We’re having our own little Thanksgiving dinner, just the six of us, here at home. It would be a recipe for disaster going somewhere else, especially someone else’s house this soon. Timothy is into everything, and I’m sure that he’d be little Mr. Octopus anyway.
We weren’t invited to the family Thanksgiving dinner at my sister’s. They aren’t speaking to me. This will be the first Thanksgiving that we haven’t been with the rest of the family since we moved back to Iowa ten years ago, so my other kids are having a tough time with not going to Grandma’s. I haven’t told them anything about the stuff going on, we have told them that we wanted to stay home so that Timothy didn’t get into things at my sister’s(which is true too, I’d never hear the end of it if he broke something). I think they are ok with that at least. I know that they notice the absence of my Mom though… we never went more than a day or two without seeing her before our trip… I am sad that they are missing out on our firsts with our sweet little guy. Sigh…
Despite all of that, I will make sure it is a nice day. We might even use the good china. We’ll see.
I gave all the boys haircuts today. hehe John included. I buzzed Timothy’s hair because it was SO uneven all over his head, and he has the worst “cradle cap”. I figured this way we can get that taken care of a little easier. He is way cute! Ok, he was already cute, but the new do is cute too! hehe
The girls are getting cuts on Saturday from one of my bestest friends, Chrissy. The tree goes up this weekend too. Should be interesting! hehe
This will be Timothy’s first Thanksgiving…
Thank you God for my family, for John, Joe, Kati, Timothy, and Olivia. Thank you for the blessings that you have given us this year. Thank you for my friends, for the blessing that they have been and continue to be. I pray that You will be with the rest of my family, touch their hearts, help them to heal.
Hey, we were RIPPED OFF...No picture of Timothy's new hairdo??? What is with that? hehe!!! We don't ask for much now do we??? hehe. I am sorry you are dealing with all of this girlie :( But God has a plan for everything. I know they will come around. Just sucks its around the holidays :( They are missing out forsure.
ReplyDeleteHave a fun, blessed day!!!! Can't wait to hear all about Timothy's first Thanksgiving....I bet tons of cute stories forsure!!!
I said I wouldn't comment but this is just not the whole story.... What you left out is the part that Mom is totally worn out from being at your house pretty much non-stop for the last 5 months doing what ever you may have needed her to do. Never the less she had a major problem to deal with at her house with the bathroom being gutted and redone. And then the whole time you were gone she wasn't even able to work on any of her projects or her sewing. Yes she needs some down time she is worn out and exhausted. So in effort to take things off of her I am having Thanksgiving. And not inviting you was a choice that was made by all of us not just me. Yes I mean all of us. Jeff, Todd, Tiffany, and Mom. We are all upset with how you handled all of this while you were gone and what all you did when you got there. I never said anything till now and now you know that I am not trying to be mean or cruel. I am just making you see that the whole truth needs to be put out there for everyone to see and read just not your sugar coated way of it.
ReplyDeleteKisses Mel. Forget about your crazy family there and stick with your crazy family here(RR). Amy, you're just rude to comment like that on Thanksgiving, sorry but it's true. One of my favorite people in this world (besides Mel) is Maya Angelou. These words hold true the same today as the day they were spoken: When people show you who they are believe them, the first time. HAPPY THANKSGIVING MEL!! WE LOVE YOU! NOW GO EAT SOME PIE!!
ReplyDeletesaying prayers for all of you, that all will work out and bad feelings will melt away. Happy thanksgiving, Mel!
