The Puppy

We took Kathryn out to eat last night for her birthday dinner. Each child gets a dinner of their choosing with just mom & dad for their birthday. It's a tradition Kurt grew up with and wanted to continue. I'm all for it!

Originally we were headed to Subway so Kathryn could get her treasured Meatball Sub, but somewhere between KCID Road and McDonald's, we were turning the other direction and headed for Golden Corral.

Golden Corral was a favorite of mine growing up, though now that they've gone "buffet" and no longer offer what used to be the very best Chicken Fried Steak on the planet, well....

But what kid in their right mind would pass up the chance to have AS MUCH of pretty much ANYTHING they might want? The only downside to GC (compared to say, Chuck-o-Rama) is that they make your drink for you so you can't make a "suicide" by going down the line and getting a little of each kind. Oh the liquid goodness a little bit of Sprite AND Rootbeer AND Lemonade AND Orange AND Powerade is!

It was a busy night in the Corral, with the line nearly out the door when we got there. Lots of interesting people were in line. The guy with the big box marked "books" in his arms, there celebrating his son's birthday. He'd decided the best way to disguise a present was to mark it "books". Too funny.

There was the little boy whose hair was long and very braidable.

There was the sweet looking middle-aged man who was there with his mother. It looked like she was doing a very good job of taking care of him. And would get to continue to do so until the end of her life. Or his.

There was the guy in the blue "Cougars" jacket. I liked him and thought fondly of my Alma Mater.

Then.

There was The Puppy. I watched him come in with his parents, his sister and his grandma and sit down where it was very easy for me to watch him and not seem like I was staring. Though I wonder if he'd have even noticed if he could have seen me.

He, too, was set to enjoy a dinner of anything and everything at the Corral.

Except.

The Puppy wasn't allowed to get up again. His food would be brought to him.

First a chicken leg, some cottage cheese and potato salad, I think.

The Puppy was about seven I supposed. Buzzed-cut. Glasses. Jeans with holes in the knees and velcro sneakers. I couldn't see that he had socks on.

The Puppy sat and quietly ate what was brought. Using his fork a little like it was new to him, but bite after bite, his food disappeared. He would look up sometimes to listen to the conversation going on, but it was like he knew better than to say anything.

Grandma sat next to The Puppy, with one chair between them. I don't know what this sweet boy might have ever done, but he found no favor with his Grandma. Though he tried to use his napkin and to make sure every drop of food stayed on his plate, it would not be enough to satisfy Grandma.

Grandma took a napkin to The Puppy's hands and scraped them clean like they were covered in sludge. The sweet Puppy didn't flinch though I'm sure it must have hurt a little.

Other times as he ate, The Puppy was glared at by grandma. Grumpy Grandma. It seemed like he couldn't have done enough even if he did everything.

I looked away long enough and got engaged with my own table long enough that when I looked over again The Puppy was taking bites of a big salad. Olives. Carrots. Tomatoes. I heard him ask his mom if he was supposed to eat the skins. Had he not had something so wonderful as a piece of fresh tomato before? I continued to watch as The Puppy ate bite after bite after crunchy bite of his salad, never stopping to make a comment or interrupt the conversation going around him.

I could tell The Puppy was hungry.

It was around this time that I noticed his shirt. It made me cringe because it spoke so loudly of who these BIG people were that were with The Puppy. These were folks for whom personal grooming was not a priority or anywhere near it. Certain undergarments for the women, typically worn by girls from the time they go through puberty, were missing. They looked like they weren't far from Grumpy themselves. Sister was a Princess, The Puppy was an afterthought. If that. Yet he seemed just as happy and lucky to be there.

I believe that people generally do the best with what they have. Grumpy Grandma however told me that choice had been a big part of who they were and where they were in life last night.

My Puppy ate and ate and ATE on his salad. Mom, Dad, Sister Princess and Grumpy Grandma had all gone for dessert and come back. They had all eaten their ice cream and their pie and their chocolate cake. I heard The Puppy ask about dessert. Grumpy Grandma muttered something to Dad about Puppy's slow eating or that he didn't deserve dessert or something. She was a little too far away for me to hear her well. But I thought, "oh no! EAT PUPPY!! EAT!"

