A great holiday weekend! (long and lots of pics)

December 27, 2007

A great holiday weekend! (long and lots of pics)

Filed under: Uncategorized — dianabananapancakes @ 6:00 am

This has definitely been a blessed Christmas. Everyone loved the gifts that I made, thank goodness, and the family got to spend some great quality time together. My dad and step-mom got us a dining room table and chairs, which for the last 5 years we’ve only had a folding card table with a padded top and folding chairs, and haven’t even eaten on it in about 2 years. Ian instead has his old fisher price plastic picnic table and I eat in the living room right next to it on the couch. I can’t wait to have our first dinner at the dining table Saturday night First I have to get the stuff out of the dining room that’s been kept there, Ian’s bike, my craft stuff from the holiday crafting on the card table, and clutter that has accumulated on the unused table…

Monday evening we went to the big family get-together we have every Christmas eve with my dad’s side of the family. Dad has 9 brothers and sisters, who all have children around my age, who most of them are either married or have significant others and some even have kids….I’d say there were about 50 people in that house, it was loud, stuffy, and so great to be with everyone. I’ll share some pics below.

The big family tradition on christmas eve is its a potluck dinner, and Santa comes to visit, which used to be in the form of my Uncle Billy, but on his passing, his son Joey has taken up the tradition and Ian still believes in Santa, so its great. Ian was so excited to get his gift from santa, but it later broke and he was in tears, but he was fine later on after having sometime to play with his second cousins and open some presents from the extended family. Then Christmas day I had to work, but thankfully I work from home, and so 8 am to 11 am I had to work, but I stopped for opening christmas gifts with Ian at home, and then after I got off work we got ready to head to my dad’s a couple of blocks away and opened more gifts there, and just had a nice, relaxing, lazy day with family and a nice dinner before I had to go back to work. All in all a great, relaxing, quality-time filled weekend.

I called the loser-ex, aka Ian’s dad, on Tuesday a week ago to decide who was taking Ian for what day. We have visitation orders, but he’s not followed them since the day they were put in place (he’s supposed to have Ian every other weekend and we alternate holidays) but I’ve been accommodating because I’m a nice person and shit. Well, I called him a week before Christmas to find out what day he wanted Ian, because I really wanted Ian to go to the Christmas eve party to be with my grandpa, Ian’s only living biological great-grandparent, who has been in and out of the hospital most of the first half of 2007, and so I wanted Ian to be there, and Ian wanted to be there. Loser said he’d check his work schedule which he would get on Tuesday, exactly a week before Christmas, he said he would call me back. He never did, and I made the first call and I didn’t feel like I should have to make any more calls since he should take the initiative to see his own son. He never called, not even on CHristmas eve or christmas day to wish his son Merry Christmas, and not even today after Christmas to see about getting his son during any time of the christmas break Ian has from school. Not a single phone call since I called them over a week ago now to figure out when he wants to take Ian. I’ve talked to loser-ex’s sister-in-law (his brother’s wife, who I’m very very close with) and she said I made a call already I shouldn’t have to make any more. I’m planning on taking ian on Friday to the city to see the rest of his family, and I’m pretty sure the only way I will hear from his dad before then is if I call HIM. That’s loser for you, and it really pisses me off.

Day after Christmas we had some cash and gift cards, so Ian and I hit the shopping and had a fun afternoon together before I had to go back to work. He told me he’s glad his dad didn’t call because his Christmas wish was to spend both Christmas eve and Christmas day with me. I love my kiddo, but I know it was bugging him or he wouldn’t have brought it up. Several times during opening gifts and getting things he’s really really wanted, he had welled up with tears which he’s never done before, and even just opening the gift of the stenciled shirts I made him, he welled up with tears, came and gave me a hug, sat on my lap and said he really loved them…I love my little man. Anyway, on to the TONS of pics….these are just a part of how many I really took!

Ian and my step-mom (aka Grannie) at my grandpa’s house for the Christmas eve family party.

Me and my handsome kiddo

Ian took this pic of me…look how long my hair was!

My grandpa with his newest great-granddaughter, Tatum, born in October.

Santa just showed up at Grandpa’s house and Ian was excited…

Santa (aka my cousin Joey) and Ian

Ian’s gift from santa, an R2D2 drink mug, he was so excited about it and showed it off to everyone, at one point saying “This Santa is the real deal because only my mom and my grandparents and SANTA know how much I love Star Wars, so this Santa is the REAL DEAL!” IT WAS FRIGGIN ADORABLE!! That mug is the gift that broke and he was in tears later that night, but he was soon better after playing and opening other gifts, lol.

Ian and his auntie Amanda (my 20 yr old half sis)

My grandpa’s wife on the recliner, my grandpa, my step-mom, my dad, then in the middle is Ian, then front is me and my sister Amanda – 3 generations

Ian gets it from me….

and I get it from my dad:

and dad gets it from his dad: (yeah, I dunno, I walked into the room later in the evening and he had this on, lol, we’re all a bunch of wierdos! 87, can barely breath, and he’s still a wierdo!) 🙂