ReplyDeleteSorry HAVE to reply to this. I am sorry Mel but this needs to be said. Family is Family and that is ALL you have in life. We will not always agree on the choices, the things we do in life but we are family and family sticks together...plain and simple as that. NOT inviting or singling a "family" out is down right ignorant. I am sorry if my choice of words are inappropriate. Put yourself in your sister's shoes. What if YOU were the one singled out. What if Mel, your mom, your brother, your sister in law made a decison NOT to invite you or your children to your family dinner on Thanksgiving, how would that make YOU feel? Think about it. Family just doesn't do that to other family members. They just don't. I have 4 sisters and they would never do that to me....they have not always agreed with me or my choices and we have had our spats as adult siblings sometimes do but they would never ever do something like that. I mean I get this was hard on your mom, I get it was hard on all of you. But to not invite or disinvite someone to a family dinner to me is just cruel minded. Maybe you should really sit back and put yourself in Mel's shoes and think about how YOU would feel if you were in her exact shoes. Family is Family and Family just doesn't treat other family like that. They just don't. I am sorry if I am coming across not very nice and if my choice of words are inappropriate. This just really shocks me. :(
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to the newly expanded DeLanos clan!! I'm sorry that there are lots of issues happening right now. I'd be heartbroken if my family chose to leave me out of this holiday, no matter what the reason. I pray that you all work out your differences and practice forgiveness within the whole family, so that you can enjoy the fruit of the sacrifices you ALL have had to make.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a village to raise a child; even one who comes from many villages away! God bless you all this holiday season. Love and hugs to you, Mel.
Oh, Amy. I am sorry for you, and sorry for your family, especially your sister Mel and your darling new nephew Timothy. As for you, I, too, have relatives who can be difficult, and that grieves me. I can only imagine how this must be hurting your family, especially Mel, who has SAVED TIMOTHY"S LIFE by adopting him, loving him, giving him a future.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you and your mother and other siblings were inconvenienced by your sister's truly noble decision and the resulting long adoption journey. I am sure it was difficult to deal with a bathroom remodel, and frustrating to have to put off projects and sewing. It's good of you to take on the tasks of Thanksgiving. You mention five additional relatives plus your mother, who seems to have had a difficult time during Mel's travels. Were these five other people plus yourself unable to assist your mother during her bathroom remodel, or perhaps help her find time to sew or work on her projects? I'm sorry, but remodeled bathrooms and sewing projects just don't compare to saving a child's life, at least not in my book. Other opinions may differ, obviously.
For what are you giving thanks as you generously host your remainging family today? That your mother and the rest of you now have time to enjoy that remodeled bathroom, projects, and sewing? Or that your sister Mel has done what Christ requires of His followers: to care for orphans? To love a little boy who's never had love in his life before?
You are missing so much.
Like you, I have young relatives who joined our family by adoption from Ukraine. Like Timothy, one of them has special needs and was facing a grim future. Unlike you, I rejoice that these precious, much-loved children now are forever part of my family and that their parents were strong, brave, loving Christians who obeyed the direction of Christ in bringing these sweet children into our family.
I don't mean this to be hurtful to you, or to further damage your family's relationships, but what you've written above seems so petty compared to Timothy's life. Obviously I don't know the entire story, and it's not my business to know. But as a good friend of Mel's friend and fellow adoptive mom and traveling companion Cathy, and as someone with dearly loved adopted children in my own family, it saddens and appalls me that you have such negative views and are repeating such hurtful things here.
I will pray for healing of your family's rifts and for clarity of vision and charity of heart for all of you.
Sincerely,
Susan Booker
Mel, enjoy that pie, enjoy the good china, and rejoice in your beautiful children! Give Timothy a hug for me -can't wait to see the latest photos of your cute little guy with his newfound siblings.
ReplyDeleteBTW, how does a little octopus eat turkey?? ;-)
Prayers and best wishes to you on this special day of very special Thanksgiving...
Susan
I am only getting to this now and my jaw is hanging. Sewing projects? Bathroom remodel? Mel, is this your sister talking? If so, I am SO very sorry. How trivial and petty can a person be? :(
ReplyDeleteHave you heard the saying "friends are Gods way of apologizing for family"? I can't think of a situation where it applies more.
Mel, you know you have done an incredible thing. God bless you, your husband, children and especially Timothy.
Glad your mother was there for you, too bad her other kids did not step up and help her. Hypocritical if you ask me.
Congratulations my long time friend. You deserve all the happiness in the world. Do not let these selfish people get to you in any way.
Sig