Somehow Puppy believed them when they told him that all there was was pie and jello. Even though Sister Princess had come back with a big ice cream cone and Mom and Grumpy Grandma had had other things as well.

I heard him ask, between bites of his now nearly gone salad, if he could have jello. No one seemed to notice and a few bites more had gone by when Grumpy Grandma put her coat on, signaling she'd be ready to go soon.

EAT PUPPY EAT!

I'll admit that I am a ball of hormones these days. So Puppy and his sweetness and Grumpy Grandma and her coldness hit me harder and deeper than they might have otherwise. Maybe you're wondering why I've even bothered to write all of this.

It was his shirt.

The words were arched over the top of three crosses. They are famous. You probably know the verse already.

"Train Up A Child"

Ahhhghhh!

NO!

PUPPY!!

I love that verse. I appreciate that verse and the insight and comfort and instruction that it gives.

But not on My Puppy. Did his family REALLY THINK they were training him up in the way he should go? With Grumpy Grandma and Dad ~ Ignoring Dad ~ and Sister Princess being the apple of everyone's eye?

Oh Puppy....

I wanted to go over and help him finish his salad. I wanted to go over and give him a hug and tell him how special he is and what a good boy he is. I wanted to give him my two dollars, though I'm not sure why. Just part of the ball of emotion I was and the love I felt for this precious boy. I wanted him to have some jello. And some chocolate ice cream if he wanted it. With sprinkles. LOTS of sprinkles. And gummy bears and whipped cream. Whatever he wanted. As much as he wanted.

BECAUSE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GET AS MUCH AS YOU WANT OF WHATEVER YOU WANT AT GOLDEN CORRAL!!

Nearly Good Mom disappeared and I hoped that she was gone to get My Puppy his jello. But I wasn't sure. Grumpy Grandma was waiting, after all. With her coat on already.

By now we were pretty much done eating. I slowed to eat the last bites on my plate so we wouldn't leave before I knew that My Puppy had gotten his jello.

I could see down the buffet to the side where the desserts were. I hoped that I'd see Nearly Good Mom coming with it.

And finally, I saw her walking back with a plate in her hand. And it was wiggling with red jello.

Thank Goodness!

I was reminded that there are many degrees of caring. I do not think necessarily that My Puppy was being abused. Generally neglected? Maybe. Regularly told to "straighten up!"? Probably. Grumpy Grandma would probably be hated when Puppy got to be a teenager. I hoped not, but how long would Puppy tolerate Grumpy Grandma's harshness?

As it was time for us to go, I still had resist the urge to give My Puppy a hug. To tell him that I'd been watching him and that he was a very good boy.

Later I wished I had taken his picture with my phone because I knew I'd have to write about seeing this very good, very special Puppy.

I did though hug my own boy and breathe him in and hold him when I got home.

I know though that you can learn as much if not more from a bad example as you can from a good one. I learned a lot last night.

One of the things I was reminded of was the contents of another verse. It's pretty famous, too.

The Savior is speaking. He says, "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matt 18:6)

I am not necessarily a good mother of a two year old. But today I hope that because of last night, I am better than yesterday.

Well ~ Now That's Just Mean!!

TEN months from today is Christmas

...sorry ~ couldn't resist.

TODAY our darling Emily has turned six months old. And with that it should be noted that it's also Rachael Ray's half birthday (she's 40.5). And my BFF's (whose age shall remain something not posted here!).

It's also my friend Jennifer from High School's 34th birthday.

AND it's my friend Jennifer from College's 34th birthday.

(how cool is that to have TWO friends named Jennifer born on EXACTLY the same day!)

While I could wish everyone else an electronic "Happy Birthday",

Emily was the only one I could take pictures of.

For your pleasure ~ Miss Emily Anna Freeman, on the day

she turned SIX. MONTHS. OLD!

What a difference six months make!

Six months ago, we brought home this:

I was very sick and Emily left the hospital before I did. It would be more than six weeks before I...well, "before I" alot of things.

