Ten Things Tuesday - Holiday Support

[persianmaman]

With the holidays coming up, it would be great to hear about plans, how folks are feeling with the pressure of family visits/questions, etc. So I'm framing it in a Tu10 so we can talk about the good and the bad and create a pre-holiday support network.

1. I am so so so excited for the holidays coming up. Thanksgiving is my favorite and the winter holidays always makes me giddy and cheerful - lights, snow, merriness.

2. Thanksgiving is gonna be in VT with DH's mom, grandma, and uncle. Possibly some second cousins who also live in the area. Concerned because Gma is starting to lose her memory a bit, and I have a feeling she is going to ask us about kids again, be shocked we are adopting again, and tell us why we shouldn't adopt from Africa AGAIN (she was a nurse in Kenya & Botswana for several decades). Bleh. I handle it a bit better than DH, who is starting to get super riled up about it.

3. I am looking forward to a four-day weekend and missing out on Black Friday. DH's family lives far away from cities, so it'll be nice and quiet. 

4. DH is going to be in Mongolia AGAIN for two weeks of work in December. Now sure whether there is enough winter cheer to keep me a float while he is gone. He is missing out on a concert we already bought tickets for to see with friends, and also possibly missing Star Wars VII with our friends. I'm majorly bummed.

5. I love Christmas shopping. LOVE IT. I love buying people things.

6. Problem is I cannot think of things for myself for Christmas. Thinking of just making a list of books and toys for the future LO's room. Like these awesome SCIENCE BLOCKS. My kid totally needs them.

7. Christmas with DH's family in Las Vegas, which is the usual. But this year is the first year without my FIL there. So not so happy as it usually is. Trying to think of ways to keep my MIL as happy as possible and really just failing. FIL usually cooked Christmas dinner... it'll be hard on everyone.

8. I get two weeks off for Christmas since I work at a university. I hope to redo the LO's room during that time, it's currently a semi-guest room.

9. January coming up means it'll be two years since DH and I SERIOUSLY got into the adoption process (going to meetings, shopping for agencies).

10. DH is begging me to be allowed to put up Christmas lights this weekend. I may let him.

[redandblue]

Okay I will play along too! (even though I'm late to the party and now it will have to be 10 Things Wednesday!lol) I will do my best to come up with 10 things!

1. So since I'm Canadian we already celebrated Thanksgiving in early October, but for us it was a bitter sweet time. It was our first family holiday with our DS and we had lots to be thankful for. But my aunt moved into hospice care over the thanksgiving weekend, so it was sad. We were all able to have some nice time with her before she passed on October 16.

2. I love Christmas, and like you persianmaman, I LOVE shopping for others! LIke that feeling you get when you find the PERFECT gift for someone! Its amazing! DH likes to make fun of me around gift giving, because I always have to let people know the story behind the gift, like why I chose that one for them. Oh well, it's kinda my thing!

3. I just re-arranged my family room and now am worried that I won't have a good space for the Christmas tree. Oh well, I won't be doing that until the beginning of December anyways, so I have time.

4. DH's work Christmas party is this weekend. It seems early and I'm not yet fully in the holiday spirit, but a free fancy meal is always welcomed! My Mom will be watching DS for us for a couple of hours, so it will be nice for everyone!

5. I am really looking forward to hanging stocking this year. After Christmas last year I bought some new stockings for the family, with some extra's in anticipation that we would be blessed with new LO's in our family this year. We will finally have matching stockings, and enough for everyone! I'm super excited to put names on them

6. I am worried about money for the holidays, as I am off on paternity leave with LO. As life would have it, we just had some un-expected expenses (had to take our van in for some repairs and $850 later, I feel I have a reliable vehicle and empty bank account! I need to find some good crafts to make as gifts this year, as it can get awfully expensive!

7. DH will be starting a new position at his work and will most likely be working double time until the new year as everything transitions. That will be a bit of a damper on things if he is tired, stressed and never home!

