Thanksgiving weekend

Well it was interesting to say the least. We started out at David's dad house. You can definitely feel the European influence there. Thanksgiving dinner was at Old Country Buffet. Which was fine since they had all the usual stuff. But of course that meant no turkey leftovers. The girls had a great time playing with Grandpa mike and Grandma Jean. They built gingerbread houses and made thanksgiving leaves to hang on the pine tree plant in Grandma Jean's living room. Veronica was with us and that meant hair being done and all that good stuff that girls do when they get together. It was kind of nice for Kalaree to have a cousin around her age there for her since she usually gets shoved to the side with no one around her age. On Friday we drove back to Moses Lake to spend time with my family for Thanksgiving. Jake was home which was nice and so was Brandi. Chad and Chessica came over many times throughout the weekend. The Wii was played over and over again. Grandma O and I went shopping and found some nice things for Christmas gifts for the girls, well for Kalaree. I can't wait for her to see them. It was interesting since you can definitely tell the influence of Tess living there. It really has become Tess's home with her rules and her decision on everything. It is not the same home that I grew up in. I guess the saying is true that you can't ever really go home. I know that most of my feelings are feeling of jealousy. Partly because it has taken Dave and I over ten years to recoup from his accident because we didn't have family to move in with when we had nothing, it just wasn't available. Yet Tess moves in and four and half years later is still there and I feel that it has really hurt my families ability to be involved in many of the family things. First because we live so far away and second because well to put it simply Tess makes visiting rather complicated. By making us(me) feel like we are putting her out by being there. Plus I feel that my girls get shafted partly because they don't have the grandparents around here to go to all their grandparent day things and to see them in their performances and what not. Then they can't even do Christmas morning there either and share in that with their grandparents. I know right now I sound like a spoiled little brat but right now it is how I am feeling. I wish that my family (the girls and Dave and I) had a better relationship with my family. But I guess once the black sheep always the black sheep. I just don't know how I can change things because I see that they really are set the way they are. It will always be my family that in the end doesn't have that sort of relationship their aunts and uncles and grandparent's as "the boys" do. It is just the way the ball bounces. Sorry this turned into such a pity party. I didn't mean it too, I know that once we get past the holidays and I get over the could haves of what I would like to see happen things will get to be better again and life will go on. My girls won't miss out because it won't be any different than any other Christmas, just there are days that I wish it were and that they would have the experience of knowing my parent's and their aunts and uncles better.