Now she's sleeping mostly through the night and eating big girl cereal and veggies and fruits.

I am walking in long strides (it took a while and I notice it now) and "FIRM"-ing five or six days a week. I am also sleeping mostly through the night. :)

Amazing the difference six months make. And a year!

A year ago we had no idea we'd have such a lovely little girl.

A year ago I knew our baby would be a boy.

A year ago I knew that baby boy would be bigger than his brother had been, and we'd break the eleven pound mark.

A year ago I spent as much time as I could horizontal. Something about that position just made my whole body sigh with relief.

A year ago climbing the stairs left me breathless, thanks to the new circulatory system I was creating.

Amazing the difference a year makes. Or six months. Or two. Or one. Sometimes it only takes a moment to make a difference.

A moment made a difference when we heard "it's a girl!" when I was SURE we were having a boy.

A moment made a difference when the boy I loved was on his knee (the one he'd had surgery on!) asking me to marry him.

A moment made a difference when I heard the words "I'd rather gouge my eyes out than tell you this, but..." before learning my mom had died.

Moments make a difference as a mother, and I'm trying to do a better job paying attention to the little moments so that when my babies are grown I might just have a few less things I wish I would have done differently.

So today I celebrate this special day, the day Emily turned

SIX. MONTHS. OLD.

It Is In Fact, All About the SHOES

Elizabeth wanted to take some pictures of Emily on Saturday so she got her dressed and tried some shoes on that Emily hadn't worn before.

Adorable!

Part of the reason Em hadn't had them on before is that they are a size THREE.

For an almost six month old, that's a might big foot.

And you know what they say about big feet..... big shoes! (or, as the lady at Wal-Mart said this morning ~ big heart)

For a minute I wondered if her now heavier feet were going to be too heavy for her to lift....she got them up within playing range though and had a good time with them.

What a girl!!

All About Elizabeth

Elizabeth has been called to be first counsellor in the Beehive Presidency and has her first presidency meeting tonight. So exciting!! We'll skip the part that I was the last one to know about the calling and how a reminder call about the meeting tonight left me wondering why Liz was being reminded...was she singing for them or something? Silly.

Elizabeth has been busy babysitting, breaking her record recently of a mere two jobs on a Saturday with three. One in the morning, another in the afternoon and straight to a third for the evening. She loves it and while her earnings are going to buy things like the MP3 player she wanted, fund trips to see Twilight for the second time, buy a $5 shirt that she just HAD to have, and will soon mean a digital camera will be hers, she has said she'd pretty much do it for free because she likes it so much. A recent on-the-way-home conversation with a mom she sat for gave Liz a bit of a boost. This mom shared with Liz that a lot of people had been upset wit her (the mom) because she'd gotten to Liz first for a night when a lot of people were going to the same party. Liz was suprised to hear that people like her that much. This mom reassured her that they do! One mom told me that Liz was the first babysitter they'd ever had who cleaned the kitchen before they got home. Yeah, she's a keeper!

Thankfully breaking her foot in December only kept her from about a week of Dance Team. She has had a great time dancing these past weeks, and the girls are awesome! Liz has always had rhythm, and it's fun to get to see it put to good use. :)



Rhythm is also being used in Choir, which is, according to Liz, her FAVORITE class. She was chosen for Select Choir this semester and was one of 12 acts out of 150 auditions to receive a "Golden Ticket" which was an invitation to perform at her school's recent Talent Show. You can see the video here ~ apologies for the blurriness....Sister Helper Camera Operator thought the blur was just in the camera.



Elizabeth earned a spot on the Honor Roll for this last term, the third consecutive term she's done so (and I have the bumper stickers to prove it!). She's taking Honors Language Arts and does more math than she wants to without too much complaining.

Next year Liz will be in High School. Which is terrific and incredible all at once. So many great things happen in High School: Seminary. The "big girl" Select Choir, and a possible trip to China. Friends. Driving. Friends Driving. yikes! Turning 14 in July, she's anxious to be that much closer to all of those things, and told me yesterday that she's thinking about becoming a race car driver. Then a few hours later she said she thought she'd love to be a Repo (wo)man ~ after she becomes an interior and/or fashion designer. So many options and possibilities!