8. We have a couple of Christmas traditions that we do and get togethers with the various family members! It will be hard with my Mom's family with my aunt having passed away. We love to host and often have 2-3 events at our place. It may be difficult to do as much hosting and have a 4 month old in the mix! We will see what happens.

9. I am looking forward to probably having some of the last rounds of people meeting our DS and hopefully the questions will dwindle regarding his adoption and BF. Not that I don't like to take the opportunities to discuss positive adoption language, but I am still working on being able to delicately answer the difficult/nosey questions regarding his adoption. I have been practicing using the response 'Why do you ask?' to every question.

10. This holiday season will be a super exciting time for us to celebrate our family! It is crazy to think that it is almost a year ago that we first contacted our CAS to begin to inquire about adoption. Never in a million years would I have thought last Christmas that our LO would have been here for 4 months already! (hoped yes, but realistically thought...not a chance!).

[packerfan4life]

I'm a little late, but I'll play

1. My little sister is getting married on New Year's Eve. I'm super excited for her but also nervous since it's in the midwest and I hope it doesn't get snowed out

2. I think we might go on a mini-vacation over Thanksgiving weekend to one of the national parks. We didn't end up doing nearly enough hiking this summer since we were so busy.

3. I work Christmas so I'm bummed we won't be able to spend it with family. It sucks living so far away

4. I haven't decided whether we should get a Christmas tree this year or not. Part of me thinks with a toddler and 2 cats it's just asking for trouble

5. I need to get L a stocking. I think we're going to start the tradition of buying Christmas pjs for St. Nick's. My sister does this with my niece and I love it.

6. It snowed here yesterday. I'm not sure I'm ready for that.

7. It's hard to think of 10 things

8. I'm nervous that I'm having my bridesmaid dress for the wedding shipped to my mom's. It means I won't have to travel with it (yay) but I also won't get to try it on until 2 days before the wedding. I sure hope it fits...

9. I don't really like Thanksgiving food, other than stuffing, rolls, and pumpkin pie

10. I feel like we have so much to be thankful for this year. 2015 was a great year.

[persianmaman]

redandblue, yay for shopping and stockings! The latter is something I am super into, but my MIL loves do to the stocking stuff too and they end up being too full to put any of our stuff into, heh.

I am so sorry to hear about your aunt's passing. It is tough to lose someone on a holiday especially. Big hugs and such for the LO's first Christmas!!! GL with all the party planning.

packerfan4life, I will also pray for little to no snow, but I'm originally a Hoosier. I will say they plan decently for bad weather out there. Grats on the wedding, yay for your family. (Eek on the dress though, best wishes!)

I am so thinking of doing a Christmas eve box!!! With PJs and instant hot cocoa, a snack, and a book for each of our kids, I love that idea. (Well, one day I mean). I am so sorry to hear you are working. Even though Xmas is a Friday? Ugh.

[lbey]

Better late than never!
1- first my social worker has time off because of her kids being sick now it is my little girl's SW who have sick kids. That means a delayed process.
2- LO is hopefully moving by Xmas and I cant wait to have our very first xmas as a family!
3- I am so taking LO to Santaland this year! Every year I take friend's kids to santaland because I love it so much and this year I will take my own kid!
4- Last year I bought extra stockings so this year we will all have our own stocking!
5- First xmas without our little furry baby. Before xmas was all about her and now that she is gone, although we will be a family, I will miss her dearly.
6- I always host thanksgiving for my friends. This year I came up with the idea of changing the menu to seafood and I thought my husband and one of my friends would cry. Okay, they won. Turkey it is.
7- I am wondering where I will put xmas tree and we need to start planning the xmas lights outside. Last year we were at a small apartment with a small balcony and this year we are at a townhome with frontyeard and backyard! We need way more lights!
8- Is it too early to put on the xmas lights?
9- Wish my family could come for xmas or I could be home. They are just 6000 miles away right by a blue water beautifully warn beach whole im in cold minesnowta...though it is warmer this year...
10- I am responsible for organizing xmas envents at my work and I decided to do 12 days of xmas. Each day there will be a different activity. One of the days will be a pijama party and we get to wear pijama to work!!!!