Grand Rapids Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Christmas Recap
Ok, now that everyone is back, let's share our Christmas stories.
Best Gift Received (or most excited about)
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box)
Best part of the holiday season
Worst part
Any crazy family drama
Re: Christmas Recap
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box) - My mom got the girls a Lalaloopsy Doll. http://www.target.com/p/Lalaloopsy-Doll-Mittens-Fluff-n-Stuff/-/A-12269073
Wouldn't you think that a doll that was supposed to have been once a rag doll, would be a soft, cuddly doll. Heck no...this thing is heavy, hard plastic. I think the head weighs like 5 lbs. It's head is so heavy, the doll can't sit up on its own. The girls have shown no interest in it at all. I consider this bad gift the fault of the toy maker, and not my mom.
Best part of the holiday season - Being off work and being able to relax.
Worst part - The drive back to GR from my folks on Christmas Eve was stressful. It didn't have to be, but everyone (i.e. hubby and kids) were overtired and cranky. It kind of put a damper on my holiday spirits the next day.
Any crazy family drama - None. My one sister was moody, but I just ignored her.
Best Gift Received (or most excited about): Jim replaced my digital camera that was (very literally) falling apart. Also, Willa gave me a calendar that she made at school. It's all seasonal handprint paintings, and it's so sweet.
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box) None for me. Wait. Yes, there was. My inlaws went to Disney 2 months ago. MIL gave me my second ornament from Disney. Some people would love that (and the sentiment is nice, I guess), but I am not exactly a fan of Disney.
Best part of the holiday season: PJ days with my family. We didn't do anything huge while Jim and Willa were on break, but we had many fun moments.
Worst part: I don't like going to my in-laws on Christmas day at 10 am. It's too early, and intrudes in our little family Christmas morning time. And, while I've grown to treasure his family, they do Christmas wrong (as in, it's not how *my* family does it).
Any crazy family drama: Nope, none here. If Jim didn't go back to work there might have been (2.5 weeks off is too much togetherness, I think).
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box) I got a tacky Christmas decoration from a student. Not handmade or picked out by the student. Big shiny tackiness. Totally appreciated but definitely not my style.
Best part of the holiday season: Hearing Mere tell everyone "Merry Christmas" while we visited family. She was so sweet! She also learned several Christmas carols and we sang those over and over and over.
Worst part: My aunt and cousins were here for 10 days. My family thinks we need to spend every. waking. minute. together. while they are here. Not my style. I got guilted for not being there more. So annoying.
Any crazy family drama: Nope. Like Amy, we've been together A LOT the last two weeks and I'm almost ready to go back to work.
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box) - My dad got me an electric toothbrush. Last year it was a water flosser. I'm starting to get a complex haha.
Best part of the holiday season - Family being (almost all) together - we live all over the place, and only 1 sibling wasn't able to make it. Brother from Finland, Dad for MD, sister from NY. It doesn't happen often.
Worst part - Saying goodbye to everyone. And buying groceries lol.
Any crazy family drama - Always, but luckily it involved the sister NOT here.
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box): A hair towel from my MIL. I thought it was going to be cool till I started to really look at it. The package was kind of dusty & faded. When I opened it up I realized that there was no way it was going to work....and I don't have very thick hair! LOL! I'm pretty sure she either re-gifted it to me or picked it up at a dollar store.
Best part of the holiday season: Spending time with Brielle & a few extra days with Ben too.
Worst part: Brielle's cold, my grandma ended up in the hospital & I had the stomach flu. Blah!
Any crazy family drama: No crazy family drama this year. I think we annoyed the IL's by suggesting that we don't do gifts next year.
Best gift: my mom sewed me an apron
"What" gift: The "As Seen on TV" foot scrubber things that go on the floor of the shower and you scrape your feet on them. It never fails, whenever I say to DH "why would someone buy that?" when we see the commercial, his mom buys it!
Best part: Seeing my sisters and nieces and nephews. Time with family.
Worst part: DH's Grandma died.
Crazy family drama: Oh yeah, DH's family has lots. Not enough room here . . . makes me very grateful for my own drama-free family.
Best Gift Received (or most excited about) Pink watch Nick got me
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box) Um.....nothing really. We had a great Christmas.
Best part of the holiday season: Breakfast with our new little family at home on Christmas morning.
Worst part: Renee got sick :-(
Any crazy family drama: Not really. My younger brother is in the Navy and currently deployed, and everyone is all "Oh poor B, he's on the phone, everyone needs to talk to him before we start doing gifts!" and "B is sad he's not here blahblahblah, he needs stuff sent to him, blahblahblah. Everyone let me know what you can get off his wish list!" *eyeroll* My brother has always been a giant D-bag manipulator, and everyone in the family knows it, and now that he's been deployed they all act like he was captured by the military instead of him volunteering to be deployed! I'm sure only Nick and I were eye rolling though because we see right through him.
Best Gift Received (or most excited about) - Photo desk calendar from Brandon. A small gift, but I love it.
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box) - None that I can think of. Usually we get at least one of these from the inlaws, but not this year. Probably because, for better or worse, they focused on gift cards.
Best part of the holiday season - spending time with my family (immediate and extended).
Worst part - My grandpa wasn't here and my grandma was in a nursing home.
Any crazy family drama - None!
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box) - None
Best part of the holiday season - Having DH hone from work
Worst part - I can't think of anything that was bad!
Any crazy family drama - None!
Best gift- Very pretty scarf from my sister.
A "what??" gift - I opened a framed photo of my MIL holding Henry while he slept. It was from Thanksgiving when she read him a book and he fell asleep in her arms. She is staring straight at the camera and has a stern scowl on her face. It is weird. I know she thinks it looks like a timeless tender moment, but with the expression on her face I get a little bit of a Hand that Rocks the Cradle vibe. Creepy and not going up in Henry's room. I will keep it for him, of course.
Best part of holiday season - Mike being home.
Worst part - I was really disorganized and procrastinated on gifts/wrapping. This really doesn't have to do with the holidays but it was the part I liked the least.
Any crazy family drama - No drama, but we did have a little excitement when Mike and I announced that we are expecting Baby Hoek #2 at the end of July. Lots of cheers and hugs. Even Henry was clapping, sweet guy, he has no idea.
Whaaaat?! If you mentioned this hear before, I missed it.
Congratulations!
This is the first mention! Thank you!
Fun! Congratulations!
HOEK! YAY! You've gotta make a seperate post for that news! Not everyone is going to come back to this post.
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box) The snuggi that I got and the Snoppy slippers I got.
Best part of the holiday season Being with friends for the holidays. Seeing all the decorations, trees, etc. Getting the day off after Christmas was awesome too.
Worst part Not being being family. I am the only one who lives in MI.
Any crazy family drama Not that I know of.
Best Gift Received - It wasn't anything purchased. But a long strand of lights on our Christmas tree burned out the week before Christmas. I wrap the tree pretty intricately with lights and so it's no easy task to replace them (involves removing ornaments, unwrapping strands of lights from branches, etc.) XN woke up early on Christmas Eve, unwound the broken strand and rewrapped that section of the tree with a new strand of lights, so it would be beautiful again when I woke up. Such a gift.
A "what??" Gift (or put in the Goodwill box) - Nothing.
Best part of the holiday season - All of it. Even the stressful parts. Nothing compares to the Christmas season.
Worst part - Trying to juggle schedules to be able to see everyone while they're in town (or while we were in Colorado)
Any crazy family drama - Yes, somewhat. Fortunately on XN's side of the family.