Saturday morning we had my husband's parents over for brunch. After we ate, SD9 wanted to open her presents (her birthday was earlier this month). So SD9 opened them with her back towards me & did not show me any of the gifts. And she complained because she didn't get much. (We gave her her presents back in July, so this was just stuff from the grandparents & my husband's sister.) As soon as the presents were opened, she went down to her bedroom. At one point, I heard my FIL asking SD9 some basic questions. She completely ignored him. This is what former SD11 did to him last summer, as well as to me, my husband & our extended families.

Later in the day we headed to my in-law's motor home for a BBQ & Smores. It was cold & rainy, so we ate dinner inside. Afterwards, my in-laws headed outside to check on the fire. My husband went to use the bathroom, so I was alone with SD9. She kept saying how she was going to have one of the "comfy" chairs outside, which I disagreed with. I told her that in my family, the adults took the comfy chairs & the kids sat on the ground/floor or the less comfy chairs. (We've had this conversation multiple times & SD9 always argues & gets her way.) So SD9 says to me, "Well, I'm not really related to you. I'm not really part of your family.". :jawdrop: REALLY?!! She repeated it several times & I just walked out of the camper. I didn't know what to say & I knew if I did say anything it was not going to be nice. SD9 has NEVER taken this kind of attitude with me, nor has she ever said anything like this. She has always been thrilled that I'm her stepmom. Former SD11 had said this kind of stuff to me, and of course, I wasn't her stepmom, so it didn't hurt like this did. I spent the remainder of the evening barely looking at SD9. I was pretty mad & upset. I know that this is coming from BM, not SD9, but still. It's hard to take.

Immediately after Smores, SD9 started whining that she wanted to go home. She was bored. She was tired. This is EXACTLY what happened last summer when we went to visit my husband's sister, only it was former SD11 behaving like this, not SD9. As soon as she finished her dessert, she was ready to leave, whined, complained, sat in the car, etc. She just acted downright RUDE. SD9 wasn't quite as bad, but she did want to sit in the car. I don't know why my husband didn't let her. Yeah, go sit in the car & wait an hour or so for us. Go ahead! Freeze your little butt off! SD9 kept asking to go inside the camper & watch TV, which they thankfully said no to. She needs to learn to not be so rude & learn how to act around people.

On Sunday, we went out for brunch. Before we left, I told SD9 to wear pants or her long shorts (capris) because it was still chilly outside. I also told her that she could wear one of her nicer shirts from the closet (her old shirts are in the drawer). So what does she come upstairs wearing? Shorts & one of the new shirts she got for her birthday (that hadn't been washed yet). It's like she completely ignored what I said. I know she heard me & understood what I was telling her. Then she puts on her crocs. I was about to advise her to wear socks & sneakers because it was so cold, but then shrugged & went out to wait for them in the car. It's not like she would listen to me anyway.

At brunch, I got stuck sitting next to SD9. I was already annoyed with her, so I tried to ignore her. That worked out well since she was still basically just talking to my husband. Just like the last time we ate out, SD9 drank all her beverage right away & then wanted more juice (again, WATER, sweetie!). A girl that SD9 went to summer camp with came over to say hi & SD9 basically gave her a little wave & then ignored her. The girl lingered like she wanted to talk, but SD9 wouldn't look at her. This is just noteworthy because Friday night at the other restaurant, there was a girl from SD9's new school there & SD9 had no problem talking to her. (SD9 is not at all shy, so her ignoring someone is strange & rude.) After brunch, my in-laws wanted to say their good-byes to SD9 since they wouldn't see her again before they left. SD9 walked away from them & refused to hug them good-bye. My husband & I sternly told SD9 to say good-bye because she wouldn't see them again until next year. She walked over to them & stood there stiffly while they hugged her. (This is what former SD11 used to do.) In the car, my husband asked SD9 why she wouldn't hug her grandparents. SD9 replied that she was "too tired" to hug them. I called her on that...I asked her why she had so much energy to hug her father then because all morning (& since Friday, actually) SD9 had been all over him, hugging him, saying "I love you" over & over, hanging on him, etc. She was obviously freezing out her grandparents, which is really odd because she's usually very huggy & lovey dovey with them.

After this fiasco, I went to my parents' for a few hours, while my husband had some quality time with SD9. We then drove almost 30 minutes to meet BM...if you're still reading this, the conclusion is in another blog because this one is getting too long!