feelings exactly! LOL!

We are experiencing Santa Ana winds again. Our temp is 74* and Malibu is on fire yet AGAIN! I hope this fire gets under control quickly and we don't end up going thru the same situation as last month.

Oh no!!! We'll add this situation to our prayers!

I have some cousins and friends in So CA (so, does DH -- in fact his parents are there this weekend visiting family.......). I know a few of my cousins had houses filled with ash last month.

It's been freakishly cold the last couple of days.....the temp droped by 50 degrees......... But, still not quite cold enough to snow. Just lots of cold RAIN! UGH!

 

[Stepht5]

Things I never thought I would have to say.....*No, Claire, you can not use your feet to do your work on the computer.* Crazy girl......

 

[Stepht5]

All of our *kids* on Thanksgiving afternoon.

 

[sandysplayhouse]

All of our *kids* on Thanksgiving afternoon.

BEAUTIFUL kids... where's the SIL?

 

[Stepht5]

BEAUTIFUL kids... where's the SIL?

He went to his parents house -- they were originally just going there for breakfast and then to our house for the afternoon....... I think she pulled the *I'm so sick from my chemo* card.....so, he stayed at their house. I'm really sorry that she has cancer (a completely treatable kind and she really isn't sick from the treatments -- at least not when it comes to doing what she wants).
I told Katherine that I was really disappointed that our Christmas pic this year wouldn't include him. It is going to look like we don't consider him a part of the family! LOL!

 

[sandysplayhouse]

He went to his parents house -- they were originally just going there for breakfast and then to our house for the afternoon....... I think she pulled the *I'm so sick from my chemo* card.....so, he stayed at their house. I'm really sorry that she has cancer (a completely treatable kind and she really isn't sick from the treatments -- at least not when it comes to doing what she wants).
I told Katherine that I was really disappointed that our Christmas pic this year wouldn't include him. It is going to look like we don't consider him a part of the family! LOL!

LOL... welcome to the wonderful world of Mothers In Law.... in a small way, I'm sad that I don't get to share in this kind of difficulty as my SIL's mother passed away 2 years before he met my DD. So I get to spoil him all to myself. But I know what you are going thru... my DMIL tried all kinds of tricks to get my DH to STAY at her house during holidays, but NO WAY would he stay anywhere I was not... so she would always lose the tug of war... which is all that it is... my DH cut those apron strings long before the wedding. Needless to say, I am not one of her favorite D'sIL. Oh well.

 

[Stepht5]

LOL... welcome to the wonderful world of Mothers In Law.... in a small way, I'm sad that I don't get to share in this kind of difficulty as my SIL's mother passed away 2 years before he met my DD. So I get to spoil him all to myself. But I know what you are going thru... my DMIL tried all kinds of tricks to get my DH to STAY at her house during holidays, but NO WAY would he stay anywhere I was not... so she would always lose the tug of war... which is all that it is... my DH cut those apron strings long before the wedding. Needless to say, I am not one of her favorite D'sIL. Oh well.

Lucky you! Dh has never been close to his mom so, he has always done whatever I wanted --- he has always told me that it was my decision for when the kids saw her, also......
Unfortunately for my dd........her dh is the mothers *favorite* son! Her only other child she will barely speak to!
And her MIL spends way too much time telling everyone that dd & dsil should have a child NOW! And that she will pay a *bonus* to them if they are pregnant by Christmas! BLECH!!!!! She was telling everyone this at the WEDDING!!!!

I don't think it will take long for dd & dsil to get all of this worked out -- read: do things dd's way. My MIL and I were talking and we were laughig because we don't think dd's mil realize that she has met her match with my dd! LOL!

 

[sandysplayhouse]

Lucky you! Dh has never been close to his mom so, he has always done whatever I wanted --- he has always told me that it was my decision for when the kids saw her, also......
Unfortunately for my dd........her dh is the mothers *favorite* son! Her only other child she will barely speak to!
And her MIL spends way too much time telling everyone that dd & dsil should have a child NOW! And that she will pay a *bonus* to them if they are pregnant by Christmas! BLECH!!!!! She was telling everyone this at the WEDDING!!!!

I don't think it will take long for dd & dsil to get all of this worked out -- read: do things dd's way. My MIL and I were talking and we were laughig because we don't think dd's mil realize that she has met her match with my dd! LOL!

I feel for your DD as I went thru the same thing with my DMIL. My DH is also the favorite son... although he is the oldest boy of 11 children, named after his father (who could do no wrong in the mothers eyes) but he really IS the best son out of the whole batch. Things got worse after the dad died... she tried to get my DH to be the "dad" to the rest of the kids... and he tried to do as much as he could although we lived in another state. Things got better for us when we moved away to Africa... but then again, she would write him sad terrible letters about how much she needed him at home... PLUS, when we were dating, she let me know right off that I was not her choice ... his last gf was nicer, better, more submissive, more willing to do whatever SHE wanted. I laughed aloud and that pissed her off... I told her "that's why he chose me... I was NOT like the last girl". Stuff like this went on until the day DH finally put his foot down and told her "I'm married now, I have a wife and she comes FIRST"... I believe I heard a thunder clap that day.
AND I had the same "baby" issue with my MIL... for 5 years she bugged us for grandchildren, year after year after year... 10 years later, we had our DD and she didn't even bat an eye as she had been a Grandmother at least 10 times by then from her other kids. After 38 years, I believe she has finally given up trying to re-gain control. It gets better with time... but it does get OLD real quick.