Elizabeth is sometimes weighed down by being the big sister. Littler people sometimes get into her things, and changing diapers isn't ever a sought-after task. But she's a great big sister, and Emily is just the most recent one who can testify of that:

All Things Bright and Beautiful

It's a vacation day here at the Freeman home and the day has dawned bright and beautiful. The sun is gleaming through our windows and Kurt and I are enjoying a healthy breakfast after Day 1 of Week 3's workout.

Melissa has been busily cutting and doing an activity from the Friend. She's moved on to practicing the song she'll be singing with her class in Sharing Time next Sunday. She's standing over my shoulder right now, humming.

Nathan is in his chair singing the theme song to Jeopardy!. If I could ever get him to do it when the camera is on, I'll post it here. Adorable!

Kathryn has been on Nathan duty this morning while mom and dad got their workouts in. She's working on her project for G/T now.

Elizabeth has been bitten by the health bug and tried to go for a run this morning. She aborted when she discovered that the sunshine was deceptively warm in the window, but not so much outside. It is after all, February.

Emily swung in her swing and I'm sure laughed to herself while Kurt and I worked out in front of her. Weird grown-ups!!

She did want me to wish everyone a belated Happy Valentine's Day ~

And show off her latest trick ~ sitting!

Our Lovey!

Emily's progress is in a large part thanks to her terrific Physical Therapist, Wendy. Love this picture!!

Emily is working on sitting up these days. She still doesn't like tummy time at all, but we're meanies and try to get in a few minutes as often as we can. She's holding her head more steadily, and we're seeing improvement in her arms.

Emily seems to wait to show off her skills until Wendy comes. The last two weeks she's done things I've never seen her do. The girl is a Champ-i-on!

In other random family doings....

We didn't intentionally mean to upset Nathan, but putting Emily in HIS chair the other night, sure did the trick:

"MY CHAIR! MINE! MINE! MINE!" Nathan said in his very best jealous two-year-old brother voice.
Emily thought it was funny... what a smile!

So Nathan consoled himself with a cool swig of milk. No just kidding ~ this picture was taken at a different time, but he really did just go to the fridge, pull out the jug, take off the lid and go for a drink. Dad grabbed the camera fast enough to catch him. Better to have proof than to have stopped him in the first place, right??

If you're a regular reader, you know that dates are a big deal for us. Ok, for me (Mom, Maryhelen). So here are the cupcakes I made for Elizabeth's half birthday on the 29th of January. I took them to her dance team after school that day. My sincere apologies for not bringing enough. What was I thinking!!

Here's Liz (2nd from the left) ready to dance. The girls perform at the half of each of the boys' basketball games. They are awesome!

Nathan now has a vertical sleeping habit to add to his horizontal one, at least where the stairs are concerned:

At the end of the day, there's no better place to be than with daddy.

Love

Today is one of my favorite days, the anniversary of the day that Kurt asked me to marry him. And then waited 19 hours for an answer. That was fifteen years ago. We talked this morning about what we wanted to do today, ruling out anything that had to do with food since we're trying hard to stick to our programs. I told Kurt it didn't have to be anything big ~ that I didn't expect him to ask me to marry him again or anything. To which he said that was good, because he wasn't going to ask again! Poor boy was traumatized the first time I guess. lol
We had the "would you do it again" conversation that comes up sometimes. I told him again today that I would say yes again and it wouldn't take me 19 hours. We agreed that we wouldn't change a thing. There are things that we wish would have been different (starting with NOT being engaged for 6 1/2 months!), but because things always work out, there really isn't anything we'd really go back and change. Not about our decision to get married or any of the gazillion things we've been through since.

I'm surprising Kurt with a *romantic* trip to Target later to pick out a new laundry basket. Can't you feel the heated tension in the air?? We've been putting off getting new ones to replace the ones we got as wedding gifts. The new one will always be remembered as this special days' gift.

Our wedding day was the very best day of my life. My children know that it's because of this day that they are here and that we are a family. And today is the day that all of the rest of our lives began.