 

[Stepht5]

I feel for your DD as I went thru the same thing with my DMIL. My DH is also the favorite son... although he is the oldest boy of 11 children, named after his father (who could do no wrong in the mothers eyes) but he really IS the best son out of the whole batch. Things got worse after the dad died... she tried to get my DH to be the "dad" to the rest of the kids... and he tried to do as much as he could although we lived in another state. Things got better for us when we moved away to Africa... but then again, she would write him sad terrible letters about how much she needed him at home... PLUS, when we were dating, she let me know right off that I was not her choice ... his last gf was nicer, better, more submissive, more willing to do whatever SHE wanted. I laughed aloud and that pissed her off... I told her "that's why he chose me... I was NOT like the last girl". Stuff like this went on until the day DH finally put his foot down and told her "I'm married now, I have a wife and she comes FIRST"... I believe I heard a thunder clap that day.

I am really glad that my dh is not the *favored* child! LOL! He is the oldest of two. I tell everyone that I got the only decent one in the family! LOL!

You sound like my dd -- not a woman to be taken lightly! LOL!

AND I had the same "baby" issue with my MIL... for 5 years she bugged us for grandchildren, year after year after year... 10 years later, we had our DD and she didn't even bat an eye as she had been a Grandmother at least 10 times by then from her other kids. After 38 years, I believe she has finally given up trying to re-gain control. It gets better with time... but it does get OLD real quick.

I can't imagine putting in my *2 cents* worth about someone's choice for children! NOT MY BUSINESS!

 

[Stepht5]

I thought you would enjoy a few of the *fun* pics that were taken of my dd & sil.

 

[Tigger1221]

He went to his parents house -- they were originally just going there for breakfast and then to our house for the afternoon....... I think she pulled the *I'm so sick from my chemo* card.....so, he stayed at their house. I'm really sorry that she has cancer (a completely treatable kind and she really isn't sick from the treatments -- at least not when it comes to doing what she wants).
I told Katherine that I was really disappointed that our Christmas pic this year wouldn't include him. It is going to look like we don't consider him a part of the family! LOL!

We has a really hard Thanksgiving this year but it worked out. We were supposed to go to DH's uncles for lunch and dinner with my family. Well at lunch his mom said that his cousin was in from FL and did we want to have dinner. They invited my parents too but they couldn't come. Of coarse DH wants to go see his cousin and I want homemade stuffing. We go to my moms after lunch and she can tell I am MAD!!! She says to go to his parents and we will have a cookout later in the week. Well when we got att his parents they were so happy but his DM felt really bad she had interrupted our plans! It ended up working out but boy was I stressed. His mom is great and I see her maybe once a month, I see my mom alomost everyday.

She will learn how to deal with them. His parents don't normally question our plans. Well maybe his dad sometimes but not to me!

 

[Stepht5]

We has a really hard Thanksgiving this year but it worked out. We were supposed to go to DH's uncles for lunch and dinner with my family. Well at lunch his mom said that his cousin was in from FL and did we want to have dinner. They invited my parents too but they couldn't come. Of coarse DH wants to go see his cousin and I want homemade stuffing. We go to my moms after lunch and she can tell I am MAD!!! She says to go to his parents and we will have a cookout later in the week. Well when we got att his parents they were so happy but his DM felt really bad she had interrupted our plans! It ended up working out but boy was I stressed. His mom is great and I see her maybe once a month, I see my mom alomost everyday.

She will learn how to deal with them. His parents don't normally question our plans. Well maybe his dad sometimes but not to me!

I knew there was no way Katherine was going to miss eating homemade dressing at my house! Her Granny (dh's mom) makes that and I make everything else -- and I'm a good cook! LOL!!

It's a shmae you didn't know in advance that his cousin would be there later.

 

[Stepht5]

Here are a couple of other ones...

 

[sandysplayhouse]

GREAT pictures... I especially love the one of him swinging her on the shore... the beach / sky looks so pretty... the whole background is so beautiful that it looks fake! Of course I know it isn't, but it just looks so perfect! Beautiful pictures.. Katherine is a beautiful girl and a beautiful bride.

 

[Tigger1221]

I knew there was no way Katherine was going to miss eating homemade dressing at my house! Her Granny (dh's mom) makes that and I make everything else -- and I'm a good cook! LOL!!

It's a shmae you didn't know in advance that his cousin would be there later.

Yea, I wish we knew too! I am still bummed as my mom has not been home for Thanksgiving in 6 yrs and I missed it! Matt felt bad but oh well. He promised we could eat with her at christmas, she said she will make all my favorites!


The pics from the wedding are great! Everyone looks so happy!

 

[sandysplayhouse]

Yea, I wish we knew too! I am still bummed as my mom has not been home for Thanksgiving in 6 yrs and I missed it! Matt felt bad but oh well. He promised we could eat with her at christmas, she said she will make all my favorites!

So you will actually have a second Thanksgiving dinner... only at Christmas, which IMO is WAY better... Lucky you!